Des Moines Choral Society Celebrates 45 Years
Don't miss their special performances this weekend, April 5 and 6.
This week I’m sharing something special: An op-ed written by my friend Deborah Svec-Carstens, who is part of the Des Moines Choral Society. Deborah tells the story of a fascinating period in the history of the group, which will be performing with the Des Moines Symphony this weekend. It’s a tribute to a milestone in Iowa culture and the important role of the arts everywhere. Please share!
After a Five-Year Delay, the Des Moines Choral Society and the Des Moines Symphony Perform “Carmina Burana.”
The final notes of Carl Orff’s “Carmina Burana” echoed through the Civic Center on a Thursday in March 2020. Maestro Joseph Giunta lowered his arms.
“That was amazing!” whispered a young woman next to me on the risers.
A newcomer to the Des Moines Choral Society, she was tackling this demanding piece for the first time. I’d performed it before, with its movements ranging from dramatic and percussive to playful and dance-like, but felt the same exhilaration.
At our next-to-last rehearsal before the performance, I imagined the audience standing to applaud the gift we’d offered. This was why I’d been singing in choirs for over thirty years. To create something beautiful and share it. To experience a mutual stirring of joy and hope.
The email arrived in my inbox the next afternoon. CARMINA BURANA: IMPORTANT UPDATE.
Weekend performances postponed.
COVID-19 had arrived in Iowa.
The energy of anticipation leaked from me like air from a punctured balloon.
Weeks later, the performances were canceled.
The choir I’d been part of since 2000 wouldn’t sing together again for more than a year.
A Forty-Five-Year History
The Des Moines Choral Society’s beginnings trace back to 1979. An ad hoc chorus assembled to perform with the Des Moines Symphony at its inaugural concert in the new Civic Center. Since its inception, this auditioned choir of gifted volunteer singers from across Central Iowa has become a vital part of Des Moines’ arts community. Musical excellence, a rich repertoire, community collaborations, and educational outreach define the ensemble’s legacy. The choir’s annual Christmas concert is the highlight of the season for many. Beyond its regular concert season, the Choral Society has collaborated with the Symphony over 20 times to present major works and performed twice at Carnegie Hall.
Surviving the Pandemic
Singing together had proved dangerous in the early days of the pandemic. Sadly, choral singers in Washington State and beyond died from COVID-19 after rehearsing together. Like many arts organizations, the Choral Society grappled with the challenge of remaining viable in a time without live performances. Not only had the chorus lost its sense of community and connection, but we faced the loss of revenue. Our existence was in peril.
Thanks to creative board members and singers, not only did the Choral Society survive, but as we celebrate our 45th anniversary season, we are thriving.
In December 2020, our annual in-person fundraising event went online, with the broadcast of our first Sing-A-Thon. Each 15-minute segment of the 10-hour live stream featured songs of the season recorded by singers at home, church, or outside. My niece donned her elf onesie and sat with me on the steps of her house to record Christmas favorites like “Feliz Navidad” and “Jingle Bells.”
Donations during the event exceeded expectations. But more than that, music connected the singers and our audience. As an additional gift, the Choral Society produced “The Messiah Project,” a documentary about Handel’s famous oratorio, featuring the choir’s performances and reflections from its singers.
A Return to Singing Together
In August 2021, after a nearly 18-month hiatus, the Choral Society started rehearsals again. We were a smaller group; some members decided singing together was still too risky, even though we’d all agreed to be vaccinated and wear masks. For years we’d rehearsed at Plymouth Congregational Church. Now we gathered in the church’s parking garage, masked and distanced, and circled around a portable piano. Our muted voices blended and echoed. For me, the experience matched the magic of our 2001 Carnegie Hall concert.
We rehearsed outside until the weather turned cold. Indoors, we spread out in a large circle instead of rows. We sang each of our concerts masked and asked our audience to do the same. We were still a choir, and I was grateful to be back with the group, but masks and physical distance changed the mood. Each of us seemed more protective and guarded. New singers remained strangers to me for months because I didn’t know what they looked like. It was a year before I could connect faces with names.
Some normalcy returned with the 2022-2023 season. Although some singers—including me—continued masking for most rehearsals, we sang our concerts unmasked. Singers were more careful about not coming if they were sick, a vigilance that continues today. The numbers of people attending concerts increased. The Sing-A-Thon fundraiser became an annual tradition through December 2023, and with the commitment and dedication of singers and other behind-the-scenes volunteers helped the Choral Society remain a viable and vibrant arts organization.
Celebrating Forty-Five Seasons of Singing
Today, more than eighty singers—the largest choir in recent history—gather on Sunday nights to rehearse. We performed our Christmas concert in front of a sold-out audience in December. In addition to our 45th Anniversary Concert on May 3, featuring composer and conductor René Clausen, a highlight of the season will be singing “Carmina Burana” with the Des Moines Symphony on April 5 and 6. When Maestro Guinta gives the downbeat, the auditorium will resonate with the thunderous fortissimo strains of the iconic opening movement, “O Fortuna,” surely rekindling the exhilaration and excitement we experienced in 2020. After five years of waiting, the Choral Society and the Symphony finally will share this gift with the community.
Deborah Svec-Carstens, J.D., MTS, is a writer, book coach, spiritual director, and “recovering” lawyer from West Des Moines, Iowa. A soprano with the Des Moines Choral Society since 2000, she is a Luther College Nordic Choir alumna who has also sung with the American Church in Paris choir and the Iowa City Chamber Singers. You can find more about her at https://deborahsveccarstens.com/ or…
Learn more about the Des Moines Choral Society and purchase tickets for Carmina Burana at https://www.dmchoral.org/.
“A WORLD OF YOUR OWN” IS A READER-SUPPORTED PUBLICATION. To receive new posts and support my work, please consider becoming a paid subscriber.
A NOTE TO MY READERS: I write “A World of Your Own” as a member of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative, which is led by Julie Gammack, of Des Moines. I’m honored to be part of this group, featuring the diverse voices of more than 70 professional writers and journalists across the state of Iowa. I encourage you to check out their columns.