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NOVI — The Novi Choralaires marked 50 years of bringing people together through music with their annual spring concert on May 10 at the Novi Middle School auditorium.
The Choralaires opened their anniversary concert with what Artistic Director Aidan Rickel called “a special piece” — a rendition of the song “Wild Bird,” which was written by a late Choralaire, Don Still, and composed by former Artistic Director G. Kevin Dewey and then remastered by Rickel.
In honor of their anniversary, the Choralaires, under the direction of Rickel, took the audience on a lively 90-minute journey through music that the group had performed during each decade of its existence.
“It’s the 50th anniversary of our amazing choir, and we’re going to celebrate each of the decades,” Rickel said. “We’re going to go all the way back to where we began.”
He said the music that the choir started performing in 1975 included songs such as “This Land is Your Land” and music by George Gershwin.
“It was some interesting pieces that you would not necessarily think of as coming from the ’70s, but that’s what people were singing in choirs in the ’70s,” Rickel said.
The show went on to include some popular hits such as “Walking on Sunshine” and “Stand by Me,” as well as some classic Disney songs like “Can You Feel the Love Tonight,” from Disney’s 1994 film “The Lion King.”
The show concluded with the song “Music Brings Us Together,” which was the theme of the show and, as Rickel put it, “Our gift to you.” This was followed by the return of approximately 10 alumni to join the choir for the singing of “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”
For more information on the Novi Choralaires, including how to join the choir, visit the group’s website at novichoralaires.org.
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