Encore Creativity for Older Adults To Usher In Fall Season In DC

Encore Creativity for Older Adults, America's largest choral organization for adults over 55, is welcoming new and returning singers to the fall session of its Encore Chorale of Washington, DC, a popular local choral group that sings a fun and eclectic mix of music from many different eras, and DC ROCKS, a rock & roll chorus that takes singers back to their favorite hits from the 50s through the 80s.

Encore is accepting registration now for its 15-week programs that begin in September, 2022. No auditions are necessary. The sessions will culminate in a holiday concert that is free and open to the public. Stephen Harouff, music director and organist at Towson Presbyterian Church and conductor of Encore's chorales in Baltimore and Columbia, will lead the chorale. Encore welcomes new conductor Ethan Lolley to DC ROCKS. Lolley is coming to Encore from Orlando, Fla. where he's the music director of the CFCArts Young Artists Orchestra as well as resident conductor and music director for all Florida premieres of composer Nathan Felix at Timucua Arts Foundation. He also is a conducting protégé́ to nationally renowned music director Eric Jacobsen of the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra.

"I always wanted to sing but never seemed to have the opportunity," said Kathleen Lyman, a retired Navy captain who joined Encore in 2011 and currently sings with the Encore Chorale of Washington, DC and DC ROCKS. "Encore opened a whole new world of experiences for me and enabled me to create new friendships. What a boring retired life I would have had without Encore."

The Encore Chorale of Washington, DC will meet at First Congregational UCC, 945 G Street NW on Wednesdays, starting September 7th, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. DC ROCKS will meet on Tuesdays starting September 6th, from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 400 I Street SW. Tuition is $190.00 per person for each 15-week program. Encore will follow all City, State and Federal Covid-19 guidelines. For more information and registration, visit www.encorecreativity.org or call 301-261-5747.

For those who prefer to sing virtually, Encore is also offering its popular Encore University, a comprehensive online program of singing plus enrichment courses in music history, music theory, dance, art, movement classes and more. Tuition for the fall semester of Encore University is $185.00 per person. Singers can combine the in-person program with online classes for a full musical experience.

Founded in 2007 by Jeanne Kelly during an NIH-funded study to address the mental and physical health benefits of singing for older adults, Encore Creativity for Older Adults, an Annapolis, Md.-based nonprofit, now has more than 1,000 singers in 30 programs across the nation, including Chorales and ROCKS and Sentimental Journey Singers, a choir for those with early Alzheimer's or memory impairments and their care partners, plus a vibrant online university, summer camp, winter retreat and travel abroad programs. Encore's mission is to provide an accessible arts education and performance opportunities for older adults regardless of ability or experience.

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