As its 12th season begins, the Bucks County Women’s Chorus is accepting new members. The goal is to reach a membership of 100 singers this year.
The chorus, which performs about a dozen concerts each year, is a non-auditioned ensemble that includes members from more than 35 towns in the Greater Bucks County area, from Northeast Philadelphia to Quakertown. Members need not have experience in a choral setting; a desire to sing with others is all that’s needed, stressed artistic director Pat Guth, who founded the choir in 2012.
The ensemble’s singers range in age from about 25 to more than 80 years old. Some have sung in choirs all their lives, while others are having their first choral experience as a member of Bucks County Women’s Chorus.
The choir rehearses and performs a variety of music, ranging from sacred, secular and multicultural holiday pieces in the fall semester, and a more eclectic mix of repertoire in the spring, including show tunes, pop, standards, folk music and spirituals. Rehearsals are held on Monday evenings at Holland Village in Holland.
BCWC has appeared twice at the White House Holiday Open House. The group also performed in the Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2021 and at Parx Casino with the ‘70s band Foreigner in 2019, 2022 and again this May.
The ensemble donates proceeds from their concerts to local women- and arts-related charities. During its tenure, the choir has provided more than $14,000 to organizations in need, including Libertae, Pearl S. Buck Foundation, Arts Reach Philly, A Woman’s Place, the Trenton Children’s Chorus, Sister Cities Girlchoir and the Bucks County Women’s Advocacy Coalition.
The choir is also quite active socially, enjoying numerous dinners out, movies, picnics and other activities throughout the year. In addition, members of the BCWC travel internationally to perform in various venues throughout the world (optional). Thus far, the chorus has sung in Italy, Hungary, Austria, Finland, Sweden, Estonia and Ireland, and will head to Spain and France in 2024.
Interested new singers can find registration information, videos and more details about BCWC at buckscountywomenschorus.com. They can also call 215-801-1445 for more information.
