Washington Festival Chorale carries on following the pandemic, death of director
Matthew Boice, the founder and artistic director of the Washington Festival Chorale, and also the mayor of East Washington, died this summer at the age of 61.
Kitty Fischer/Courtesy of the Washington Festival Chorale
The Washington Festival Chorale during a recent rehearsal.
Kitty Fischer/Courtesy of the Washington Festival Chorale
Members of the Washington Festival Chorale rehearse before this weekend’s holiday concerts.
Courtesy of the Washington Festival Chorale
The Washington Festival Chorale at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in a photo taken in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.
COVID-19 was hard on everyone, but particularly rough for people who enjoy being part of choral groups.
Early in the pandemic, it became clear that an activity as benign as choir practice could have dire consequences: 52 members of one Washington state choir became infected after a March 2020 rehearsal, with several ending up in the hospital and two dying. For the better part of the last two years, most choirs have been confining their rehearsals to Zoom, if they have practiced at all.
The Washington Festival Chorale was one of many organizations that put itself on ice through the depths of the pandemic, suspending performances in 2020 and 2021. As the pandemic has ebbed this year, the chorale started practicing and making appearances again, only to be hit by another body blow – the sudden death this past summer of Matthew Boice, the chorale’s founder and director. Boice, who was also the mayor of East Washington and a veteran music instructor, died just days before the chorale sang at a Sunday service at the Washington County Fair.
The toll of the pandemic and the death of Boice made it an open question whether the 17-year-old chorale would carry on. But 48 of its members have come back to the fold, and will be presenting two Christmas concerts this weekend. The first, at Faith United Presbyterian Church in Washington, will be Saturday at 7 p.m., and the second will be at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in McMurray at 3 p.m. Sunday. Both concerts will include traditional seasonal favorites and original works. The selections were chosen by Boice before his death, and the concert will be carried out in his memory.
Lori Greene, the chorale’s president, pointed out, “It was such a shock to us, but we wanted to go on. Way too much has been put into this to have the group just disappear, and it doesn’t need to disappear.”
She added, “The first rehearsals were a very odd thing. We’re in the same space without that person at the helm who was so instrumental in everything we did.”
In addition to concerts in the spring and in the days before Christmas, the chorale also sings at such Washington County events as Sweet Sunday, a fundraiser for Washington City Mission. Kitty Fischer, who has been the group’s music director since Boice’s death, explained that “we have a unique choir.”
“We’re not a big city choir,” she continued. “It’s a lot of people who love to sing. Many of them do sing in church choirs, or have sung in the past at various things. We do have some people who sing who have degrees in music. It’s an eclectic group.”
Jim Flanigan, a Claysville resident and retired English teacher at McGuffey High School, said he likes being a part of the Washington Festival Chorale because of “the camaraderie with other people.”
“Just the opportunity to sing,” he explained. “I’ve basically done it all my life.” Flanigan noted that he has directed church choirs over the years, and when the Festival Chorale performs new works it presents “new challenges” for him.
The majority of members of the chorale are, like Flanigan, retired, and it’s a goal of the group’s leaders to bring younger members into the fold. They emphasize that prospective members need not be able to belt an aria like Renee Fleming or Bryn Terfel, and that not having sung with a choir in years should also not discourage them.
“Singing is something you can do your whole life,” Greene said. “Like any instrument, you have to practice. … There’s nothing better than standing there, working as a team, making beautiful music.”
Fischer added, “It’s really enjoyable to sing with a large group of people. A couple of times in rehearsals, they’ve almost brought me to tears. Once you get involved in a group like this, it’s so much fun. If you like to sing, it’s a lot of fun to sing with a large group. Plus, you make friends. It’s a local group, so you don’t have to travel to Pittsburgh for rehearsals, which is a big thing.”
For information on this weekend’s chorale concerts, go online to www.wfchorale.org.