Updated: Lake Ridge Chorale to celebrate 10 years with performance, “Then and Now”

Updated March 4, 2020 | Due to the anticipated spread of the Coronavirus, Westminster at Lake Ridge has temporarily canceled all outside activities at their facilities, meaning the Lake Ridge Chorale performance of “Then and Now,” scheduled for Tuesday, March 10, in the Potomac Room of Westminster, has been canceled.

Original story | Singers who belong to the non-profit Lake Ridge Chorale have been belting out notes for a decade.

The choir plans to celebrate its 10th Anniversary by presenting its concert “Then and Now.”

The concert will be on March 13, at St. Mathew’s Lutheran Church between 9-9:30 p.m. They will be performing old and new favorites as well as their world premiere of Out of the Silence by composer Greg Gilpin.

The concert is free of charge, but financial donations and non-perishable food items will be collected to support three local charities ACTS, HUGS, and Kara Foundation. Over the past 10 years, they have distributed over $20,000 worth of food. 

“We provide exposure to beautiful music and bring our community together in the enjoyment that pulls them out of their routines and into something a bit more uplifting,” said Lake Ridge Chorale Board President Liz Holmes.

Lake Ridge Chorale has grown in the last 10 years, and it is not without its struggles and highlights. 

Lynn Godino, the chorale’s general manager, says that members have relocated because of work or illness. We started with twenty-five singers and now we have forty. 

“In the past two years, we have grown 25% and our goal has always been fifty singers. Our stumbling block showed that all we really needed to do was tap into the individual strengths of our membership,” Godino.

Creative Director Terry Stackley adds that from the outset, forming this group was a challenge for her. “

I had not anticipated the amount of work it would take to establish the Lake Ridge Chorale,” she said. “I come from a sacred music background, so exploring secular works was new to me. There was also having to establish the governing by-laws and board structure.”

“[Another challenge] was to select music as I hope to give both the singers and the potential audiences a variety of choral music in all genres which challenge and broadens the community’s awareness of choral music,” adds Stackley.

Singers in the group pride themselves in its highlights of their performances, such as the group’s major first piece and milestone performance, John Rutter’s Requiem in 2013. It incorporated an instrumental ensemble for the first time. 

Other pieces included 2015, Antonio Vivaldi’s Gloria, 2017, Franz Schubert’s Mass in G, and most recently, Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem just last year 2019.

“As I look to the future,” said Terry, “we have the challenge of growing both the chorale and its audience such as providing the singers with challenging music that expands their knowledge and increases their excellence.”