BEMIDJI — Music is known for bringing people together, and the First City Singers have done just that in Bemidji.
Older adults from around the area gather to perform for people unable to get out and go to events in town.
Since the beginning, First City Singers have performed in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Now they also perform at senior apartments, the Beltrami County Fair and other community events.
The group was first started by Marie Louma at the Bemidji Senior Citizens Center in the late '90s with four original members. She thought it was too quiet in the center so decided to form a singing group. They were originally called the 3rd Street Singers.
Current team leadership member Louise Jackson said she was told that Louma would grab whoever happened to be walking and talking nearby or had sung at least once in their lives. It was welcome to all ages at the time as well.
It’s fairly easy to join the First City Singers, Jackson said. Potential members must be older adults and love to sing. They don’t need any choir experience because they will be trained by sitting next to experienced singers. They are always looking for more male singers as well.
Singers pay to be a part of the First City Singers: $15 a month to cover music costs and for the musical accompaniment done by Carol L. Johnson.
There are two music directors — Joyce Way and Steve Reznicek — and four members of the leadership team. They get together and look at songs they’ve sung the past few years and create a list of 10 songs to perform each month. They choose from an extensive music library that gets added to all the time.
The First City singers meet for rehearsals at 1-2 p.m. Mondays. Then they get in their cars and drive from place to place to perform. They usually finish around 4:30 p.m.
Their December schedule will be a bit different. In addition to Monday performances, they will also perform at the Bemidji Senior Center Christmas concert and at the Veterans Home Christmas concert.
Jackson said there’s a lot to love about being a member of the First City Singers. The rehearsals are a lot of fun, even when they may have trouble with a new song. She also enjoys visiting the places they perform.
“Some of our facilities that we perform in have great acoustics. So sometimes when we sing, we sound like angels.”
Another favorite part for Jackson is seeing the looks on people’s faces when they perform at nursing homes and assisted living spaces.
“We've been coming to them for years and we're like an old friend coming back," she said.
For more information on the First City Singers, call Headwaters Music and Arts at 218-444-5606, and they will reach out to Jackson.
Tell us about upcoming arts events where you live in Northern Minnesota by emailing psa@kaxe.org.
Area Voices is made possible by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.
