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THE ASTORIAN • SATuRdAy, ApRIl 24, 2021
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Carol Smith
North Coast Chorale Director Denise Reed, left, stands with chorale members at one of the group’s recent concerts.
THE SHOW MUST GO ON
How the North Coast Chorale brought back live music
By RAY GARCIA
For The Astorian
Last Sunday, as one of the first in-person
events to happen in Astoria since March 2020,
the North Coast Chorale held the last in a series
of three live concerts at the Charlene Larsen
Performing Arts Center.
The other two concerts were held earlier
in April. The concerts featured compositions
including “Lux Aeterna” and selections from
“The Messiah.”
“This spring concert was the one we were
preparing for in January, February and March
2020 to present to the community,” said Denise
Reed, the chorale’s director. “So a year later,
after rehearsing the music to near perfection, I
thought we needed to fulfill that performance as
part of the release of the pent up stress from not
being able to perform it as a total group.”
The North Coast Chorale is a non-profit
organization whose mission is to present nota-
ble choral literature and promote music edu-
cation to the community. The organization
is part of Partners for the PAC, a coalition of
local organizations that maintains the Charlene
Larsen Performing Arts Center as a space for
public arts and educational events.
The chorale is one of the ensembles from
Partners for the PAC that experienced disrup-
tions in its ability to congregate and perform in
front of an audience. Last October, the group
managed to hold mini-concerts in the parking
lot of the Astor Street Opry Company and in
Peace Lutheran Church’s yard.
After last weekend’s performances, how-
ever, live events appear to be making a come-
back — with COVID-19 safety precautions, of
course.
“The North Coast Chorale singers are very
excited to be performing again for a live audi-
ence. Although small in number, the enthusiasm
of the Friday evening spectators was very grat-
ifying,” said Cindy Van Arsdall, the chorale’s
vice president and press person. “Each singer
left that evening with the satisfaction of having
pleased this group of people and the excitement
of pleasing more folks with our next concert.”
‘THE NORTH COAST
CHORAlE SINGERS
ARE VERy EXCITEd
TO BE pERFORMING
AGAIN FOR A lIVE
AudIENCE. AlTHOuGH
SMAll IN NuMBER,
THE ENTHuSIASM OF
THE FRIdAy EVENING
SpECTATORS WAS VERy
GRATIFyING.’
Cindy Van Arsdall | North Coast Chorale’s
vice president and press person
outside then moving inside to other locations that
were open and allowed the aggressive movement
of air, using fans to move the air swiftly.”
In preparation for live events during the pan-
demic, Jones-Centeno said Partners for the PAC
applied to the Oregon Cultural Trust’s Coronavi-
rus Relief Fund. With the funds, they hired pro-
fessional cleaning staff, installed hand sanitizing
stations and replaced the filters of the center’s
ventilation system.
The chorale’s representatives and the center’s
directors, Jones-Centeno said, held many con-
versations to ensure everyone was on the same
page regarding the safety and wellness of audi-
ence members and performers.
For example, attendees must purchase tickets
online using a new ticketing system that socially
distances the seats provided to concert goers.
“Help us help you stay safe. And help us
help the chorale stay safe by getting your tick-
ets online so that the automated system works,”
Jones-Centeno said.
Message from the music
Preparations and precautions
Each performance was limited to an hour.
Everyone, from performers to audience mem-
bers, had to wear masks. Social distancing was
enforced, with no more than 50 tickets sold per
performance.
The chorale was the force behind the decision
to host live performances again in the performing
arts center, said Bereniece Jones-Centeno, exec-
utive director of Partners for the PAC. The cho-
rale, she said, did its due diligence to research
the safest practices for performing choral music.
“We were in support of that because the isola-
tion of the coronavirus was just horrible and has
continued to be really difficult,” Jones-Centeno
said.
The chorale followed guidelines established
by a special scientific aerosol committee con-
vened by the American Association of Cho-
ral Directors. Such guidelines include the use
of masks, social distancing and only spending
30-minute periods of activity indoors.
“During all of our rehearsals, we were masked
and short timed,” Reed said. “We rehearsed …
One of the main compositions for the cho-
rale’s spring concert was titled “Lux Aeterna,”
which means eternal light. After a year of living
in the coronavirus pandemic’s shadow, it’s hard
to ignore the relevance and messaging of the
concert at hand.
“On the note about the actual music, I felt
it was time to let a little light into the lives of
our audience and community who also were in
a kind of vocal music desert,” Reed said. “My
hope is that the audience is then able to look at
their own hard stories during the COVID pan-
demic — emotional, economic, medical, etcet-
era. Many hard stories through which we hope
are able to see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
The North Coast Chorale celebrated its 30th
anniversary last year, though the celebratory con-
cert was canceled due to the pandemic. The cho-
rale will hold a “Belated 30th Anniversary” con-
cert series in June, featuring the group’s favorite
melodies from more than 60 performances.
Ray Garcia is a contributor to The Astorian,
Coast Weekend and the Center for Journalism
and liberty.
Denise Reed leads the North Coast Chorale in a concert before the coronavirus pandemic.