Down the hallway, a symphony of voices flood the corridors of the Music Building. It’s not the usual chatter one might expect to hear during day classes; this musical sound is that of the College Community Choir, rehearsing and fine-tuning its choral talent.

The class watches carefully with music sheets in hand, as its director, Leslie Back, leads it system by system, note for note, through a selected work until sonic perfection is attained.

Karen Hoopes, a member of the choir for 16 years, sets the melody for the singers on the piano.

With harmonics set, the choir picks up in unity to create a concert-worthy sound.

Diversity within

“It’s a very diverse group and we all work together to make something special,” Back said.

With a class of more than 36 students of all ages, abilities, ethnicities and professions, the community choir is a representation of the communities surrounding EC and lives up to its name.

The class meets Tuesdays from 7 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. in Room 134 of the Music Building and is open to anyone who loves singing and wants to join.

“Anyone in the vast community, Torrance, Gardena, Lomita, Hawthorne, anybody can join. We have people who can’t read music, but they’re in here enjoying it,” Linda Brooker, an alto in the choir, said.

Crossing borders

Though the class is made up of school teachers, dentists, business professionals, retirees and full-time students from the local area, performances don’t always stay local.

Some shows have been more than 6,000 miles across the sea.

The first trip, in 1992, brought the choir to Carnegie Hall in New York City.

Other shows have been in England, Ireland, Scotland, Belgium, Italy, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and a rewarding performance of “Silent Night” in the Silent Night Church (St. Nicholas Church) in Oberwart, Austria.

“I travel worldwide and take members of the choir with me; we’ve had a lot of nice trips,” Back said.

The community choir also performs and maintains a good relationship with other choir ensembles in the South Bay, including the choir and orchestra at Cal State Dominguez Hills, the St. Andrews Presbyterian Church choir in Redondo Beach and the Cerritos College Choir. EC’s orchestra and one of the other four choirs on campus also perform with the community choir occasionally.

“My favorite part of the course is the people. We’re like a family.I feel very connected to the choir members,” Back said.

Basic course overview

A basic class session starts with stretches, followed by a 5-10 minute vocal warm up exercise.

The class either stays and rehearses in a group, or splits up into separate groups of men and women.

The men usually end up leaving the room and practice individual parts of a song or groups of songs in another room.

Songs are carefully chosen by the director and rehearsed throughout the three-hour class period.

A huge variety of songs are available for rehearsal, to the extent that some songs may go up to 10 or 15 years without being repeated, Back said.

Dedicated students

Choir students spend time at home or outside of class practicing a part for hours at a time, and it is nearly expected of them to do so, Back said.

Sometimes tapes are made with a specific song or set recorded so that practice outside of class is made easier, Back said.

Personal challenges are an essential part of the class, and some students thrive on that fact.

“The real challenge is getting a piece of music you have never seen before and trying to sing it perfectly the first time through,” Brooker said.

Members of the choir all share enthusiasm for the class and enjoy choral music. Many choir members return every semester.

Many of the members have some music or singing experience, but it is not a requirement for the class.

Working as a team

Improvement and honing each person’s potential is an important part of the course, with each attendant lending personal talent to the overall balance and layers of the music, Back said.

It takes a mix of everybody’s personal interests and abilities for the choir to be successful.

The class also gives an opportunity for those with opera-like voices to audition for solo parts in a show, Back said.

“The choir is like the ultimate team sport. Everyone is dependent on each other for the success of a common goal,” Back said.

The next show is the Winter Concert, at the Campus Theatre on Dec. 11 at 8 p.m.

The first half of the show will take place at the St. Cecilia Mass by Gounod; this performance has been requested for almost 15 years.

The Mass is dedicated to the patron saint of music.

A variety of Christmas classics and contemporary arrangements of old and new favorites will be performed.

Solos, duets and trios will also be performed throughout the second half of the show.

All students, faculty and members of the public are welcome to attend and the audience is even invited to participate in singing some of the Christmas carols during the concert.

“You can sing and improve while you do it. It’s true that you can age, but your voice does not,” Fred Hoops, a tenor in the choir, said.