Thursday August 30, 2001 |

Faculty and staff share songs with university community

Most people are grabbing a bite to eat at the new student union Mondays and Thursdays from noon to 1 p.m. The UA faculty/staff choir, however, is busy rehearsing.

Terrie Ashbaugh directs the 80-member choir, which performs at many functions outside the university's usual realm. They sing at Ice Cats hockey games, women's basketball games, departmental commencements, homecoming, retirement luncheons and at faculty/staff appreciation week.

The choir is a volunteer organization that started 10 years ago as a supplement to graduate students studying choral conducting. Since then, it has separated itself from the School of Music and has developed a clearer identity.

The stated goals of the faculty/staff choir are "to promote social interaction and the joy of singing, to share songs and music with the university community, and to support the School of Music choral activities."

"It's a stress reliever and a nice getaway from the office," Ashbaugh said.

The choir performs an extensive repertoire that includes songs of various ethnic and religious diversities. Ashbaugh believes it is part of what attracts people to the choir.

Valerie Wunder is the membership chairperson for the faculty/staff choir.

"Terrie picks music that's not the common style," Wunder said. "We sing in different languages - you're learning while you're practicing something you enjoy."

The group is open to all employees of the university, including graduate students and affiliates. No prior experience is necessary to participate in the choir, and there are no auditions.

"I was very glad for that," Wunder said, regarding the no-audition policy.

Ashbaugh holds a bachelor's degree in piano performance and a master's degree from UA in performance with an emphasis on choral conducting. She has been involved with youth choirs in Washington and Arizona, has traveled internationally as a guest conductor, and works with many vocal and bell church choirs.

Her involvement in the UA faculty/staff choir began when she was a student here and had to teach the choir as part of her graduate work.

"When I was a grad student, I was assigned to (lead) it," she said.

This is Ashbaugh's third year of involvement with the choir.

Having a permanent conductor for the ensemble, as opposed to having a different graduate student every semester, has helped make the choir more stable, choir historian Steve Rodney said.

He added that he considers the independence of the group to be another strong point, along with its stability.

Since the split from the School of Music, "we have added a whole dimension in the social aspect - it has become a lot more friendly," Rodney said. "We have a wonderful camaraderie within the choir."

All proceeds from performances go to support the establishment of a choral library on campus for students.

The faculty/staff choir's next performance is Sept. 30 at 3 p.m. in Crowder Hall, as part of a concert put on by graduate student choral conductors.

The choir also has its own Web site featuring information about the choir, its repertoire, rehearsal dates and concerts, the director, officers and contacts, photos and sounds, and a link to the Tucson Choral Music Web site. The address is www.facultystaffchoir.arizona.edu.