Smith: Amazing young voices in Santa Rosa Children’s Chorus

It happens on occasion that as newcomers settle in for a performance of the Santa Rosa Children’s Chorus, now celebrating its 30th year, they’re thinking, “Oh, won’t this be cute?”

Then their jaws drop at what they hear.

Children as young as 7, a few only 6, join this chorus and surprise themselves as Carol Menke teaches them to make music with their voices and to sing in unison.

Menke, who started out working with just the younger singers in 1984 and since 1992 has directed the entire operation, also gives the beginners enough of an introduction to printed music and terms - notes, rhythms, half steps, whole steps, dynamics - to intrigue them.

The little ones are coached also in proper breathing, posture and ar-tic-u-la-tion.

The first step up in the children’s chorus is to the intermediate level. Here the kids start to master sight-reading. They learn to sing in different languages, and in two parts.

Then, Menke advances them into the concert group. These children - the oldest of them about 15 years old - rehearse twice a week, rather than just once.

They sing in three or four parts and in several languages: German, Italian, French, Latin. Their repertoire spans from the Renaissance to contemporary.

They rock.

“We’re thriving musically,” Menke said. But numerically, the Santa Rosa Children’s Chorus has dropped from a high of 95 voices to 48.

Kids have so many competing interests now. And to sing in such a high-quality group requires effort.

But as next Sunday’s 4 p.m. anniversary concert at the Glaser Center will confirm, it pays off.

THIS AUSTIN MEYER, who last week scored the second overtime goal that gave Stanford a win over Cal and its first conference title in over a decade, has always been a star.

The PD has chronicled some of the 22-year-old Santa Rosa native’s wonders: He’s a natural leader who co-created Maria Carrillo High’s Caravaner bike-to-school club, he’s a great musician, he’s keen on building Rube Goldberg contraptions, he’s key to an uproariously successful Stanford improv act and he’s Baryshnikov-like on a soccer pitch.

Sunday, he and the Cardinal take on UC Irvine in the NCAA tournament.

Have a ball, Austin.

ALSO SUNDAY, in New York City, 19-year-old violinist Peter Duranceau of Santa Rosa will make his Carnegie Hall debut.

It’s not a solo gig. Peter has become principal second with the New York Youth Symphony. Sitting in the audience, up as close as possible, will be his folks, Julie & Randy Duranceau, and grandparents, Nancy and Dave Berto. Nancy, you probably know, served long on the Santa Rosa Symphony board and John is a former Santa Rosa city councilman and mayor.

A tidbit about Peter: He became the organist at Santa Rosa’s First Presbyterian Church when he was 15.

DON’T LIKE FRUITCAKE? Pedaling baker Marscell Rodin is pretty sure he can change your mind with the organic and natural gift cake that he’s selling to raise money to replace his stolen bicycle.

Marscell is 80 and supports himself by delivering his healthful baked goods throughout the SRJC neighborhood and beyond. His only mode of transportation was the dandy Raleigh Venture bike that was ripped off early this month from outside an acupuncture clinic on Seventh Street.

The Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition has helped Marscell stay in business with the loan of a dandy cargo bike, but he can’t keep it forever. He has committed himself to raising the money for a new bike by selling 50 of his 2.5-pound, gift-basketed whole wheat fruitcakes.

“I’ve been making it for 40 years,” he said. “I created the recipe in Australia.”

He sells the fruitcake for $31.50. If you’d like one, call him at 527-6297 and he’ll arrange to meet you to hand it over.

There’s also, at Redwood Credit Union, the Marscell’s Bike Fund for anyone who’d care to donate to his effort to acquire new wheels.

Chris Smith is at 707-521-5211 and chris.smith@pressdemocrat.

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Editor’s Note:

Dave Berto, a former Santa Rosa city councilman and mayor, was originally misidentified in Chris Smith’s column, the article above was altered to correct this mistake.