Trumansburg Community Chorus readies inspiring winter concerts

The 56-person Trumansburg Community Chorus (TCC) is set to dazzle at their dreamy winter concerts on Dec. 19 and 20 at the First Presbyterian Church of Ulysses.

Both shows will feature “I Dream A World: Songs of Reflection and Hope,” TCC’s holiday musical offering to the tri-county area of Tompkins, Schuyler and Seneca. The Dec. 19 show will start at 7:30 p.m., and the Dec. 20 show will start at 2 p.m. Doors will open 30 minutes prior to concert start time. The First First Presbyterian Church of Ulysses is located at 69 E. Main St. in the village of Trumansburg. Admission is free, but the chorus is seeking donations.

TCC will perform a choral arrangement of Langston Hughes’ 1941 poem, “I Dream a World,” which members of the chorus say sets the tone for a concert of selections expressing hope for a world of justice and peace. 

Some examples include “Glow” and “Solstice Song,” reflecting the beauty of the winter landscape; choral settings of songs of community and care like the Highwaywomen’s “Crowded Table” and Simon and Garfunkel’s “Bridge over Troubled Water.” There are also jazzy renditions of seasonal favorites, including “O Christmas Tree” and “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” showcased by a select, small group of singers. Local musicians provide piano and other  accompaniment for a fun, rich holiday sound.

Singers have met each Monday evening since September to prepare and polish these beautiful pieces under the direction of TCC Director Alice Ploss. 

“Singing in community together is good for the body and spirit,” Ploss said in a press release. “It is especially essential during these challenging times to come together in song. It raises us all up and reminds us that we are greater than the sum of our parts.”

Ploss, a long-time music educator, praised the chorus members for their commitment and dedication to the performances. 

“There’s a huge range of ability and skill and training in this group,” Ploss said. “We got professionally trained singers, and we got people who barely read sheet music. You get that in public school, and you have to learn how to raise the whole ship together. That is what we are doing here.”

Margo Alexander, TCC treasurer chorus member, said it is Ploss’ tutelage and valuable experience that bring out the genius in performers. 

“The energy she brings to the group is incredible and her musical expertise also, but she also has a willingness to work with everybody and meet with everybody,” Alexander said of Ploss.

Due to having no prior training, Alexander said she felt nervous when she first joined the chorus. 

“I went to a few voice lessons with Alice thinking, ‘Oh, my god, she’s going to hear my voice and say I don’t belong in her choir,’” Alexander said. “And then, the opposite happened. She has a way of not speaking down to anybody, but just teaching you how to become a singer in a very respectful and encouraging way.”

For Ploss, technology and a sense of duty from her performers have made the chorus come together. During the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, the group had around 70-75 singers. 

“I was finding that I was doing a lot of repetition week after week, the same things over and over,” Ploss said. “Nobody’s listening, nobody’s practicing. So, when we came back from COVID, the steering committee got together and figured there had to be some standards. We made a covenant between the singers, the directors, the accompanists, that everybody would do their part and rehearse outside of the regular rehearsal time.”

Ploss said singers rehearse for two hours on Monday night. Then their rehearsals and recordings go on a website. 

“For almost every piece there is a place you can go to learn your part if you don’t read music,” Ploss said. “We’re trying to give everybody this support so that when we come together, we don’t have to do a lot of spoon feeding and repetition, week after week of the same thing.”

“I Dream A World,” Alexander said, is about envisioning a new and better world. 

“I’ve always loved this piece, and the first time I heard it, I started crying and thought ‘Oh, my god, there’s no way I’m going to sing it,’” Alexander noted. “I’m going to be crying throughout the whole thing. It starts as a dream and a prayer. By the end, it feels like you’re dreaming this world into a reality. That is so beautiful.”