Founded in 2000 by the late Ellis French, the Pacifica Madrigal Ensemble originally performed exclusively secular vocal music composition, written during the Renaissance and early Baroque eras. A few years down the choir road, the Pacifica Performances sponsored choir decided to change their name to the Seaside Singers, when they kicked in added tunes from the last century’s pop jukebox — tunes primarily prior to the 1960s.
Originally signed on as a chorister as well as choir accompanist, Judy Tugendreich has been with the choir since its first days, and stepped into the full-time role of choir director a number of years back when French retired. Tugendreich said the choir currently has 18 voices — six men and twelve women, which in turn breaks down to four sopranos, six altos, four tenors and four basses. The Seaside Singers are looking for signups.
“We would like another low bass, a low true alto, a high soprano, and we would use another tenor if one came along,” said the personable Tugendreich. “If we get more men, we can add more women!”
The choir director explained what they are looking for in singers.
“An applicant should have had some experience in a church or school choir, and know how to read music. We don’t expect perfect sight readers, but they should know how music works, and be willing to put in time at home working on their part, either with a keyboard or the rehearsal midis that we make.”
The biggest program the Seaside Singers presents is their extremely popular Annual Festival of Holiday Music at Pacifica Performances Mildred Owen Concert Hall. This year marks their eighth concert.
“This year’s holiday program is called, “Home for the Holidays,” Tugendreich said. “The first home will be a Renaissance Banquet Hall in costume. The second will be a 1948 home, with a couple of kids listening to an old floor model radio and we will be simulating a broadcast studio, broadcasting holiday music.”
Songs from the Renaissance Banquet Hall include — “The Wassail song,” “Boar’s Head Carol,” “Ding Dong Merrily on High,” “Toss the Pot,” “Masters in this Hall,” and “Wexford Carol.” Songs by the 1948 radio include “I’ll be Home for Christmas,” “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting),” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” “Happy Holidays,” “We Need a Little Christmas,” and “What are You Doing New Year’s Eve.” Throughout the year, the Seaside Singers travel the Senior Center circuit putting on concerts in such places as the Pacific Oaks Senior Apartments in Pacifica, the Peninsula del Rey in Daly City, Sterling Court in San Mateo and at Westborough Royale in South San Francisco. In one of their programs, “Memory Lane,” songs they sing include — “Hello Dolly,” “Getting to Know You,” “Music Music Music,” “Irene Goodnight,” “A Gershwin Medley,” “A South Pacific Medley,” “Rock a My Soul,” “Black is the Color of My True Love’s Hair,” and “Shenandoah.”
In their program, “Singing through the Season,” songs on the choir parade include — “April Showers,” “April in Paris,” “Soon it’s Gonna Rain,” “May Day Carol,” “June is Bustin’ Out All Over,” “Summer Time,” “Foggy Day in London Town,” and “September Song.”
Audience members often sing along at concerts and even dance along when the mood strikes. The Seaside Singers will be performing at the Fog Fest.
The Seaside Singers has many longtime singers, but along with Tugendreich, two other women go back to the choir’s earliest days — Ramona Lancaster and Bette Thomas. Tugendreich said the longevity of the group comes from both hard work and congeniality.
“We always work towards ever higher standards but we have fun!”
The Seaside Singers rehearse every Thursday evening at the Mildred Owen Concert Hall from 7:15 to 9:30 p.m. Tugendreich additionally holds a sight singing class every other Monday, strictly voluntary, for those who want to improve their sight reading skills
“We are starting our holiday music work on September 12 and it is a good time to join when we are all on square one,” the choir director said. “People should call me and arrange to sit in for a week or two, and then there is a very simple audition that checks for tone quality and pitch accuracy. Members need to have a voice quality that blends and be able to sing on pitch. We do challenging music and we expect a lot from each other, but we so enjoy it!”
Interested singers should contact Tugendreich at 359-6097.
