After a year-long hiatus as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Schoharie Valley Singers are proud to begin rehearsals for their 43rd concert season entitled, “Bright Morning Stars.” Rehearsals will begin on Tuesday, Aug. 24, and will be held at the Latter Day Saints Church in Central Bridge at 141 Church St.

New and returning singers of all ages and ability levels are welcome to join. Registration for the season will be conducted both online and in-person. The cost of registration is $20 for all adult members, and free for students.

Online registration can be accessed beginning Tuesday, Aug. 17, through the SVS Facebook page and website. Requests for the link may also be sent to our email address. All three links may be found at the bottom of this article. In-person registration will begin at 6:30 on Aug. 24.

The title of the fall 2021 season, “Bright Morning Stars,” comes from a choral piece based on a poem of the same name.

“The opening line of the poem, ‘Bright morning stars are rising, day is a-breaking in my soul,’ best encapsulates my thoughts and feelings after spending 18 months apart. The sun is rising, the day is breaking, and there is a light at the end of this dark tunnel,” says SVS Artistic Director Benjamin April.

Each half of the concert will have a slightly different feel. The first half will be more familiar tunes, such as “We Need a Little Christmas”; the Pentatonix hit, “White Winter Hymnal”; and “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch.”

The second half will feature some more serious choral pieces like “Bright Morning Stars,” and “Brightest and Best,” but will end with an arrangement of the mischievous song, “Nuttin’ for Christmas.”

Concerts are scheduled for Friday, Dec. 10, at Cobleskill-Richmondville High School, and Saturday, Dec. 11, at the Duanesburg Reformed Presbyterian Church. Both concerts begin at 7:30 p.m. The Saturday concert at Duanesburg will also be livestreamed for those unable to attend.

Details may be found on our website: www.schoharievalleysingers.org, and on Facebook at SchoharieValleySingers. Emails are always welcome at for those wishing for more information.

This project is made possible with funds from the Decentralization Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature and administered in Schoharie County by The Greene County Council on the Arts.

Editor’s note: Robert A. Holt is president of the Schoharie Valley Singers.