The Mid-Hudson Rainbow Chorus will make its debut at a performance at the LGBTQ Community Center in Kingston on Sunday, November 16. Formed less than a year ago, the all-inclusive group of men and women – Karl Boggs, Mira Bowin, Jim Fish, Barbara Goodwin, Pat Homa, Eric Loeffler, Jennifer Paull and Vickie O’Dougherty – is led by Ann Belmont and accompanied on keyboard by Todd Anderson. “Both Ann and Todd are professional jazz musicians,” says Goodwin, one of the founders of the chorus.
The concert will feature songs by Duke Ellington and Irving Mills, Jimmy McHugh and Dorothy Fields, Bert Kaempfert and Milt Gabler, Cyndi Lauper and many others, including a South African miners’ work song and traditional folksongs. Two new numbers will be premiered: one by Belmont, The Rainbow Song, and one by chorus member Paull, Together We Stand. All the music has been arranged by Belmont, who also plays guitar and bass.
The Rainbow Chorus meets once a week at the LGBTQ Center, where the acoustics are good and the camaraderie is even better. “We always welcome new members in all voice parts: sopranos, altos, tenors and basses,” says Goodwin. “We seek folks who love to sing and can carry a tune. The ability to read music is helpful, but not required.” Hailing from throughout the region, from Hopewell Junction to Woodstock and all points in between, group members practice a wide range of contemporary music and old standards, focusing their voices on tight harmonies and lots of syncopation.
The concert is both a fundraiser for the chorus and an opportunity for the greater community to get to know about the group. A meet-and-greet with refreshments will begin at 5 p.m., and the music will start a half hour later. Don’t miss it.
Mid-Hudson Rainbow Chorus concert, Sunday, November 16, 5:30 p.m., $5, LGBTQ Center, 300 Wall Street, Kingston; (845) 353-8348, bgoodwin5@gmail.com.