Magnolia voices join Seattle Sings

By Arthur Day, Bass, Magnolia Chorale 

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On a recent Saturday morning in late October, Magnolia Chorale was the “opening act” for the third and final day of Seattle Sings--a choral festival organized by the Greater Seattle Choral Consortium. With dozens of choirs, large and small participating, it was a great way to see and hear what’s going on in the region.

Seattle Sings has been held about every two years since 2013 with a few gaps during the Covid pandemic. It’s a terrific concept with some particular challenges. To accommodate the large number of participating choruses, each has just twenty minutes to show their stuff, including time to get on and off an unfamiliar stage. No small trick! Magnolia Chorale Director Joseph To crafted a program that flowed beautifully, saving time by running our four numbers close together so that applause and bows came only at the end.
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I was concerned that our early timeslot, and maybe the rain, would have us singing to an empty hall, but that was not the case. There are a lot of people around town who love choral music. We opened with the “Dirge for Two Veterans,” from last spring’s program of Vaughan Williams’ Dona Nobis Pacem. That was followed by “Racing the Moon,” also from Spring ‘24; then a new one to us: “Baba Yetu,” a Swahili setting of the Lord’s Prayer. Tenor Max Timkovich did a stellar job with the lead-off solo. 

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Artistic Director Joseph To, conducts Magnolia Chorale at 2025 Seattle Sings.

We closed with a rousing performance of “United in Purpose,” with lyrics by Maya Angelou. The audience clearly loved the program. The Chorale got its applause and then left the stage, at just the twenty-minute mark.
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I stayed through the morning to hear the Sonoro Women’s Choir, the Seattle Metropolitan Singers, and the Bainbridge Chorale. I was surprised by the variety of repertoire, directors, and performance approaches. Even the choral dress codes said something about the spirits that moved each chorus. Nearly all the music was new to me.​​

​Also new, to everyone, was the piece “You Created a Song” that was commissioned for this year’s Seattle Sings. It was composed by Timothy Takach of Minneapolis, whose works have been performed widely by many of the nation’s leading ensembles. Takach coached and then led a combined chorus for the world premier “festival sing” of his composition, with audience participation on the refrain. From start to finish Seattle Sings was an inspiring choral experience that I hope we get to repeat. ​

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