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VILLAGE VOICES HISTORY
Eleanor Culling was the founder and first director of the Village Voices.
After twenty years of teaching choral music in Michigan, she moved to
Leavenworth in February of 1982. Soon after opening a retail business in
town, Eleanor became the choir director of the Community Methodist Church.
She and Diane Norman decided there was a need for a community chorus in
Leavenworth. Members of several church choirs in the area formed the core
of the chorus. These choirs included the Leavenworth Community Methodist
Church, Faith Lutheran, Our Lady of the Snows Catholic Church and Cashmere
United Methodist Church. Other members were recruited from the community,
wherever willing singers could be found.
Finding enough men for the group was always the biggest challenge. Eleanor
tells a story about hearing a marvelous bass voice singing in the hallway
outside her shop. She dashed out and "snagged him for the choir. He had no
chance!" And so Jack Wedeberg became one of the early members. Keeping the
membership up required constant attention, making phone calls, sending out
letters, newsletters (no e-mail at that time!), talking it up, etc. At the
first Christmas Concert in December, 1982 there were 46 members on stage
at the Camp Field Chapel, now a part of Sleeping Lady. Choral selections
for the Voices were Mary’s Little Boy Child, Baby, What you Goin’ To Be,
Christmas Calypso, and If Christmas Isn’t Love. The Marlin Handbell
Ringers joined them for How Brightly Shines the Morning Star, Oh To Have
Been, Echo Carol, Ding Dong Merrily On High and Bells, Bells, Christmas
Bells.
Founding members of the Village Voices who are currently singing with the
chorus are Diane Norman and Patricia Stoudt. The first accompanist was
Georgette Fuller, well known Leavenworth pianist, and former director of
the Marlin Handbells. Leah Moats became the accompanist in 1983, continued
through 1986, and thereafter for various years to 1999. In addition to
being the musical director of the Village Voices, Eleanor also directed
the Marlin Handbell Ringers for ten years.
Eleanor tells about a special year with the Village Voices. In June 1986
they performed on two days at "Expo" in Vancouver, BC. Also, in the spring
of that year, the group sang for the first time at the International
Choral Festival in Penticton, hosted by the Naramata Community Choir.
Songs performed were A Jubilant Song, An American Trilogy, and Simple
Gifts. The Village Voices have participated annually in that event ever
since, along with several choirs from Washington State and British
Columbia. Four of these festivals, in 1987, 1993 , 1999 and 2005 were
hosted by the Village Voices in Leavenworth. The highlight of the
International Choral Festival is the massed choir performance in which all
of the choirs perform on stage together, often making up a chorus of over
250 men and women singing four part harmony together.
Larry Henderson, the current director, is in his ninth year directing the
Voices. He is also an active member of the Wenatchee Apollo Club where is
is often a featured tenor soloist. The accompanist is Judy Parker, a
gifted pianist.
The Leavenworth Village Voices look forward to learning new songs and
reviving old favorites as they begin their rehearsals for their annual
"Christmas in the Mountains" Concert,
Leavenworth Choral
Festival and various other singing engagements throughout the year.
For information about the chorus please call Fran Dunphy at (509)
548-9168.
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