Warwick Valley chorale group begins spring season on Jan. 22

WARWICK —Rehearsals for the Warwick Valley Chorale’s spring season begin Tuesday, Jan. 22 with registration at 7 p.m., and regular rehearsals will take place each Tuesday from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Warwick Reformed Church, at 16 Maple Ave., in Warwick. The Warwick Valley Chorale has been actively singing for 67 years, longer than any other choral group in Orange County. It is a community chorale with members ranging in age from high school students to senior citizens. Singers of all abilities are invited to join, and no auditions are required. Registrations will be taken through Feb. 5. The chorale is a 60-member musical ensemble. Free concerts are presented each May and December in Warwick and surrounding communities. The chorale’s upcoming spring concerts will feature an “All-England” theme, with the group performing various musical pieces by British composers. Program highlights include “Spirit of England” by Edward Elgar, “Te Deum” by Ralph Vaughan Williams, selections from “Cats” and “Phantom of the Opera” by Andrew Lloyd Webber, as well as several musical pieces by John Rutter. Stanley Curtis, former SUNY Orange professor of vocal music and current choir director at Warwick Reformed Church, has been director since 1986, with Gail Johnson as accompanist. The chorale has performed with the Hudson Valley Philharmonic, the Rockland Symphony Orchestra, the Greater Newburgh Symphony Orchestra, and the New England Symphonic Ensemble. It has also performed more than 10 times at New York’s Carnegie Hall and has provided vocal backup for the Gatlin Brothers. The Chorale has also been invited to join elite touring choruses and several of its singers have had opportunities to perform in various venues in Prague, Barcelona, and Sydney. For further information, call 986-1392 or 294-7183.