NoVA Lights Chorale invites new members

Like many choral groups in the area, NoVA Lights Chorale suffered during the Covid pandemic and is now seeking new members to rebuild to pre-pandemic levels.

NoVA Lights Chorale is an amateur chorus that accepts anyone who wants to sing. There are no auditions and no charge to join.

Concerts are free, too. The group held its annual Christmas concert, “Snowflakes,” on Dec. 3. The group will sing at the Goodwin House in Bailey’s Crossroads for residents on Dec. 12. Its next public concert, “A Touch of Jazz,” will be in May.

“Our goal is to make music accessible to the community,” says Mark Crowley, a tenor.

NoVA Lights Chorale was founded in 2011 and practices at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Bailey’s Crossroads.

Several chorale groups in the region folded as a result of the pandemic. “The pandemic was very hard on choirs and singers,” says NoVA Lights Chorale Director Stanley Livengood.” Singing is a super-spreader event.”

NoVA Lights stopped practicing and performing for two years. A grant from ArtsFairfax helped keep the group alive. The funds were used to purchase scores and hire accompanists. Their Christmas concert included a flute and cello, as well as a regular pianist.

The Wakefield Chorale, which practiced at United Baptist Church on Columbia Pike in Annandale, couldn’t survive the pandemic. Half a dozen singers from that group joined NoVA Lights.

NoVA Lights has about 70-80 people on its membership list, including 34 active singers. “It’s a very cohesive group,” says Johanna Droel, a soprano who had been with the Wakefield Chorale.

If members need some help with singing, Livengood, provides instruction. He has a doctorate in choral conducting, teaches music at the Woodstream Christian Academy in Maryland, and sings baritone with the 42nd Street Singers, a barbershop quartet that performs at malls and private parties all over the region.

“Ordinary voices when put together can really sound wonderful,” says Cathy Becker, an alto who’s been with NoVA Lights for 10 years. “Music connects people,” adds pianist Anna Eun Joung Ko, the music director at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church.

Anyone interested in joining or learning more should reach out to [email protected].