The title for the upcoming Vancouver USA Singers concert — Frasier’s Favorites — is slightly misleading. The show is named in honor of director Ron Frasier, who is retiring after directing the choir for more than 20 years. But, most of the numbers concertgoers will hear next weekend — “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Vaults of Heaven,” and Gilbert and Sullivan’s “I’m Telling a Terrible Story” among them — aren’t necessarily director favorites.
It’s not that he doesn’t enjoy them; Frasier just doesn’t spend much time dwelling on numbers once they’ve been performed. “To pick favorites was really difficult for me,” he said. “I’m one who moves on to what’s next. I often just enjoy what’s happening in the moment.”
So Frasier looked outward to round out the program. He chose audience favorites and tunes that are popular with choir members. He also took into account the need to balance uptempo selections with quieter numbers.
It’s that deference that led Frasier to choose one song that he’s actually lost sleep over.
o What: Vancouver USA Singers presents a selection of favorite tunes selected by director Ron Frasier.
o When: 7:30 p.m. May 22 and 3 p.m. May 23.
o Where: First Presbyterian Church, 4300 Main St., Vancouver.
o Cost: $10, $8 for students and seniors, free for children 11 and younger. A list of ticket outlets is available online.
o Information: Click here.
Edwin Fissinger’s “Prairie Winds” is an especially difficult song to perform. The choir first performed it in 1992, and during the rehearsal period Frasier woke up in the middle of the night with the song stuck in his head. “It sounds like you’re out in the prairie, and the wind is blowing,” he said. “Parts of it are absolutely gorgeous, and you can feel the prairie, the animals on the prairie, the wind as it blows across the grass. It’s very descriptive.”
It’s also difficult to pull off live, Frasier said. “Prairie Winds” features many contrasting harmonies, which presents two challenges: The first is making sure the harmonies are clashing, he said. The second is to make sure that the harmonies are “clashing in the right way.” But it’s a choir favorite, so he included the number in the upcoming concert.
o What: Vancouver USA Singers presents a selection of favorite tunes selected by director Ron Frasier.
o When: 7:30 p.m. May 22 and 3 p.m. May 23.
o Where: First Presbyterian Church, 4300 Main St., Vancouver.
o Cost: $10, $8 for students and seniors, free for children 11 and younger. A list of ticket outlets is available online.
o Information: Click here.
Choir member Gail Ludowise knows how difficult it was for Frasier to resurrect “Prairie Winds.” “We’ve laughed about that one over the years,” she said. “It’s a very unusual piece. It’s not one you’re going to go home humming.”
Including “Prairie Winds” is just one example of Frasier’s rapport with the choir, Ludowise said. Ludowise, a Vancouver resident who has been a member of the choir for 39 years, says that Frasier’s friendly demeanor will be missed. “He’s very personable,” she said. “They’ll miss that. They’ll miss his sense of humor and his personality. They’ll miss the twinkle in his eye.”
That twinkle has been a part of the choir since 1982, when Frasier first performed with the group. He initially joined the group — then known as the Brahms Singers — because he was friends with the previous director, Bill Slocum.
Frasier took over as director in 1987. He has been with the choir ever since, save for a three-year sabbatical that ended in 2003. Frasier points to a love of choral music and the close-knit nature of the group as reasons for remaining involved for the better part of 30 years.
The Vancouver USA Singers are just a part of Fraiser’s life-long devotion to music.
Frasier spent most of his career as a vocal music and theater teacher at Fort Vancouver High School. After retiring in 1991, he kept active by teaching at Mountain View High School and Vancouver School of Arts and Academics.
He shared his love of music and devotion to Vancouver USA Singers with his wife, Donna Fraiser. Donna joined the choir as a pianist but spends most of her time today playing keyboards and singing. Ron and Donna will perform duets at their final concert with the group. Ron said that they plan to remain busy after leaving the choir, adding that they might take ballroom dance lessons and put together programs to sing at area retirement homes.
“We aren’t going to just sit,” he said.
Frasier, 74, cited a lack of energy as the deciding factor in stepping down after this season. “My energy level is just not what it used to be,” he said. “As you get older, things tend to creak a little bit more.”
The relationships are what has kept Frasier energized over the years. “It all comes down to the people,” he said. “They would work hard, and they gather around you if things aren’t going well. It’s the community of that choir that sticks things together.”
