Combined Chorus
The OACC Adult Chorus and OACC Children’s Chorus sing separately from each other the majority of the time, however, they also have some opportunities to perform together on a few songs each year as well. One powerful example of this was in our “African American Spirituals-A Million Dreams” fall concert of 2018, when the two choirs were combined for the song from “The Greatest Showman” called “A Million Dreams”. The OACC children’s chorus sang the first part of that song alone, and then they were joined by the adults for the rest of the song. The impact of hearing over 70 voices, ranging in age from 5-85 years old, singing the same song, at the same time, all together, in four-part harmony, is a truly powerful and moving experience for singers and audience members alike.
How Choral Music Impacts Communities
According to Chorus America’s website, “choral singing is the most popular form of participation in the performing arts for both adults and children. Chorus America’s impact study found that an estimated 42.6 million Americans regularly sing in choruses today. More than 1 in 5 households have at least one singing family member. That’s good news because the study found that singing in one of the 270,000 choruses in the U.S., such as a community chorus or a school or church choir, is strongly correlated with qualities that are associated with success throughout life. Greater civic involvement, discipline, and teamwork are just a few of the attributes fostered by singing with a choral ensemble.” To learn more about Chorus America, visit their website.
Multigenerational Music Making
We believe that there are a great number of things that make the Ottumwa Area Community Chorus truly unique when compared to any other choral performance group in Southeast Iowa. One of those things is the fact that the full Ottumwa Area Community Chorus (when the children and adults are combined on the same song) is literally a “multigenerational” chorus. It is quite common to have more than one generation from a single family represented/singing, due to the wide range of ages covered when the two choruses are combined (from age 5 all the way up to 85+; the sky is the limit!) . With this kind of age range, it is even possible to have THREE generations of a family all singing the same song at the same time in the same chorus. In our recent “Messiah Sing Along” concert, there were three generations from a single family represented and singing together, including a grandfather, daughter, and grandson from one individual family. This unique opportunity to all perform together is invaluable and makes for priceless family memories and shared past experiences. Bottom Line: OACC is a FAMILY-oriented Chorus.
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