It doesn’t matter if you’re prefer lighter musical fare or more
classical tunes
– it’s a sure bet you’ll find local schools and church groups
throughout the valley performing a mix of seasonal songs.
By Julie Engelhardt, Special To South Valley Newspapers
It doesn’t matter if you’re prefer lighter musical fare or more classical tunes – it’s a sure bet you’ll find local schools and church groups throughout the valley performing a mix of seasonal songs.
One group is the San Benito Oriana Chorale. On Dec. 7 and 14, the choir will perform Handel’s “Messiah” and Joseph Martin’s “Canticle of Joy” at Mission San Juan Bautista.
Many may not be familiar with this local group, which has existed for the past 20 years.
The idea for a community chorus in San Benito County came from Jeanne Balda, Cantor at Mission San Juan Bautista and former head of finance at Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital in Hollister.
Balda, who grew up in Scotland, had fond memories of listening to choirs when she was a child.
She decided that San Benito County could benefit from having a chorus, so she began recruiting local residents.
She chose the name Oriana as a tribute to Queen Elizabeth I, who was a great patroness of the arts. The people she supported nicknamed the queen Oriana.
It took some time for Balda to get the chorus together, but once she did, it began to gain recognition throughout the county.
The number of members in the choir has varied over the years, and at one point they had close to 50 singers. Today the chorus has approximately 30 members, all highly dedicated to the group.
Laurie Venturini has been a member of Oriana for six years. She recently stepped down from the position of board president, which she held for three years.
Like many in the chorus, Venturini has enjoyed singing throughout her life. She sang in junior high, high school and college.
“Simply put, I love to sing and I love to perform,” Venturini said. “It’s a great group of people, and we all get along so well.”
Oriana holds two performances each year: the Messiah at the Mission and a spring concert.
The spring performance includes songs from Broadway musicals, light opera, popular tunes and gospel music. It is an all-volunteer choir, and members come from Hollister, San Juan Bautista, Aromas and Salinas.
They meet every Monday night for about two hours to rehearse.
The choir is filled with many talented individuals. Robin McKee Williams is the director of the choir. She received her musical training at the Royal Conservatory of Music, Stanford University and San Jose State University.
Williams has also served as vocal coach for the Forest Theater in Carmel and music director for the Carmel Ballet Academy.
Other members performing with the chorale include piano accompanist Brian Olstad, John Gay on the trumpet, string quartet Fairweather and Friends, soloists Keri Lindell from San Jose State University, and Steve Knapp.
Chorale members keep busy even when they aren’t rehearsing and performing at their two main concerts. The choir recently started an outreach program and is performing at area schools and local events.
“Many of the students in our community do not have musical education programs, and this is the perfect opportunity to bring our song and music to the children,” said Laurel Doll, Oriana board president.
The board also has plans to incorporate a reciprocal program that will enable students to join their group. “Not only will they gain experience and education, but possibly earn civic points for their service,” Doll said. “The chorus is also interested in working with students who play musical instruments or who are in school bands and have them perform at the concerts as well.”
