“We want to maintain a variety and offer not just choral music but hope to bring in professional musicians from the Glendale and Burbank areas,” he said.
Admission is free, but a freewill offering is accepted, Harper said, and both the church community and the public have supported the concerts.
Through donations and membership fees, the Friends of Music group has raised $10,000 since September, which has created an operational budget, Harper said. Now with funds available, the Friends of Music has hired a 20-piece orchestra to accompany the Chancel Choir in the annual Spring Concert on April 20. It will be a tribute concert to Johann Sebastian Bach and Franz Joseph Haydn.
The Chancel Choir has provided musical leadership during Sunday morning worship services since the 1950s, Harper said. They sing the anthem, which is the featured musical piece played during a service, and accompany the rest of the congregation on hymns.
“The orchestra legitimizes and adds weight to all the hard work they do every single week,” Harper said of the choir.
For Glendale resident Bob Tomlin, the opportunity to sing with an orchestra is one that he welcomes.
“I have sung with several church choirs that had an orchestra with it,” the 85-year-old said. “In some ways, it’s a lot easier. They usually carry the accompaniment and they, along with the director, set the tempo.”
Tomlin,who’s been singing for more than 60 years, isn’t ready to give it up any time soon. He is one of about 25 members in the choir.
“I’m probably the oldest member in the choir,” Tomlin, 85, said. “It’s rather interesting and it gives me a new look on life.”
Tomlin, a retired postal worker, joined the choir two years ago. He’s been singing since he was in seventh grade. He’s with choral groups, a cappella choirs, church choirs and even joined a quartet when he was in the Army during World War II.
