25 September 2023 we had the pleasure of hosting at our meeting Ryan Saunders, the "Doug & Jean Rayner" Executive Director of the Chorus of Westerly. Ryan thanked the Club for our Summer Pops donation. He spoke about his fifteen years as Executive Director and the years before as a "Chorus Kid" and especially of his appreciation of Doug through the years. Ryan said that Andrew, the Chorus' second Music Director, has kept George Kent's goals but also has expanded the programs with educational projects for young and older people. There are six after school choirs, a threshhold choir (for hospice), senior choir, chant choir, foundations chorus. Another foundations chorus will soon begin in Wakefield. He mentioned that Pre-Pandemic they had 182 singers but last spring 380 singers. The eductional programs include music theory. Aside from the success of past "Chorus Kids" like Ryan and Andrew, the latest is Veronica Kushner who is attending Yale University. As a freshman she auditioned for one of the Yale choirs and was selected for the graduate choir.
Next year the Chorus is planning a tour to France and England beginning 4 July.
