A new men’s a cappella chorus is forming in Fayette County.
The Southern Nights Chorale will be a select, 24-voice ensemble
under the direction of J.D. Holmes. The group’s repertoire
will be an eclectic mixture of secular and religious songs, including
popular, patriotic, classical, folk, barbershop, and even original
works by local composers. For those who are old enough to remember,
it will have a “Norman Luboff” quality.
Holmes was a charter member of the Chattanooga Boys Choir at
the age of 12. He sang for 11 years with the Atlanta Symphony
Chorus under the renowned choral conductor, Robert Shaw. He has
also sung in numerous church choirs, with a barbershop quartet
and chorus, and with the McIntosh Trail Community Chorus. Holmes
has studied choral music for many years as an avocation.
According to Holmes, the goals of this precision chorus will
be “to strive for perfection and to have fun … in that
order.” He said it will also be a vocal laboratory in which “to
experiment with new harmony sounds.”
Auditions for the Southern Nights Chorale will begin in August,
with rehearsals starting in September. Rehearsals will be held
on Thursday evenings from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Dogwood Forest
across from Fayette Community Hospital. Those who are interested
in performing with this new choral group should contact J.D.
Holmes at 770-461-3258, or email southernchorale@aol.com.
