WILMINGTON, N.C. — The nation’s largest choir for older adults is here in North Carolina, and this year marks the second season of it in the Cape Fear region. Encore Creativity Choir is a choral program that focuses on community building, well-being and, of course, the joy of singing.
Fran Menard has been singing for as long as she can remember. It’s an activity that she’s always tried to participate in.
“I’ve been singing probably since I was born,” Menard said. “But I first sang as the role of Brigitta when I was 12 years old in a small local production, it was a high school group actually, and I got to sing 'The Sound of Music,' and I was hooked.”
Now, she’s 67, and has found that singing has been a comfort to her throughout her life.
“Singing is probably the one thing in life that always makes me feel better,” Menard said. “No matter how down you can ever get, you come up with a song you love, you can sing it and bring yourself right out of any rut.”
That’s why she decided to get involved in the Encore Creativity Choir.
“Encore came to me through another friend who sang with the group last season,” Menard said. “And I got to sing on the river cruise that we did this past summer, and now I’m here for my first full season.”
Encore was started after a study by the National Endowment for the Arts found that the elderly benefit physically, mentally and emotionally from singing. Now Encore is the largest chorale program for older adults in the country, giving more than 1,400 adults a chance to enjoy all those benefits of community and music.
Menard says she’s excited for her first season with Encore, and she hopes other first timers will enjoy the program as well.
“Every time you sing with a new group, you learn something,” Menard said. “And it just keeps your mind and your body and your brain active all the time.”
Encore’s 2023 fall season has only just begun and will end with a public concert this holiday season. You can view a full list of its events here.
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