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Okay, we admit it. The current COVID-19 pandemic and its repercussions throughout our communities have thrown us for a bit of a loop. As we continue to look at how this new reality is affecting our lives, our economy, and our arts, we have – like most of you, we’re sure – been a bit lost about what to do to make things better.

But what we haven’t been lost about is continuing to make music together. Yes, since this whole thing started here in Denver, Gaudete has continued to meet weekly to rehearse, enjoy music together, and keep our choir members connected and cared for – all virtually, through Zoom. Alto and board member Joyce Witte shows you how, here:

Virtual rehearsing has its challenges, certainly. We can’t actually listen to each other because of computer lag. But we can all turn off our microphones and sing along to the piano, adeptly played by Kris, our accompanist, who, along with director David, is committed to helping us keep singing.

Because we can do this, we are looking forward to being able to bring you some virtually created inspiration soon! We’re working on that project now. If you’d like to help us keep up that good work, please consider donating to us at paypal.me/GaudeteSingersDenver or  by clicking our “make a donation” button at the bottom of this page.

We will continue to bring uplifting music now and into the future. And when we gather again to sing for you in person, we will all rejoice!

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Be safe. Be healthy.

Gaudete!

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Happy 2020! We are so happy to have ended 2019 on the beautiful notes of Rejoice! Love is Born, with the amazing audience that attended. Thank you from the bottoms of all our hearts for your continued support of sacred music.

Coming off of that high, we are looking forward to our planned winter and spring offerings. To keep you in the loop, our February and March offering dates are scheduled for the last Sunday of those months. May’s offering will still be on the third Sunday, which is our usual schedule. As always, our free offerings are at 7 pm at First Baptist Church of Denver, 1400 Grant Street downtown, just south of the Capitol Building.

And that brings us to our next big announcement: Gaudete is still joyfully looking for singers – especially alto, tenor, and bass. If you love sacred music, or even just love singing with a group, please consider joining us! Rehearsals are Thursdays, 7-9pm, also at First Baptist Church of Denver. Our low-stress audition includes scales, pitch matching, and a prepared song of your choice. Really – we do everything we can to make the audition process easy and fun. It’s the opposite of intimidating!

So, if you know anyone – or are anyone! – who would like to sing with us, please contact us at info@gaudetesingers.org. We can’t wait to see you either in our audience or maybe even at our first rehearsal, January 9 at 7 pm.

Stay tuned for announcements about our upcoming offerings and join us for our 2020 events. We look forward to it – and we hope you do too.

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Gaudete

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Happy October — Gaudete is back with another year of inspiring music, starting in three weeks!

The theme of our next choral offering on Oct 20 is the “Beauty of Creation” when Gaudete will present a selection of music that examines our relationship to Nature, her seasons and cycles. The evening will open and close with a traditional Navajo chant “Now I walk in Beauty, Beauty is before me, Beauty is behind me, above me and below me.”

Please join us!

Windy Saddle Park, Golden, CO photo by Phil Sorber

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Join Gaudete on May 19, 2019 at 7 pm for a special sacred music offering of the Son of God Mass by James Whitbourn. This beautiful concert version of Whitbourn’s mass setting features the choir, organist Kris Wittry, and soprano saxophone soloist Lynn Baker.

This contemplative piece is reminiscent of plain chant and shifts through celebratory and meditative elements. With equal emphasis among the instrumentalists and singers, the mass invites the listener into an intimate conversation between the choir and saxophone. As Gaudete’s final offering for the 2018-2019 season, this piece will stay with you throughout the summer until the choir returns in October.

Directed by David Bell, Gaudete performs at the Althea Center for Engaged Spirituality, 1400 Williams Street, in Denver. We present short, uplifting offerings of sacred music without the church, generally once per month between October and May. There is no admission fee; your free-will offering is always gratefully accepted and goes to support our programming. Learn more about us at gaudetesingers.org, and stay tuned for our 2019-2020 season announcement! Gaudete is a 501(c)(3), non-profit organization.

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Hey guess what! Gaudete is about to present our second offering on January 20, 7 pm, at the Althea Center in Denver. As always, there is no ticket required (although your donation to help support the choir is always gratefully accepted). The theme for this offering is Carry Me Home, involving music that gently explores the concept of death.

When we think of death, we often think of fear and pain and loss. This music approaches death from a different angle – that of a continuing journey toward the home from which we originally came. Rather than inducing terror or prolonging grief, this music instead explores death as a final comfort or, even more, as a homecoming bringing blessed rest at the end of life.

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In other news, Gaudete is now a 501(c)(3), Colorado non-profit choir! Our goal continues to be to present monthly offerings of sacred music throughout much of the year. If you would like to donate to the choir, are interested in learning more about what we do, or would like to find out about auditions and other membership requirements, please contact us at info@gaudetesingers.org. And keep watching for our upcoming offerings. We have some exciting events for you throughout the rest of this season…

See you on the 20th!

Peace