Chorus plans concert at Palace Theater

New Christmas season tradition

A group of local singers hope to start a new holiday tradition in Lorain.

The Lake Ridge Legacy Chorus of Sweet Adelines International will perform “All I Want for Christmas,” a show at 3 p.m., Dec. 9, at the Lorain Palace Theater, 617 Broadway Ave.

The show is the first hosted by the Lake Ridge Legacy Chorus, but it is not the chorus’ first time at the Palace.

In the past, the group has appeared as a guest at Christmas shows of men’s barbershop groups.

However, the men’s choruses will not perform at the Palace this year, so the Lake Ridge Legacy Chorus will host the show with guest performers, said Laurie Grimes and Karen Seidlitz, co-chairwomen for the concert.

“We sing four-part a capella

harmony in the barbershop style,” Seidlitz said, although she and Grimes noted their work is different from men singing and wearing striped vests, sleeve garters and straw boater hats.

The women sing Christmas carols and contemporary songs arranged in lead, baritone, bass and tenor parts, Grimes said.

“We do sing a lot more contemporary music; it’s just arranged in the barbershop style,” she said.

The guest performers include singer and storyteller Debra Rose of Oberlin.

Seraph Zou, a teacher of Chinese language at Lorain County Community College, will perform “Moa Li Hua,” a Chinese folk song about a jasmine flower, with the chorus.

The Sprezzatura Brass Quintet of Oberlin and the Northeast Ohio Ukulele Group will play, and Santa Claus will appear as a special guest.

“We just thought it would be really nice to feature some local talent,” Grimes said.

“And have variety,” Seidlitz said.

“Variety, not just us, but to support other people who are in the community,” Grimes said.

The Lake Ridge Legacy Chorus has about 35 members from areas from Akron to Sandusky.

The chorus is relatively small in size compared to other Sweet Adelines.

However, it has collected awards under the leadership of Director Emeritus Jean Knight and current Director David Smotzer, Seidlitz said.

The honors came from regional shows with other singing groups from Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania and New York.

The Lake Ridge Legacy Chorus is ranked 67th in the world among 600 Sweet Adelines singers.

In May, the group was runner up for a Liberty Ford jingle contest, Grimes said.

Incidentally, the Lake Ridge Legacy Chorus shares a name with Lake Ridge Academy school in North Ridgeville, but the two are not related.