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Eastside Community Choir & Fellowship

Weekly rehearsals, seasonal concerts, sheet music, and community fellowship on the Eastside.

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A Neighborhood Choir & Weekly Fellowship
WELCOME · EST. 2019 · SEATTLE EASTSIDE
A Neighborhood Choir & Weekly Fellowship
Open to all voices across the Eastside — join us Tuesday evenings for four-part harmony, shared meals, and seasonal community concerts.
At a Glance
Weekly Rehearsal
Tue 7:00 PM
Grace Chapel Sanctuary
Small Group & Prayer
Thu 6:30 PM
Fellowship Hall Rm 204
Voice Parts
SATB · All Levels
No audition required
Spring Concert
Sun, May 18
4:00 PM · Free admission
New Singers Welcome Every Tuesday in April & May
No formal audition is required — just drop in at 6:45 PM on Tuesday evening and we’ll hand you a sheet-music folder and introduce you to your section leader.
Open Spring Repertoire Packet (PDF)
What We Do Together
CHORAL REPERTOIRE
Sacred Classics, Spirituals & Folk Hymns
Four-part SATB arrangements ranging from Renaissance motets and Rachmaninoff to American folk hymns and gospel songs.
FELLOWSHIP
First-Tuesday Potluck Dinner
On the first Tuesday of every month we gather at 6:00 PM before rehearsal to share a home-cooked meal together.
WORKSHOPS
Sight-Reading & Vocal Technique
Optional 20-minute pre-rehearsal clinics for anyone who wants to build confidence reading sheet music.
NEIGHBORHOOD OUTREACH
Senior Living & Hospital Sing-Alongs
Once a quarter we bring a small ensemble to sing requested hymns and folk favorites at local care homes.
How to Join Us This Season
1
STEP 1
Drop in on any Tuesday evening at 6:45 PM
Meet Marcus at the welcome table in the Grace Chapel lobby — we’ll have a numbered sheet-music folder ready for you.
2
STEP 2
Sit with your voice section (Soprano, Alto, Tenor, or Bass)
Not sure which part you sing? Elena will do a quick, friendly 2-minute range check before rehearsal starts.
3
STEP 3
Sing in the Spring Community Concert on May 18
After four Tuesday rehearsals, join the full choir on stage for our seasonal concert and courtyard reception.
Tuesday Evening Rehearsal Schedule
6:45 PM – 7:00 PM
Arrival, Sheet Music Pickup & Tea
Grab your music folder and say hello in the foyer.
7:00 PM – 7:20 PM
Vocal Warm-Ups & Ensemble Tuning
Breath support, vowel matching, and four-part chorale tuning led by Elena.
7:20 PM – 8:00 PM
Sectional Rehearsals
Sopranos & Altos in the Main Sanctuary; Tenors & Basses in Room 204.
8:00 PM – 8:45 PM
Full Choir Run-Through & Closing Prayer
Putting all four voice parts together, followed by brief announcements and prayer requests.
Photos from recent rehearsals, sectionals, and our first-Tuesday fellowship dinner:

Rehearsals, Sheet Music & Fellowship

Tuesday evening rehearsal in the Grace Chapel sanctuary

Tuesday evening rehearsal in the Grace Chapel sanctuary

Grace Chapel Main Sanctuary — where we gather every Tuesday evening and host our seasonal community concerts:
Grace Chapel Main Sanctuary — home of our seasonal community concerts

Grace Chapel Main Sanctuary — home of our seasonal community concerts

Choir Leadership & Section Leads
Elena Vance
Choir Director & Conductor
Former high school choral director; leads Tuesday rehearsals and repertoire selection.
Marcus Chen
Welcome & Hospitality Lead
Coordinates new-member music folders and our first-Tuesday potluck dinners.
Hannah Rivera
Soprano & Alto Section Lead
Leads upper-voice sectionals and uploads weekly practice audio tracks.
David Kim
Accompanist & Tenor/Bass Lead
Piano & organ accompanist; leads Tenor/Bass sectionals in Room 204.

Vocal Warm-Up & Sectional Practice Guide

Whether you are returning to choral singing after a few years away or singing in four-part harmony for the first time, here are three simple habits that help our ensemble blend:

  • Listen louder than you sing: Match vowel height and tone color with the singers on either side of you.

  • Mark your score in pencil: Circle dynamic shifts and write breath marks (’) at phrase endings during Tuesday sectionals.

  • Stagger breathing on long chords: In sustained passages of Bogoroditse Devo and Shenandoah, sneak a silent breath mid-vowel rather than at the barline.

Collaborative wiki · last updated by Elena Vance (EV)
Our theme passage for the Spring Concert program cover:
Colossians 3:16· WEB
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your heart to the Lord.
“Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving.”
— Psalm 95:1–2
We’re hosting a courtyard reception right after the May 18 Spring Concert — members can claim a slot below:
Sign-up · click a slot to claim
We have time for one audience sing-along encore at the end of the May 18 concert. Which piece should we close with?
Poll · pick one
Please pray for our quarterly hymn sing at Sunrise Senior Living this Saturday afternoon, and praise God for a wonderful turnout at last week’s rehearsal!
Answered Prayer / Praise Update
28 residents joined us in the sunroom on Saturday afternoon and sang every verse of 'Great Is Thy Faithfulness' with us!
Elena Vance (EV)Marcus Chen (MC)Hannah Rivera (HR)David Kim (DK)
Where we rehearse every Tuesday evening (free parking in the north lot off 15th Ave):
Grace Chapel Main Sanctuary
412 E Pine St, Seattle, WA 98122
Reference recording and background notes on Rachmaninoff’s All-Night Vigil (Op. 37, No. 6 — Bogoroditse Devo) for our third concert piece:
Wikipedia
All-Night Vigil (Rachmaninoff)
The All-Night Vigil, Op. 37, is an a cappella choral composition by Sergei Rachmaninoff, premiered in Moscow on March 10, 1915. Consisting of settings of texts taken from the Russian Orthodox All-night vigil ceremony, it is praised as Rachmaninoff's finest achievement and one of the crowning glories of sacred choral repertoire.
Frequently Asked Questions
No audition is required! Many of our singers haven’t sung in a choir since high school or college. We provide practice MP3s for each voice part (Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass) so you can learn your part by ear as well as from the sheet music.