Remember going to family holiday shows when you were a kid? Whether it was school or the church or the local rec center, those shows are still around, and at least one local performing choral group has been hosting holiday shows for 60 years.
According to longtime member Debbie Nemecek, The Arroyo Singers began as a group of Caltech housewives with “nothing to do,” who began to get together at each other’s homes, and then larger venues, performing at least two holiday shows a year. Their 2021 Holiday show is scheduled for this Thursday, December 2, at Church of Truth, 690 East Orange Grove Boulevard, at 7:30 p.m.
While the group originally began as Caltech wives, it’s since expanded and contracted and diversified since its early 60s beginnings.
And, says Nemecek, there are still a couple of members who are still affiliated with Caltech
“We just had a lady who just retired from the choir who was at Caltech. She had been there with us since the beginning and was in her nineties. That’s the most wonderful thing I think about this choir is that we’ve got all ages and we’re a great community. Everybody really looks out for each other and it’s been a wonderful experience for me,” she said in a recent interview.
Nemecek, who sings in a couple of local rock and roll outfits of her own, is excited about returning to safe live performances after nearly two years of Anno Pandemica.
“It’s going to be a holiday show,” she said, “and it’s going to be a little bit smaller than our usual shows. Usually, our shows would be 45 minutes to an hour, with intermissions in between and a reception afterwards. This year is the first time we’ve come back after COVID and it’s been a little difficult, but we decided to do a shorter concert.
“We’re doing it in masks, she continued. “Anybody that comes is going to wear a mask also, and we’re just going to make it very, very intimate and homey.”
Along with the upcoming show, Nemecek is hoping to actually increase the membership of the The Arroyo Singers, as the world re-emerges, as much as we’re all able. She is inviting anyone with a musical dream to join the group, and make a little music happen.
“Anybody that likes to sing, there is no auditioning. Everybody can come,” says Nemecek.
What better invite could you ask for?
The Arroyo Singers perform their holiday show Thursday, December 2, at Church of Truth, 690 East Orange Grove Boulevard, at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free. www.arroyosingers.org
