Rehearsals for the University Community Choir have started as the group prepares for its first concert. The theme of the concert, which will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 24 at the Baldwin First United Methodist Church, is “Wanderers Upon This Moment.”

This year, the choir is a half-and-half mixture of Baker students and singers from the Baldwin City community. The choir holds no auditions and is open to anyone who wants to join.

Sherri Pahcoddy, the coordinator for the Health & Counseling Center, is a community member who joined the choir three years ago.

”I used to sing in choir in college and I had missed it, so it was a good release for me to get back into the music,” Pahcoddy said. “It got me more involved in the community, meeting new people and meeting more of the Baker students.”

Many students are in the Community Choir because of time conflicts with the University Choir class. Interim Director of Choral Ensembles Cathy Crispino believes the well-rounded Community Choir gives students a different kind of learning experience.

“It’s a wonderful experience to have that intergenerational singing together. It gives many adults who sang when they were younger a chance to explore again,” Crispino said. “It’s a wonderful thing for them to bring their years of experience in and to just share in music making with the students. It’s a great interaction.”

The University Community Choir meets only once a week on Thursdays, which means the group has to be “really efficient” with what they do, says Crispino. She added that the choir requires more outside work for the singers because they don’t have as much time together.

Sophomore Jessica Harvey is studying for her dual major in elementary education and piano and is taking the class as the ensemble credit for her piano scholarship. Although she hasn’t taken choir since high school, she recognizes the difference between the Community Choir and University Choir.

“I like it,” Harvey said. “It’s a lot different than choir in high school and it’s a lot of fun because it’s not just Baker students, it’s people in the community too.”

Harvey, like Crispino, thinks the diversity in members is what makes the choir unique.

“There are a lot of older community members and a lot of them have choir experience so they bring their prior knowledge as well as their vocal ranges, which adds a lot to our choir,” Harvey said.

Harvey hopes to take what she has learned in the form of vocal exercises and techniques to use in her own classroom. She also said that her favorite part of the experience is Crispino herself.

“She’s honestly just a lot of fun,” Harvey said. “She’s also super sweet.”

Crispino came out of retirement to join Baker last year as the interim director of choral ensembles after Matthew Potterton’s departure. Potterton established the University Community Choir in 2010, and Crispino is more than willing to continue leading it.

“I think the choir has been a very successful venture,” Crispino said. “It’s a great organization and I’m happy to be a part of it.”