Norma Hansen’s husband knows not to schedule any appointments for Tuesday mornings — those belong to her.
Hansen is one of several dozen members of the Scenic City Chorale, a choir group predominantly comprised of older adults — although the group’s members will tell you anyone is welcome to join. Every Tuesday morning, the choir comes together to lift their voices in song, and for the group’s members, that time, that experience is invaluable. So invaluable that the group’s members live by a motto: “The only excuse for missing a rehearsal is a funeral, and it better be your own.”
“I live in Ooltewah, which is quite a ways out, and this is one of the only times I know every week I’m going to get together [with others],” Hansen, the chorale’s president, says.
This year, the choir celebrates its 60th anniversary, with a concert scheduled for mid-May that will feature music the group has sung throughout its history. The chorale was born out of Senior Neighbors, which provided programming for downtown Chattanooga’s older adults in the mid-20th century, according to a compiled history of the Scenic City Chorale.
There’s an industry standard that once a singer reaches a certain age, they become a “has-been,” says Jim Bailiff, the chorale’s current conductor and musical director. But he disagrees with this standard. Even in your golden years, you can have “good quality of performance, as well as quality of life,” he says.