GREAT FALLS — On Thursday nights inside First United Methodist Church, voices rise beneath the steeple, signaling that Great Falls has found its music again.
“This is our third year. This is our first year, though, with the children's choir. So once we got our choir going, then it became pretty apparent that we were going to need a budget," explained Lynn Ryan, director and co-founder of the Electric City Choral Union.
Hear the choir - watch the video:
To keep the music alive, the choir formed a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with donations from Jordan Husted, Big Sky Mini Storage, the Jensen & Hagen Family, and JDLL Farms.
“I had a lot of people say we'd like to sing. Whether they were adults or former students, and they said, could you start a choir that we could all keep singing in? And so that's really where this idea came from,” Ryan explained.
Ryan has years of experience teaching band, choir, and orchestra in Great Falls Public Schools. She jumped at the opportunity to start a community chorus for adults (and now children). And she was not the only one who recognized the need.
“I got involved with the children's choir because Lynn and I had been talking about it. We had been talking about how there hadn't been a children's choir in a long time, and we really just felt like it was an area that was missing for our kids. That fourth-grade through seventh-grade group,” said children’s choir director Jennifer Cantley.
The young choir has already thrived, providing children with a new sense of belonging—and prompting some to join because their parents sing in the adult choir. Both groups have been practicing for the impending performance since September.
"So not a long time. But the kids are very dedicated, and they like to sing. And so, they've been working with me and on their own," Cantley explained.
Cole Evans, a sixth-grader, is among those looking forward to showtime.
"I'm really excited. It sounds really good. And the songs are amazing, and my director is amazing, so I'm very excited," he stated.
The Electric City Choral Union will hold a free community concert on Sunday, November 23rd, at 2 p.m. at First United Methodist Church (610 Second Avenue North).
