Mountain Voices Chorus members will be in costume for the concert. A few of the Disney characters they’ll portray are, front row (l-r): Amy Stickle as Mary Poppins, Aiden Stickle as Eeyore, and ‘Princess’ Jean Minix. Back row (l-r): ‘Prince’ Nathan Luders, and Stefanie Couch as Elsa. (Daniel Purcell/Now Habersham)
Disney. It’s a name and a brand that evokes fond family memories for most people. This Friday night, June 15, Mountain Voices Community Chorus will capture that spirit in its themed summertime concert simply called “Disney.”
Conductor Emily Allison and Madisen Hewell compiled a list of favorite Disney songs the chorus will sing. The music ranges from Mary Poppins and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea to the Disney movies of today such as Up and Brave.
Across the decades
Mountain Voices co-founder Donna James calls it “Disney across the decades.” It’s not just the songs that cover a wide span of time, choir members range in age from six years into their 80s.
“It’s going to be fabulous,” enthuses Allison.
This concert is one she’s wanted to perform for a while. “I teach middle school chorus and a couple of years ago some of my 8th grade students started coming to Mountain Voices. They said they wanted to do Disney,” she recounts. Then, this year, “Madisen and her dad asked if we could do Disney, so, we just took it and ran with it.”
Hewell, now a rising 10th grader from Lula, helped Allison select music for the program and is even conducting one of the songs. “She wants to be a music teacher one day so it’s been a really neat experience to work through with her,” explains Allison. “I think that’s the beauty of Mountain Voices; the mentoring side of it is, I think, my favorite part.”
Mountain Voices was formed in 2007. It’s an inclusive group. Members come from all over Northeast Georgia. The main choir is comprised of various ages, high school and up. Foothills is for children in primary and middle school.
The choir performs three concerts each year. In the fall and spring, they present formal concerts that offer both sacred and secular music. The “Hot Fun in the Summertime” concert is always a themed concert – such as Disney – and choir members dress in costume.
This year Allison says the costumes “are the best!”
“We have Gaston and Lefeu from Beauty and the Beast. We have the one and only Cruella de Vil and Elsa from Frozen. Snow White, Merida from Brave”…the list goes on.
Mountain magic
Allison has been part of Mountain Voices since she was a student at Piedmont College. In the years since she’s gone to work for the Gainesville School System, been named director of her church’s children’s choir and youth group and become a wife a mother. Still, she makes time for the community chorus which runs purely on volunteer labor and love offerings.
“My love of the community started at Piedmont and doing the choir at Piedmont. I love it (Mountain Voices) because people from all walks of life are part of it. Bonding over music is unlike anything else and we get to do music that you don’t hear elsewhere. It’s the only choir in North Georgia that does a concert program like ours, sacred, secular and then these themed summer concerts. Each concert experience is new so it feels like you’re constantly doing something unique.”
For those wanting to experience the uniqueness of Mountain Voices – and the magical music of Disney – it’s yours for the taking, free of charge, Friday night.
The choir will perform starting at 7 p.m. June 15 in the fellowship hall of the Presbyterian Church in Clarkesville. The church is located at 181 Jefferson Street, Clarkesville, GA 30523.
Doors open at 6pm. Admission is free. A love offering will be taken to help the choir continue to spread its own unique brand of magic.
