UPLIFTING VOICES
By Jill Devine
Singing Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus on stage at the Kennedy Center before an applauding audience was not something Larry Anderson, 83, had ever imagined doing, but that’s where he found himself back in December 2022.
“It was thrilling,” Anderson said. “To be in the middle of that beautiful music, performing with 300 other seniors in front of the Concert Hall’s magnificent organ pipes, was wonderful. We could actually feel the powerful vibration of the pipes.”
Anderson, a retired physician from Maine, moved to Ashburn’s Ashby Ponds community in 2018. And his 2022 performance was part of an annual holiday concert put on by members of Encore Creativity for Older Adults.
Encore Creativity is the nation’s largest choral arts organization for people ages 55 and older. Under its umbrella, it offers a variety of musical programs. For example, members in Encore Chorales perform everything from Broadway and the Great American Songbook to classic pieces and opera music. Meanwhile, Encore ROCKS groups sing pop and rock songs from the latter half of the 20th century.
Headquartered in Maryland, the nonprofit oversees a network of choir ensembles in 10 states and the District of Columbia. There are more than 1,600 members nationwide, and Encore has not just one, but two groups here in Ashburn.
SINGING FOR YOUR HEALTH
Encore was founded in 2007 by Jeanne Kelly, one of the directors of a landmark study on creativity and aging funded by the National Institutes of Health and the National Endowment for the Arts.
The study found that older adults receive important physical, mental and emotional benefits from singing in choral programs. Participants showed a reduction in loneliness, depression, anxiety and stress and experienced increased cognitive functioning and memory.
Singing also improves lung function and produces endorphins that promote immune responses. Older adults who sang in a choir for 90 minutes a week showed increased interest in daily life and had fewer falls, took fewer prescription medications and had fewer doctor visits compared to seniors who do not sing.
“Working with this group has taught me the importance of life-long learning,” said Mary Ann East, a conductor with one of the Encore choirs in Ashburn. “At all ages and stages of life, it’s healthy to accept challenges. Encore emphasizes the importance of self-worth and celebrating accomplishments.”
A PROGRAM FOR EVERYONE
Encore offers a variety of singing programs, all led by professional conductors. In Ashburn, there is an Encore Chorales group at the Ashburn Senior Center.
Over at Ashby Ponds, there is an Encore ROCKS ensemble currently open only to the community’s residents. Its repertoire includes songs such as “Margaritaville” by Jimmy Buffett, “Every Breath You Take” by Sting, “Superstition” by Stevie Wonder and “Tell Her About It” by Billy Joel.
“I have sung all my life,” said Joann Clemenz who joined Encore ROCKS at Ashby Ponds earlier this year. “I was always in school and church choirs. I love singing – it keeps my mind and body active. We sing songs everyone remembers, mostly from the rock era of the ’60s through the ’90s.”
None of the Encore groups hold auditions, and knowing how to read music is not a requirement. Members pay a registration fee each semester, but scholarships are available. “We want everyone to have access to this opportunity,” said Joshua Vickery, the organization’s CEO.
ENCORE COMES TO ASHBURN
Laurie Stefanelli helped bring Encore to Ashburn in 2022. There had been an Encore choir here in the past that she was part of, but after it folded, the Sterling resident started singing with an ensemble in Reston. But she always wanted to see the organization return to Loudoun County.
“I noticed that a lot of singers in Reston were from Loudoun County, and some quit coming after the pandemic,” she said. “I knew we could recapture those singers if we started a new group in Loudoun. The Ashburn Senior Center seemed the perfect spot, being centrally located to many senior living communities. I reached out to Encore Central and got things started, and after that – it was a collaborative effort.”
Carole Lyman, a retired attorney who lives in Ashburn’s Potomac Green community, had also sung with Encore in the past and joined the new chorale in Ashburn.
“I was excited to learn there was a group at the senior center, just down the street from where I live,” Lyman said. “I’ve been singing in church choirs since I was 7 years old. In high school, I was in an a capella choir that went to state championships. I love singing, especially in large choirs. It’s a great joy to get that back into my life now.”
Rita Gardiner, a retired doctor, moved to Ashby Ponds in 2021. She credits the Encore ensemble there with helping her through the difficult transition when her husband passed unexpectedly.
“I sang in a church choir for 20 years, but I’m not a music reader. Encore is open to any older adult who is willing to learn, and that suited me perfectly,” Gardiner said. “Encore conductors are wonderful teachers. I’ve become a better singer, and, as a physician, I appreciate the health benefits.”
Jill Devine is a freelance writer and former magazine editor from Loudoun County who writes for a variety of Virginia publications.