The Community Chorus will begin rehearsals on Monday, Oct. 2, for its annual Christmas concert with returning choral director Anna Marie Kuether at the helm.

Anna Marie is currently enjoying her 30th year of teaching choral music in North Carolina public schools. Her career has given her the opportunity to work in several locations in North Carolina including Wilkes, Durham, Polk, and Henderson counties.

Anna Marie received her bachelor of music degree from Appalachian State University and her master’s degree in music education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. In addition, she has actively participated in conducting workshops and classes through the years led by such master conductors such as Axel Theimer, Eric Nelson and James Jordan. In the summer of 2016 she participated as a full conductor in the Westminster Conducting Institute at Oxford directing the Williamson Voices under the tutelage of Dr. Jordan, James Whitbourn and Steve Pilkington. 

She is an active member of the North Carolina Music Educators Association, National Association for Music Education, and American Choral Directors Association. A member of the School Improvement Team at East Henderson High, Anna Marie enjoys being part of the school based decision making process in a school that believes in Success for All Students.

Anna Marie serves as Music Director at Mountain Hill Community Church located at the Cliffs at Glassy in Landrum, SC. She also enjoys directing plays and musicals for local schools and community theaters as well as working as vocal coach and pit pianist.

She is the proud mother of a daughter, Samantha, who resides in Augusta, Georgia. Anna Marie lives in Tryon with her husband, Dave, and her two “fur-babies” Chloe and Lola.

Accompanist Pam McNeil will again be tickling the keys at the grand piano for the Christmas concert.

Pam’s keyboard career started when she was five years old with a color-coded toy piano. When she banged out “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,” her mother decided it was time for lessons.

Pam is a graduate of St. Andrews University and Western Carolina University, where she served as accompanist and had her first experience with the original Moog synthesizer.

She has played for the Community Chorus, Tryon Little Theater, churches, musicals, parties, friends and (once) a foster sheep. She is currently the organist at Tryon United Methodist Church and works at Saluda Elementary School.

The Community Chorus is made up of about 75 volunteer vocalists. Anyone who enjoys choral singing is invited to participate. Rehearsals this fall are at 7 p.m. on Mondays (Oct. 2 only rehearsal begins at 6:30 p.m.), at Tryon Presbyterian Church. The annual Christmas concert is set for 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 10, at the Polk County High School Auditorium.

Community Chorus concerts take place each year in April and December and benefit the Rotary Club of Tryon Scholarship Fund.

For more information, check out the Community Chorus website at carolinacommunitychorus.org, or search Facebook for Carolina Community Chorus.

– submitted by Sandra Sibley