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VILLAGE
VOICES HISTORY
 Eleanor Culling was the founder and first director of the Village
Voices. After twenty years of teaching choral music in Michigan, she
moved to Leavenworth in February of 1982. Soon after opening a
retail business in town, Eleanor became
the choir director of the Community Methodist Church. She and Diane
Norman decided there was a need for a community chorus in
Leavenworth. Members of several church choirs in the area formed the
core of the chorus. These choirs included the Leavenworth Community
Methodist Church, Faith Lutheran, Our Lady of the Snows Catholic
Church and Cashmere United Methodist Church. Other members were
recruited from the community, wherever willing singers could be
found.
Finding enough men for the group was always the biggest challenge.
Eleanor tells a story about hearing a marvelous bass voice singing
in the hallway outside her shop. She dashed out and "snagged him for
the choir. He had no chance!" And so Jack Wedeberg became one of the
early members. Keeping the membership up required constant
attention, making phone calls, sending out letters, newsletters (no
e-mail at that time!), talking it up, etc. At the first Christmas
Concert in December, 1982 there were 46 members on stage at the Camp
Field Chapel, now a part of Sleeping Lady. Choral selections for the
Voices were Mary’s Little Boy Child, Baby, What you Goin’ To Be,
Christmas Calypso, and If Christmas Isn’t Love. The Marlin Handbell
Ringers joined them for How Brightly Shines the Morning Star, Oh To
Have Been, Echo Carol, Ding Dong Merrily On High and Bells, Bells,
Christmas Bells.
Founding members of the Village Voices who are currently singing
with the chorus are: Diane Norman, Patricia Stoudt and Martha
Jensen, The first accompanist was Georgette Fuller, well known
Leavenworth pianist, and former director of the Marlin Handbells.
Leah Moats became the accompanist in 1983, continued through 1986,
and thereafter for various years to 1999. In addition to being the
musical director of the Village Voices, Eleanor also directed the
Marlin Handbell Ringers for ten years.
Eleanor tells about a special year with the Village Voices. In June
1986 they performed on two days at "Expo" in Vancouver, BC. Also, in
the spring of that year, the group sang for the first time at the
International Choral Festival in Penticton, hosted by the Naramata
Community Choir. Songs performed were A Jubilant Song, An American
Trilogy, and Simple Gifts. The Village Voices have participated
annually in that event ever since, along with several choirs from
Washington State and British Columbia. Four of these festivals, in
1987, 1993 , 1999 and 2005 were hosted by the Village Voices in
Leavenworth. The highlight of the International Choral Festival is
the massed choir performance in which all of the choirs perform on
stage together, often making up a chorus of over 250 men and women
singing four part harmony together.
Larry Henderson, the current director, is in his sixth year
directing the Voices. He is also an active member of the Wenatchee
Apollo Club where is is often a featured tenor soloist. The
accompanist is Judy Parker, a gifted pianist.
The Leavenworth Village Voices look forward to learning new songs
and reviving old favorites as they begin their rehearsals for their
annual "Christmas in the Mountains" Concert, International Choral
Festival and various other singing engagements throughout the year.
For information about the chorus please call Fran Dunphy at (509)
548-9168.
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