Local mom reviving choir to sing carols at nursing homes

The choir performing in 2018. Photo by Jennifer Blackwell.

by Sara Swanson

Before Covid, one local mom, Laura Wohlgemuth, gathered five homeschooling families together to form a Holiday Homeschool Choir. They caroled at nursing homes and throughout the greater community. Covid-19 put the breaks on the choir. Wohlgemuth had been considering restarting the choir, although most of the original families have moved out of the area so she hadn’t done anything definite. Then she got an official request. The Brooklyn Living Center, one of the places they used to sing, called her and wants to put the choir on the schedule!

Wohlgemuth would like to re-form the choir and is opening it up to anyone interested in singing and spreading holiday cheer. This invite is for all ages, including adults. If you are interested, call or text her at 586-703-4549.

The first meeting, which will be for practice, will be this Friday, December 2, at 4:30pm in the Village Room on the lower level of the Manchester District Library, located at 912 City Rd. The second will be on Friday, December 9, at 4:30pm for practice in the Village Room, then singing at the Brooklyn Living Center. The third meeting will be on Friday, December 16, at 4:30pm for singing at the Saline Evangelical Home and at Gaslight Village, an assisted living center.

Songs will be typical Christmas carols that Wohlgemuth will share in advance but that most will already be familiar with. She also has Christmas carol books that the choir will be able to use to have the words always handy as they sing, as well as colored handbells and music for “Joy to the World.“

The choir performing in 2018. Photo by Jennifer Blackwell.

For as little as $1 a month, you can keep Manchester-focused news coverage alive.

by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and founder of the Manchester Mirror.