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Congratulations to Joan Szymko, chosen for WSCM 2020!

Aurora is proud and excited to share that Joan was chosen from an unprecedented number of applicants from around the globe to present at the 12th World Symposium on Choral Music (WSCM) being held in Auckland, New Zealand in 2020. Held once every three years, WCSM draws choral professionals, singers, composers, and concertgoers from around the world to learn from leading, inspiring musicians. Joan will be presenting “The Greening Power of Song.”

The 2020 WSCM theme is to “explore through choral music the relationship humans have with the land that supports them: the sense of identity they derive from it and the tensions that arise out of it. We believe this is a theme that touches all of us in some way, calling to mind such notions as family, nurture, identity, place, community, culture, celebration, nationalism, colonialism, dispossession, alienation, partnership, freedom, development, interconnectedness, environmentalism, urban living, the natural world, the seasons, stress and healing, beauty, nostalgia, utopia… to name but a few!”

Aurora is so very fortunate to experience Joan’s talent, choral leadership, and heart firsthand. Explore more of Joan’s works here.

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Interested in singing in Aurora? Sung to the tune of…..

You may ask, why would you join a chorus like Aurora? Here’s your answer, sung along to the tune of “Maria” from Sound of Music, and cleverly crafted by soprano Michele Alderson.

(Think – “How do you solve a problem like Maria…..”)

We’re given songs, we scrap along and then there is a change
Soprano ones and alto twos have a different range
We’re under pitch, we want to breathe, the rhythm’s really strange
I’ve even heard a slur across the bar line

Lord knows we try so hard to never get the evil eye
We practice many hours, so it’s obvious we try
Our diction we articulate, no diphthongs need apply
We memorize the songs by a deadline

I’d like to say a word on our behalf
Aurora makes me laugh!

Why would you join a chorus like Aurora?
Why spend so much time practicing?
Why would you join a chorus like Aurora?
To use your brain cells, to make some new friends, to sing!

Many a thing that Joan would like to tell us
Many a thing we ought to understand
But how does she make us sing and listen to everything
How do we keep from raising any hands?

Oh, why would you join a chorus like Aurora?
Sharing hope and love all we can!

At rehearsals I’m confused, out of focus and bemused
And I never know exactly where I am
Timings unpredictable, foreign words inexplicable
I am dizzy, in a tizzy, in a jam

We’d out pester any pest, drive a hornet from its nest
And I think that I am going to lose my mind
Please be gentle, please be kind, help me keep track of the time!
We’re not crazy! We’re not lazy! We’re divine!

Why would you join a chorus like Aurora?
Why spend so much time practicing?
Why would you join a chorus like Aurora?
To use your brain cells, to make some new friends, to sing!

Many a thing that Joan would like to tell us
Many a thing we ought to understand
But how does she make us sing and listen to everything
How do we keep from raising any hands?

Oh, why would you join a chorus like Aurora?
Sharing hope and love all we can!

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Bring on autumn! From Lynn Greenwood

For me, the return of cooler weather coupled with shorter days, a bit of rain and school starting again is a sure sign that it’s fall and time to get started on new activities after a summer of travel, gardening and enjoying family and friends. One of my favorite fall activities is singing with Aurora Chorus. I love returning to our rehearsal space at PSU and seeing my sister singers, getting my music packet with songs for our upcoming concert and hearing a first run through of each song. There is energy and excitement in the room as over 100 women study their music and anticipate the shared experience of performing the pieces for our audiences at our concert “Secret Gardens of the Heart” on December 15th and 16th.

In addition to singing, this year I have a new role in the community of Aurora singers. I’m serving as the chair for the Aurora Chorus Board of Directors. In this capacity I’ll be working with our new Executive Director, Jaclyn Leeds, and other board members along with our conductor, Joan Szymko, to strengthen our organization, reach out to an expanded audience and recruit new singers. For over 20 years the Aurora Board has been tasked with the responsibility of keeping the organization vital, financially sound and relevant to our community. It’s a big job but I take to heart the message from one of our upcoming concert pieces that suggests, “…reach out a hand, no need to fear cause all we need is right here” [Sam Turton].

Whether you are a current or former singer, an Aurora fan or someone who recently found us on the internet, I extend a warm welcome to our current concert season. I look forward to hearing your ideas and suggestions for our organization and appreciate your support. I’ll see you at rehearsal or in the audience!

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Joan’s Introduction to Secret Gardens of the Heart

This holiday season, amid the ice and cold of winter, Aurora Chorus will warm hearts and lift spirits with “Secret Gardens of the Heart”. Aurora will journey back to fond memories of childhood, embrace the present and look forward toward the future, with renewed hope for light, understanding and joy. Artistic Director Joan Szymko creates holiday programs that draw from an eclectic palette of composers and songwriters; this season, we sing Vivaldi, Szymko, Ola Gjeillo, Judy Collins, Leonard Cohen and much more! We hope you will join us in singing this term (rehearsals start on September 6th with voicing for new singers on September 4th) or for our concerts on December 15th and 16th. Get in touch with us if you have any questions. We look forward to sharing music with you soon!

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Welcome to the Aurora Chorus Blog!

Welcome to the Aurora Chorus Blog…. My name is Marie, and I am the administrative assistant here at Aurora! A little about me: I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, attended college at USF and then moved up to Oregon last year to be closer to family. I’ve been working with small nonprofits most of my career, beginning in volunteer coordination and working my way up to executive and administration roles. In San Francisco, I worked with an organization called Galería de la Raza, which mostly features works by Latinx and Chicanx artists, and helped me fall in love with the arts. Here in Oregon, I’ve been working at OMSI since my move! Most recently, I completed a Master’s Certificate program called Arts & Culture Strategy through the University of Pennsylvania. It taught me a lot about how to successfully run a non-profit/arts organization, which I can’t wait to apply to helping Aurora succeed! Stay tuned to Aurora’s blog for updates throughout the season.