Published: Dec. 8, 2016
Chorus brings seniors together with music
Performance Friday night at Enchantment in the Park in West Bend
ndettmann@conleynet.com 262-306-5043
Max Sommerfeld’s mother loved to sing and did it often. He was involved in the chorus in high school.
Then, he became an adult with a full-time job, served in the Navy
(1965-69) and encountered several other distractions that took him away
from singing, at least in an organized setting.
Fifty years later, Sommerfeld was back singing. He’s loved every minute ever since.
Sommerfeld is one of the 21 members who make up the Senior Chorus, which performs out of the Senior Center in West Bend.
It rekindled fond memories from the early days of his life.
“My mother used to sing around the house a lot,” Sommerfeld said.
“When I was in high school I was in the chorus; it just sort of carried
on.”
The same goes for
nearly all of the members. Singing brings back fond memories and that is
one of the goals the group has at each performance.
Singing is also a stress reliever and, maybe most importantly,
something fun to do with a group of people with a similar interest.
“We have a lot of fun,” Jim Derse said.
Of the 21 members, 17 are women.
“I used to like those odds,” Derse joked.
The chorus has been at the Senior Center for more than 25 years. The group ranges in age from their 60s to their 80s.
Group director, Dorothy Jansen, is a young 89 years old. She’s been
involved with the chorus since 1990. In 2012, she became the group’s
director.
When she took
over, there were six members. Four years later, the group has ballooned
into a strong 21 members, plus a pianist, Muggs McFadden.
One of the reasons for the growth was the admiration of Jansen’s work behind the scene by members.
Jansen said it has been a challenge to put it all together, but it’s also been rewarding.
“She does a fantastic job,” Sommerfeld said.
The group, which has a performance scheduled for Friday night at West
Bend’s Regner Park during Enchantment in the Park, practices every
Friday at the Senior Center and performs about twice a month.
They’ll sing about 20 songs, but always finish with something upbeat.
“We never want to leave them on a sad note,” Jansen said.
Derse and Sommerfeld kind of stumbled upon the Senior Chorus. Derse
was part of a sheepshead group and Sommerfeld played cards with fellow
Senior Center members.
They noticed the group practicing one day. So, Derse and Sommerfeld
thought, “Why not give it a chance.?” And for Sommerfeld, it was
something he hadn’t done in 50 years.
“The songs are familiar,” Sommerfeld said. “It was all stuff from the ’40s and ’50s.”
“The voice is still there ... somewhat,” he added with a smile.
Derse said, “I like to sing a lot. I’ve been in different groups over the years.”
“I don’t have as good a voice as I used to,” he added with a smile.
Derse’s father used to play guitar and sing at family gatherings, and
he wrote some music. Those were fond memories from Derse’s childhood.
Songs his dad used to sing include “Oh! You Beautiful Doll” by
Rosemary Clooney and “My Little Brown Eyes” by Crispian St. Peters.
“It made me feel good; it made me feel happy,” Derse said.
Singing in the Senior Chorus rejuvenates those memories. On top of
that, he loves looking out into the crowd and seeing the smiling faces
of people who recognize the songs, just like he does.
“We sing to mostly seniors at nursing homes and assisted living
homes,” Derse said. “A lot of them also have disabilities. The music
awakens them, somehow, someway in a lot of instances. That’s what gives
me more satisfaction.”
“I just like to sing,” he added. “I don’t have that good of a voice, but
if you put 25 people together I’m kind of drowned out.”
“It’s a fun group,” Bev Hartmann said.
“We have fun,” Derse said. “That, to me, is the biggest thing.”
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