A New Beginning for the Lopez Island Singers

Lopez Island Singers will celebrate Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's 250th birthday with a concert of his vocal works on Sunday, May 21 at 4:00 p.m. in the Lopez Community Center.

The Singers are celebrating too, though not quite such a milestone. Started in 1990, this group has been gifting Lopezians with great classical vocal works during springtime and Christmas concerts. The group began as the Ecumenical Singers. Marge Stensrud brought together people who love to sing and they performed primarily classical sacred repertoire.

The group amassed a large library of vocal scores, and in 2005 the decision was made to catalog and make them available to any singing group.

Marge led the Singers for more than a decade before she retired from the job. The Singers cast about for a new director, and Mac Langford, who had been a member of the chorus, stepped up to the plate.

In 2002 the group's name was changed to Lopez Island Singers. Mac led them through the end of 2005; again the group was without a director. This time Phyllis Nansen was the group's rescuing angel. Phyllis had been talking about doing something to celebrate Mozart's birthday, and when the director position opened both the singers and Phyllis recognized an opportunity.

The vocal music scene has evolved on Lopez in the past few years. Leaders of the different groups have met together to schedule performances so that they do not conflict with one another.

Coupled with all this singing is a wonderful array of instrumental music performed by our talented Lopez musicians. It's easy for Lopezians to think ourselves in musical paradise, right along with our geographical one.

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