‘Time in a bottle’

The Waseca Chorale’s concert on Sunday, April 23 at 4 p.m. at the Central Building Auditorium is a celebration of 50 years of beautiful music. Dubbed “Time in a Bottle,” the evening will feature numbers from across five decades .

“We thought it would be a good idea to celebrate our fifty-year anniversary by performing pieces that the group did in the past,” co-director John Hoehn explained. “That’s how we came up with the idea of naming the concert ‘Time in a Bottle.’”

The choir has 39 members and is under the direction of Hoehn and new co-director Deb Wantoch-Yess. Singers come from all local communities: Janesville, Waldorf, New Richland, and Waterville, and commonly also from Owatonna and Mankato.

Wantoch-Yess has plenty of experience directing vocal music, having only recently left a long-standing position with Waseca High School. Hoehn grew up in the area, graduated from Wartburg College, and directed a music ensemble for the first time during a past Chorale  concert.

The spring performance will be the group’s first since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. After making their comeback November 27 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church the group is still rebuilding.

“The group usually had about fifty members,” Wantoch-Yess said. “As we’ve started practicing again, some people are still hesitant. But slowly and surely we’re growing back to normal numbers.”

Board member Deb Vetter agreed. “It’s been slower, but people are coming back.”

What the group has noticed is there is more of a mix between older and younger people coming back to the chorale. Cathy Dey and Jacque Storby, who were with the group when it chartered back in 1973, were excited to see that.

“We’re getting pretty old, of course,” Dey joked.

Wantoch-Yess is also ecstatic to see new people joining. “As some of our charter members fall away — voices change as you get older — we’ve seen that more younger people are joining,” she said. “It’s fun for me, because most of them came from the school program here in Waseca. To see kids I worked with from junior high to seeing kids like John now leading the group is gratifying.”

She also made a point of expressing her gratitude toward Waseca’s enthusiasm for the arts, especially music.

“We’ve received a lot of support from the community over the years,” she observed. “Fifty years is a really unusual length of time for community choirs. It’s unique and shows what’s pretty special about Waseca. It supports the community and school musical organizations. It’s what brings music lovers here and keeps the music programs going.”

Board member Toni Bauleke said that the Waseca Area Foundation deserves a great deal of the credit for supporting the chorale. “If it weren’t for their grants, we couldn’t do this.”

Having a chorale in Waseca has been enjoyable for singers at a variety of skill levels. “We don’t necessarily have professionals here,” Wantoch-Yess elaborated. “People come because they love to sing not just because of the music, but because of the people.”

Bauleke agreed. “Even if we didn’t do a concert, I would just come to sing. I love being with other people who love to sing, too. And that’s really what it’s all about. The concert’s only one day.”

Speaking of their concert, tickets for the group’s “Time in a Bottle” spring concert April 23 are $10 for adults and $7 for children 12 and under. They are available in advance from chorale members or in limited numbers at Waseca Music. Tickets will also be available at the door. The group is thrilled to present their concert celebrating fifty years in Waseca.

“Waseca has been blessed to have this group for fifty years,” co-director Hoehn said. “With any hope and luck, we’ll have it for another fifty, and another fifty after that.”

Chorale members include altos Charleen Arnold, Toni Bauleke, Sheryl Brisel, Karen Dahle, Mary Jo DeLaitsch, Mallory Malecek, Rita Miller, Susan Poepping, Jodie Pollock, Mary Schultz, Jacque Story, and Deb Vetter; Basses Mike Anthony, Gary Arnold, Maynard Breck, Paul Byron, Doug Engstrom, Don Frankenberry Sr., Matt Jirele, and Jon Stagman; Sopranos Cathy Dey, Aimee Hill, Salleen Hoehn, Janice Hoverstad, Michaela Kerner, Nancy Lehman, Kelli Lenz, Susan Manson, Kathy Kathy Roycraft, Isabella Sorenson, Stacy Stenzel, and Sarah Whitest; and Tenors Rodney Born, John Hoehn, Al Judd, Domain Kerner, Andrew Miller, Immanuel Mueller, and Michael Myers.