A Cloverdale seniors’ choir is looking for more members.
Bill Harrington, director of The Silvertones, took over the choir about a year ago and he wants to double the number of members from its current 40 to 80.
He’s been building steadily since he stepped in when the choir had less than two dozen singers.
Both the director and the accompanist had to quit because they were moving away and the choir had been running itself, but needed a permanent director. When Harrington’s wife heard about the choir’s need, she “egged on” her husband to take the choir’s reins.
“After about a month and a half, I agreed to give it a go,” Harrington said.
“It’s just a lot of fun,” he added. “It’s two hours every Thursday. We work really hard, but when we’re not working hard, we’re having some pretty good laughs.”
The choir performs in public a few times per year, but Harrington would like to up that number a bit. The choir did a Christmas concert at the rec. centre, performed in a few seniors’ homes, and he’d like to add a spring concert performance at some point.
The choir sings an eclectic mix of music from the ’40s through the ’70s. And Harrington said they are learning new numbers all the time.
Harrington noted the average age of the choir right now is about 75 and the choir is open to anyone 55 and over.
“This choir has been together, in one way or another, for well over 20 years,” Harrington added.
He said one of the founding members, a gentleman named Bob, celebrated his 91st birthday Feb. 1.
The choir practices every Thursday from 1 - 3 p.m. at the Cloverdale Rec. Centre from September through to June. The choir takes a summer break in July and August.
Harrington encouraged anyone who may be interested in joining the choir to come down to the rec centre on Thursdays at 1 p.m. to check them out.