on a high note
Gainesville Community Choir Serving Up Songs for Every Music Lover
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By Erin Pittman
ust a short conversation with Gainesville Community Choir Director Jacob Lash is all you need to quickly pick up on themes that guide the group’s practices and performances: passion, education and inclusion. Since the spring of 2013, the choir has been gathering and sharing their voices with the community. Once a group of 40, they’ve since more than doubled in size to 85.
Gainesville Community Choir Members Choir members range in age from teens to retirees. The group requires no auditions, so they are also diverse in their levels of experience and training. “The fact that we have so much diversity in this way is really one of my favorite things about the choir. We have folks every year who have never done this in their lives and don’t know a thing about reading music. But we also have voice majors and music teachers and everyone in between,” said Founder and Director Jacob Lash, who leads the choir with his assistant, Kerrie Cardine. Lash also commented on the strong sense of community among members. “We have a team mentality that I’m very grateful for,” he said. “The vibe is really awesome.” Member Katie Newberger echoed Lash’s sentiments, “It is a wonderful gift to be a part of GCC! I love how music brings people together in incredibly meaningful ways. When we sing as a choir, we’re learning to listen to each other, to blend our voices, and work together to create something beautiful. There is something vulnerable, powerful, and deeply moving about people from all ages and backgrounds coming together, picking up the same piece of music, and singing together.”
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April 2020 prince william living
GCC's Spring Concert, May 2019 at Stonewall Jackson High School
This fall, Lash intends to expand the choir’s reach even further by creating the Gainesville Community Youth Choir consisting of middle school students under the direction of highly experienced teacher Sherlee Glomb. “We are really excited about this. Leadership will focus a lot on training them to read music and learn vocal technique,” said Lash.
The Choir’s Repertoire Just like with their ages and experience levels, the group’s repertoire is also varied. “We love variety,” said Lash, who reports that this season’s song list includes an Indian piece, folk music, a hymn arrangement, film music and even a sea shanty.
