Twenty years on: LagunaTunes is still making music and ready to deliver its “Greatest Hits” in upcoming performance
By THERESA KEEGAN
For the past two decades, members of LagunaTunes Chorus have been proving that music truly is the universal language of mankind. Whether they’re performing songs celebrating the joys or tragedies of life, this vocal group delivers it all in their community concerts. And their upcoming concert “Laguna Tunes Greatest Hits” will be delivering the best of the best of prior shows.
What started in 2003 with a dozen people in the basement of the American Legion, is now a 60-person choral group that performs standing-room only shows at the Artists Theater in the Laguna Beach High School.
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Photos courtesy of LagunaTunes
The LagunaTunes’ concerts often focus on a musical theme or artist. One year, the group performed a Beatles show, including the fun-filled “Yellow Submarine” song, complete with props. Some music by the Beatles will be performed in the upcoming anniversary show “Laguna Tunes Greatest Hits.”
“I honestly didn’t think it’d last this long,” said Lisa Morrice, who, as a founding member, arranged the group’s paperwork and secured its nonprofit status. With Roxanna Ward’s enthusiasm and skill as the initial director and Pat Kollenda’s desire to have a community vocal group, LagunaTunes has a solid foundation.
“Nobody has to audition, it’s open to everyone,” said Kollenda. “It’s great because when you sing with other people there’s a camaraderie – a family feeling – and laughter.”
Ward explained that initially membership ebbed and flowed, but as LagunaTunes became established in the community – and started giving out scholarships to area students – the weekly rehearsals which culminated in two annual shows, became an integral part of Laguna’s music scene.
“When you come to sing, everything just goes away,” said Ward. “It’s therapy and when you’re all agreeing on something, harmony happens.”
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LagunaTunes Chorus may be known for their annual spring and holiday concerts, but they are also active members in the community and joyfully participate in the Patriot’s Day parade
These three founding members are quick to recount tales of formative days when Hospitality Night performances were interlaced with various refreshing pit stops, securing rehearsal spaces involved negotiations, plans for participating in the Patriot’s Day parade were hatched and closing songs were rousing multi-generational performances. They finish each other’s sentences, quickly laugh at fond memories and are passionately dedicated to keeping this vocal group thriving in Laguna Beach.
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Members of the community LagunaTunes Chorus are serious singers who, in the past 20 years, have also developed many ways to have fun with their music
Kollenda, who is also a member of the city’s Arts Commission, explained that when you foster one type of art, it enhances other art throughout town. “Music is my love – it’s an expression of who I am.”
Ward believes the choral experience is critical not just for the singers, but also the audience.
“You really have to listen to live music,” she said. “It seems in many places today we’ve lost the art of listening and singing is a way to get that back.”
Having a choral group welcoming to all is the fundamental mantra of Laguna Tunes said Ward. “We never tell somebody you can’t.”
When Laguna Beach resident Nora Keane visited the group in 2010, she had a good ear, and loved to sing but without the ability to read music, she was “terrified” about what she would encounter. Her fears were quickly allayed.
“I was welcomed whole-heartedly by this eclectic, free-spirited group and was immediately hooked,” she said. “I’ve been singing with them ever since. It just feels good to be part of a collective whole making beautiful music.”
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Musical Director Bob Gunn and President Patti Jo Kiraly enthusiastically support the weekly practices and two annual shows performed by the LagunaTunes Chorus
The collaborative process is critical for success, said current Director Bob Gunn. (Christin Cornell has also directed the group.)
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