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60 Years Young

Photo by ANDY JONES/ Tribune Staff

Henry Fletcher directs members of the Thursday Musicale as they practice at the Living Word Church. The chorale group is rehearsing for the upcoming 60th anniversary concert of the organization.

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By DAVID SOMMER, The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 3, 2008

Updated: 02/02/2008 03:44 pm

NEW PORT RICHEY - What started as a small gathering of friends in 1947 has blossomed into a phenomenon.

Audiences of 600 or more routinely pack Living Word Church on the first Thursday afternoon of the month. Buses from nursing homes jockey for spaces in the parking lot, and this coming Thursday is expected to be no exception.

The 50 singing women of The Thursday Musicale will be celebrating its 60th anniversary.

The nonprofit group is planning a special reception after a 2 p.m. concert that will feature soloist Paul Gibson, who recently starred in the Richey Suncoast Theatre's production of "Man of La Mancha."

According to a brief history at ThursdayMusicale.com, the chorus formed on Oct. 12, 1947 "in the home of Mrs. Donald Ross." With a theme of "American Unity Through Music," the women soon were putting on shows at the old Hacienda Hotel on Main Street.

When that venue proved too small, they moved to Community Congregational Church at Orange Lake, where The Thursday Musicale was a feature throughout the 1950s and '60s.

"When it first started out it was very small and over the years it's gotten so that positions in the 50-member chorus are very coveted," Musicale President Edna Kotal said.

The group, which practices every Tuesday morning from October through April, eventually evolved to the point that its audiences were donating enough money to cover costs and to provide small scholarships to local college students majoring in music, member Maryanne Vollmar-Freeman said.

Several scholarship alumni are expected to attend this Thursday's anniversary concert and some may show off their musical skills, she said.

High school seniors audition for the scholarships in February and then perform with the chorus and receive their awards at the March show.

Growth also meant the Musicale needed larger venues, according to the Web site.

In the early 1980s, the group outgrew the Community Congregational sanctuary and moved down the street to First Baptist Church. Now The Thursday Musicale has settled in at Living Word Church, off Rowan Road near the intersection with Baillie Drive.

Alto Lorraine Folland has been with the chorus for 21 years. When she started, the singers were led by longtime conductor Delores Lang.

Over the years, the group has gone from specializing in oldies to performing more modern pieces by such artists as The Beatles and Barry Manilow.

Folland said she attended Thursday Musicale concerts for several years with her late husband, Olav, before auditioning for a vacancy.

"We used to go and listen once a month, and then I got nervy and decided to try out," she recalled.

All members must be able to read music because of the tight rehearsal schedule, Folland said. She learned sight reading while performing in the chorus at Bay Ridge High School in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Folland said Musicale singers tend to be retired because younger women do not have the time to devote to weekly rehearsals and monthly concerts each October to May.

"Every year I think I'm going to give up. I'm working on age 90 and it's a matter of how long I can drive or how long the voice holds out," Folland said.

Kotal, Musicale's president, said there is never a shortage of women seeking to join the group when she announces vacancies at concerts.

"We have a very musical audience," she said.

That was evident after the January show when Beverly Moade of Holiday left on the arm of her friend Roger Hoffmann.

"We come to all of them," she said of the Thursday concerts. "They are wonderful."

Although The Thursday Musicale chorus performs at a church, the group is nondenominational, Kotal said.

"It's more like a sisterhood than a woman's choir group. We have every denomination you can think of, and we all pray for each other," she said. "The world could learn a lesson from us."

IF YOU GO

WHAT: The Thursday Musicale February concert

WHEN: 2 p.m. Thursday

FEATURED SOLOIST: Paul Gibson

DIRECTOR: Henry Fletcher

SPECIAL OCCASION: The 50-woman, nonsectarian chorus will celebrate its 60th season with a reception after the show.

WHERE: Living Word Church, 5151 Rowan Road, New Port Richey

CONTACT: Musicale President Edna Kotal at (727) 847-5920

ONLINE: thursdaymusicale.com

Reporter David Sommer can be reached at (727) 815-1087 or dsommer@tampatrib.com.

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