Featuring songs of Bob Dylan, Brandi Carlile and Stephen Stills, Central Oregon Community College’s nearly 80-member Redmond Community Choir takes the stage for a free performance of Americana: Celebrating Our Musical Roots, at 4pm on Sunday, May 17, at the Redmond High School auditorium, 675 SW Rimrock Way.
“I started planning for this program late last year, with the idea of tracing our musical roots from the 1800s to today,” said Ken Piarulli, choir director. “The program, featuring accompanists on piano and flute, combines influences of folk, country, blues, bluegrass, gospel and rock into the musical genre we call Americana.”
The Redmond Community Choir, a COCC community education class first formed under Piarulli’s guidance in 2019, rehearses at the college’s Redmond campus on Monday evenings during the academic year. Piarulli, a professional jazz pianist since 1972, has directed choirs ranging from elementary children to adults.
All experience levels are welcome to this non-auditioned ensemble — and registration quickly fills to capacity, usually within 24 hours.