>La Grande Observer | Union and Wallowa Counties' News Leader

From left, Julie Geraci, Fred Van Slyke, Sue Venutolo, Debbie Eyre and Noel Peden are among the 75-member chorus. (The Observer/LAURA MACKIE-HANCOCK).

By Jeff Petersen

Observer Staff Writer

A group of about five women from Union car pools to La Grande each Thursday evening for what they call Girls Night Out.

Their main destination, though, is not the hot spots along Adams Avenue. It's to practice with the 75-member Grande Ronde Community Chorus.

Debbie Eyre, one of those women, says, "It's our treat. Peter Wordelman (the chorus director) is enjoyable to be around. He sets the bar high, but puts in steps so we can get there."

Wordelman, professor of voice and choral activities at EOU, started the chorus in 1992, and throughout the years has worked in close association with accompanist Lanetta Paul. In the decade-plus the chorus has been in business, about 350 different people have been involved.

Being in the group, which includes high school students to people in their 70s, introduces members to the world of music — and all sorts of languages. The group has sung in French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Papiamento (from Aruba), Spanish and Swahili.

The chorus not only brings the world to Union County through performances but also brings Union County to the world. One highlight of the group's first decade was a 1998 trip to Vienna, Budapest and Prague. Chorus member Julie Geraci of La Grande's most vivid memory from that trip was cruising the Moldau River with the community choir of Prague and sharing songs with each other.

Six years earlier, Geraci had seen an ad for a chorus forming to sing Beethoven's Mass, a difficult and challenging piece. She first thought auditions would be required, but discovered the chorus was open to anyone who loves to sing.

After some early trepidation, chorus members tackled Beethoven's Mass and were pleased with the results.

"He (Wordelman) made us aware we could do things we didn't think we could," Geraci said.

Eyre, meanwhile, first joined the chorus in 1992 to share an experience with daughter Heidi, then an EOU music major. Her daughter has since moved away, but the Union woman has continued for a decade with the chorus because the experience has become an important part of her life.

"He (Wordelman) knows we have lives outside of choir," she said. "He makes practice an enjoyable time. There's lots of laughing, not tension, there."

Chorus member Sue Venutolo of La Grande said the group is a good stress reliever.

"When I joined, I hadn't been in choir for 20 years," she said. Her worry box was crammed full. She worried if she would be able to pick up where she left off. She worried that Beethoven's Mass was intimidating and just beyond the group's

capabilities.

"But we did it, and it showed what we could accomplish," Venutolo said. "He (Wordelman) gives people confidence, which is so important to new ones joining the group."

Men enjoy singing in the chorus too. Noel Peden of La Grande said chorus practice may be a stress reliever but it can also be intense.

"Practice can be incredibly full, pushing through everything," he said. The reward "is the look on Peter's face, the big smile, when we did everything right."

Geraci too has noticed Wordelman's reaction to work with the proper polish.

"When we end a performance and we've done well, the glow is there," she said.

Fred Van Slyke of La Grande, one of the group's older members, said Wordelman brings a lot of energy to practices and performances. What's more, the director's world view from his travels around the globe add to the finished musical product.

Through the years, the chorus has surmounted challenge after challenge. Their biggest concert — involving 180 singers — was Beethoven's Ninth two years ago with two groups they often perform with, Grande Ronde Symphony Orchestra and the EOU Chamber Choir, plus the Pendleton orchestra and chorus, and the Baker Community Choir.

Wordelman said the chorus is not only challenging but provides a good outlet for people who love to sing.

"What we try to do with this ensemble is create a place for people to sing, whether they're experienced or not," Wordelman said.

For some people in the choir, it's the first time they've sung in a choir. Many others, like Venutolo, have not sung since their high school choir. Others are from very good college choirs. Age ranges are from high school to the 70s.

The chorus, however the demographics work, has come a long way since its audacious beginning. Wordelman still is pleased with setting the bar high from the start.

A couple months ago, he stuck a mystery videotape into his VCR. It turned out to be Beethoven's Mass, the chorus's first undertaking a decade ago.

"Hey, that's pretty good," he thought.

The future holds more good stuff, he said. Perhaps the chorus will make another trip, maybe to South America this time. And of course there will be more practices, more small steps toward perfection.

Eyre and the others look forward to wherever the path leads. As long as there is choir, Thursdays will be more than just Thursdays. They will be a fun night on the town.