The Foothills Women's Chorus has come a long way since it was formed 20 years ago by a handful of women who wanted to share their love of music.
On April 28, the chorus — which now includes almost 70 singers — will perform with the Arizona Symphonic Winds at the Tucson Convention Center.
A couple of months later, the women will pack their bags and fly across the country to sing at New York City's famous Carnegie Hall.
"I've never performed at Carnegie Hall, and I quite honestly never dreamed of it, because I never thought I'd get there," said chorus director Terrie Ashbaugh.
The group will perform "Missa pro Defunctis," a Mass written by the 18th century Italian composer Francesco Brusa.
Brusa wrote the Mass specifically to be performed by girls, and the Foothills Women's Chorus will sing the piece accompanied by two girls' choirs.
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Ashbaugh, a professional musician, will not direct the chorus when it performs at Carnegie Hall. Instead, she will join them as one of the singers.
She said it can be difficult to combine the voices of women and girls, but she's confident that Jeannette Ebelhar, the conductor who will direct the choral groups in their Carnegie Hall performance, will be able to pull it off.
While the group has landed this prestigious gig, they put their hearts and souls into singing no matter how large the audience, Ashbaugh said.
Such was the case when they performed for the Elders Spring Brunch last Wednesday at Dove of Peace Lutheran Church, 665 W. Roller Coaster Road. To the delight of the audience, the chorus' repertoire ranged from centuries-old classical pieces to Broadway hits and show tunes.
A singer in the chorus, Pat Hirsch, said it usually performs for small audiences at nursing homes and church functions. For that reason, she's a little nervous, wondering if the chorus will draw enough people to fill 2000 seats at the Tucson Convention Center's music hall.
Still, Hirsch said, performing with the chorus would have been worthwhile even without the performances scheduled over the next several months.
"It's been an absolute lifesaver," she said.
The chorus has allowed her to make new friends and connect with old ones.
"I can say that it's kept me sane in an insane world," she said. "Because I know I'm healing hearts with my voice."
The women in the chorus represent a wide array of ages and come from all over the Tucson area. Kathleen Neimer, 88, has been singing with Foothills Women's Chorus for 11 years.
She was in show business when she was younger, she said, and relishes the opportunity to sing in front of an audience again.
"I love performing," Neimer said. "I'm a show-off like all show people are."
Neimer said she won't be making the trip to New York with the rest of the chorus, having already performed there earlier in her life.
She said performing at Carnegie Hall is a "once in a lifetime" opportunity for a performer.
Ashbaugh said an all-women choir with no political or social motives is unique.
"Honestly, you don't have a lot of choruses that are all women," she said.
She said she has to use her musical skills to arrange the pieces of music they perform to fit the high range of the voices in the chorus.
Since the invitation to Carnegie Hall, she said, the group is now attracting some high-caliber singers.
Helen Jones has enjoyed playing piano for the chorus for the past five years.
"It's pure joy," she said. "It's a lot of fun because they're such an easy group to work with, and the director's very vivacious."
The chorus works hard to "give back" to the community, Jones said.
"They always give it their all, no matter who's in the audience. Nothing reaches people quite like music."
"I can say that it's kept me sane in an insane world. Because I know I'm healing hearts with my voice."
Pat Hirsch, member of the Foothills Women's Chorus
