Bach Society tackles tough songs
GROVE CITY — Although they call themselves the Bach Society, members of this community singing group have no special ties to the German composer.
In fact, the group includes very little of Bach's music in its concerts. The name was chosen to reflect the difficulty of the music in general, since the group often performs songs that are more difficult than the average community or church choir does, according to director Frank Stearns.
The group, which currently has about 40 members, practices weekly at Tower Presbyterian Church on Broad Street, a midpoint of sorts for the group, according to Stearns.
Concerts are performed twice a year.
Other than the high level of difficulty, the pieces range from sacred to secular and from classical to contemporary.
Bach Society members come from a variety of areas as well, from Greenville to Sandy Lake and as far south as Pittsburgh.
Membership is open to men and women of all ages, Stearns said. Right now, the youngest member is in his late 20s and the oldest members are in their 70s, he said — but most are retirees.
"You just need to enjoy singing good chorale music," to be involved, he said. "If you're willing to work and learn music you may not try otherwise, then join."
There are no auditions, said Stearns, but usually someone learns quickly whether they can handle the music or not. The selections usually involve more difficult ranges, for example, and Stearns is very picky about pronunciation and other aspects of the singing.
The group's annual concerts primarily are held in early December, focusing on Christmas-related music, and in the spring, featuring a variety of selections.
"We try to include some Bach in the spring concerts," Stearns said. "We do try to put a little in every concert. We are the Bach Society."
But Bach isn't always the audience favorite, so the use of the selections is minimal, he added.
This year's spring concerts are at 8 p.m. May 11 at Center Presbyterian Church in Slippery Rock and May 12 at Tower Presbyterian Church in Grove City. Concerts are usually well attended, Stearns said.Practices are held every Monday evening at Tower Presbyterian for about two hours. The group is usually accompanied by piano, but sometimes other instruments are used.Society president Kathleen Cashdollar, who founded the group about 15 years ago, said she enjoys being part of a group that has "such beautiful voices."Cashdollar of Grove City, who doesn't even consider herself one of those voices, said the amount of talent in the group never ceases to amaze her."Every week I'm amazed at how good everyone sounds," she said.She became involved because she loves singing "good music," and wanted something beyond what her church choir offered.That is the same quality that attracted Ken Harris of Slippery Rock to the society when he retired."The challenge of doing more complicated work was appealing," he said."It's artistically and intellectually fun," he said. "Bach, for example, is very intricate and complex."The group also sings Mozart at times as well as contemporary pieces and more popular selections, especially at Christmas.Harris said he hopes more people will consider joining the group, stating that it's challenging music, but it's "simply fun to do.""It's designed for us frustrated soloists," he said. "A lot of us without high music skills or ambition to go further. It's a challenge but it's the journey that's enjoyable."For more information, contact Stearns at 724-588-9397.
