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San Benito Oriana Chorale has begun Monday rehearsals at Christ Fellowship Church for its annual Christmas concerts, to be held in early December at both Christ Fellowship Church and Mission San Juan Bautista.
Rachel Romina, director of the chorale since 2015, said Oriana is a community-based choir founded in the 1980s which features singers of all ages and all voice types to perform. Romina said new members are welcome, nobody is turned away and no auditions are required.
“I really love directing,” Romina said, “because it brings together different personalities and abilities. Some people are seasoned singers, while others are brand new to singing. You can have 60 people of all different levels, ages and backgrounds.”
Rehearsals are held on Mondays from 6:45 p.m. to 9 p.m.. For information, contact rxorg48@gmail.com or visit orianachorale.org.
Romina said the upcoming shows will be a mix of traditional music and songs.
“About half of the concert is more classical,” she said, “and the second half is kind of geared towards songs from Christmas movies, so we’re doing a lot of fun, familiar music.”
Romina said the program would include songs from the Charlie Brown Christmas specials, and other well-known songs including “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” and “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.”
There will also be songs such as “Oh, Holy Night” and some Latin pieces, which she described as “just beautiful.”
Hollister resident Dena Bless said she had been in and out of choirs all her life—in churches, high school, and college, before joining Oriana several years ago with her husband and daughters, after seeing signs for auditions.
“I didn’t have an opportunity for quite a while,” she said, “and then I really wanted to sing again. I thought it would be an excellent experience for all of us to sing together as a family.”
Bless said she particularly enjoys performing at the concert, which she described as a “fabulous experience” thanks to the setting and acoustics. She also enjoys taking part in the spring concerts because the music is usually a bit lighter in style.
Bless said she appreciated making friends with the regulars who have been performing together for years.
“We come here and we get to know people,” she said, “I think music is such a wonderful, uniting factor. It can really bring us together and help us experience things together like nothing else does.”
She added that the concerts are a perfect way to bring people together as an audience during the holiday season.
“Whether it’s laughing or crying or whatever the emotions it brings up might be, listening to the songs and the music move you closer to your culture, your brain and soul,” she said. “It’s so good to do that together.”
Her husband, Ed Bless, said he has always had a passion for music, singing and harmony.
“I love singing bass,” he said, “but all the people here love to sing, and they love music. The chorale gives people a place to connect with each other. The concerts are the same way. People can come just to enjoy the music and be part of it.”
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