Local concert will feature trio representing generations of women, along with duets and dancers
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IDAHO FALLS — A local choir will perform a wide range of music this weekend at a free concert, with a highlight being a unique trio of singers who represent three generations of women.
The Idaho Falls Choralaires — an all-women’s choir — will have their spring concert on Saturday, May 9, at 7 p.m. at the Hillcrest Performing Arts Center, 2801 East Sunnyside Road.
It’s family-friendly and free for the community to attend. The theme is “Every Song Tells a Story.”
“We memorize everything we do and have about 55 singers in the choir,” said Lisa Humpherys, the choir’s director. “We fill up the Hillcrest auditorium every year; sometimes it’s standing room only.”
The choir performs a variety of genres including patriotic, pop and even Broadway, so that the entire family can enjoy it.
“Not everybody likes the same kind of music, so I try to do several things that your grandma might like — or your mom, your teenager, or even your little child might like,” Humpherys said.
Humpherys said the three-generation trio includes a grandmother, a mother and a daughter: Bobette Carney, 63; Kristen Barney, 43; and Rylee Barney, 19.
“It’s just meaningful for them and for the audience,” she said. “It’s kind of unique; you don’t often see that.”
The women will sing part of “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac, as the choir sings the rest of the song.
Kristen Barney is the president of the Choralaires and said she is looking forward to the performance. She said aside from singing in the choir, she doesn’t have many opportunities to sing with her mom, Bobette, and her daughter, Rylee.
“It’s pretty amazing. It just brings a different kind of closeness,” she said. “We actually have several multi-generational ladies in our choir. We have mothers and daughters, and we have a couple of grandmas and granddaughters in the group. It’s definitely a family thing.”
Humpherys also has a daughter in the choir: Rose Whitman is the assistant director of the Choralaires.
Kristen said her mother, Bobette, has been a part of the choir for 29 years. She has sung in over 50 concerts. Kristen’s daughter, Rylee, has wanted to be part of the group since she was small.
“She’s always said, ‘When I graduate from high school, I’m going to join the choir.’ And that’s what she did,” Kristen said.
Kristen joined the choir herself when she was 22-years-old in 2005.
“Being part of a choir, it’s just something special. We are just a big group of friends. We help each other, we lift each other up. We share each other’s burdens,” she said. “We love bringing a little bit of heaven through music to our community.”
The concert this Saturday will also feature cloggers, waltzers and piano duets, along with some audience participation.
“There’s one part of the concert where we have family members join us on stage and sing with us,” Humpherys explained.
Additionally, the Choralaires set aside time to serve the community by performing at local senior living facilities ahead of the concert.
The choir presents two free concerts for the community each year: one in the spring and one during the Christmas season.
Founded in 1912, the Idaho Falls Choralaires have been around for over a century. “We are the longest-running women’s choir in the state of Idaho, well over 100 years,” Humpherys said.
The choir is a nonprofit and runs on donations. Members are from the east Idaho region and range in ages from 18 to over 70, according to the choir’s website. It is not a choir for beginners, but if you are interested in learning more, click here.
Humpherys invites the community to watch the Choralaires sing this weekend.
“It’s just a treat. It’s a nice change of pace for people who might need a huge uplift,” she said. “Everybody, no matter who has ever come, when they leave, they feel happier than when they came.”
