Sing2Gether, a new community choir, seeks voices; meet and greet is Sept. 6.
A new community choir - Sing2Gether - will have its initial meet-and-greet on Tuesday, Sept. 6 at The Ridge in Laurens, seeking anyone ages 13 and above who wants to sing.
“They don’t have to have trained voices,” said organizer and board member Suellen Holmes, “just like to sing.”
“There is so much talent in this community! I meet new musicians all the time. You do not have to be perfect to sing in this choir. My goal is to instill a love of music in everyone. We will have fun and work hard,” said Pat MacDonald, choir director.
An affiliate organization with Laurens Parks and Recreation, Sing2Gether looks upon its singing program as a blank slate. Anyone with ideas about music that will reach a large segment of the community without regard for race, age, gender, ethnicity or religious affiliation is invited to join and contribute their ideas for future performances.
MacDonald emphasized, “They don’t have to be perfect. The Bible says make a joyful noise.”
Sing2Gether Board President Holly Wiley Brown said, “My vision is that we are a group of individuals who want to bring a community together through the power of song. Suellen Holmes reached out to me as a founding member of the board, and it was exciting to see Pat and Glenn Culbertson from our time at Laurens Academy. We are excited to officially begin our singing endeavors but also our fundraising, reaching out to organizations and businesses.”
Already, Sing2Gether has “thanks yous” to extend:
- Laurens Mayor Nathan Senn, City Manager Eric Delgado, Jason Pridgen and The Ridge, and Nicole Matthews, executive assistant to the mayor;
- First Baptist Church, Laurens, for donation of a Yamaha upright piano that had been in a Sunday school class; MacDonald said, “It is an excellent piano.”
- Glenn Culbertson and Alden Mims for moving the piano, and Craig Little and AMT, Inc., for use of transportation;
- McCaslan’s Bookstore, Inc.;
- L&L Office Supply, Inc.;
- Holmes Photography; and
- Main Street Laurens.
MacDonald said Tara Webb will be the group’s primary accompanist. “Tara and I have worked together since she was 17,” MacDonald said. “She is an amazing musician and person.”
The new group’s Mission Statement is: “The mission of Sing2Gether is to be a true community choir for all of Laurens County and surrounding areas. We welcome everyone no matter the race, color, religion, or different abilities. Our goal is to sing music from all different genres: gospel/spiritual, oldies, Christian, popular, movie, modern, classical, Bahamian, Spanish, other languages, and more.”
Rehearsals will be each Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at The Ridge, located at 301 Exchange Ave., in Laurens.
“I am really excited for this opportunity because I love the people in Laurens County and welcome anyone from other counties, too,” MacDonald said. “It has been a joy to choose so many different types of music. The most trouble I have is narrowing the music down because I like so much.”
The Sing2Gether Board members are:
- Holly Wiley Brown, president;
- Suellen Holmes, vice-president;
- Tana Adams, secretary; and
- Members: Glenn Culbertson, Jermarius Evans, Sanita “Nease” Luke, and Katie Lazaro.
“Laurens County is so important to me,” Holly Brown said. “It’s where I met my husband and we are raising our family. It’s where I graduated high school. Connecting to the larger community through a choir means a lot of me.”
