Spreading Joy Through Music: A Joyful Chorus
Joan Allred
By Carly Smith, Westminster Stake Media Specialist
A new community choir called A Joyful Chorus was founded in Broomfield, CO by Joan Allred. As a new resident of Colorado, Allred desired a place to share her talents as well as a platform for interfaith to testify of Jesus Christ.
Allred grew up around music. “My father was a music major so there was always music in our home,” she said. “Through school I was always in a choir. I was invited to join a new community choir by the director of my son’s high school choir where I sang for 25 years. The choir was very impactful in my life and brought a lot of joy to me, and through the difficult times, it gave me strength and support.”
After moving to Broomfield, Allred missed being part of a choir. “I couldn’t find what I had in my last choir, so I thought creating one here could possibly be as beneficial to this community as a whole and its individual members as my former choir had been for me. Since I had worked for years in event coordinating, I knew I had the ability to organize it, but getting people there would be the challenge,” she said.
With forming A Joyful Chorus, an objective needed to be established. Allred described the choir as follows, “A Joyful Chorus is a choir created to enrich the lives of its members and audiences by creating music that brings mental, emotional and spiritual joy. With its harmonious voices, the choir aims to have a positive impact on individuals and communities and through the power of music, spread joy, social harmony and testify of our Savior Jesus Christ.” She went on to say, “The choir seeks to create an inclusive and welcoming environment for singers who have a love of music and of Christ. While fostering a sense of belonging and camaraderie among the members, it will strive to uplift and inspire each singer and create a supportive environment that encourages personal growth.”
One thing that makes A Joyful Chorus unique is that it is a choir not only for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but for all members of the community. When asked why Allred wanted it to be a community choir she said, “I didn’t want to limit the experience to any particular group of people. Everyone wants to feel love and acceptance. We are all children of God who loves each of us. If a person has the desire to sing of the experiences of life and love and faith, even through the difficulties we experience along the way, there should be a place where they can express those feelings through music.”
Joining together with interfaith members to testify of Christ is a powerful thing. Allred described it as follows, “Christ is the perfect example of loving everyone. He said ‘Love one another as I have loved you.’ When a group of people join together with the purpose of being as Christlike as possible, then we accept, love, help and draw strength from each other. Although each individual has their own thoughts, ideas, opinions and convictions, if we are one in Christ in love and acceptance, then everyone feels loved and accepted! It’s been said more than once that the rehearsals are the best part of the choir because we feel that love weekly.”
With part of the mission statement of the choir being to spread love, goodwill and social harmony while testifying of Christ, I asked Allred about any feedback she has received from the community. She told of a young boy who attended their Christmas concert. “A mother approached me with her son, who was about the age of eight,” she said. “She said her son wanted to tell me something. I asked him if he enjoyed the program and he said, ‘Yes, it was nice, and I think Jesus liked it too because He was here.’ The most touching comment for sure! But we did receive a lot of wonderful comments stating that they felt the real reason for Christmas.”
Moving forward with A Joyful Chorus, Allred explained what she hopes to see happen over the next year. “First and foremost is the growth of the individual members, not just vocally but mentally, emotionally and spiritually. To help them gain more confidence in their singing and in life itself. It’s always fun when a new person comes for the first time and says ‘I’m just here to check it out’ and at the end of the rehearsal “Where do I sign!’ It’s a combination of having a very fun, but musically brilliant director, Melodie Henderson, wonderful pianists and choir members who love what they are doing and singing about. Some songs are just fun, some can be musically very taxing, but all are learned with a positive and encouraging attitude. We went from 12 people at our first rehearsal to 42 in just three sessions. The more voices, the more fun, so having continual growth for the upcoming year will be exciting.”
Allred has found a greater belief in miracles through the formation of A Joyful Chorus. She said, “Christ works miracles and this choir is proof of that! When I moved here, I knew one person in the entire Denver area. How could I even think that I could start a choir? I’ve always believed in miracles, but now I have no doubt. I may have started the physical choir, but the members that have joined and told their stories of how they found the choir tells me that I’m nothing more than the working hands of someone who is way more connected to people than I am! Christ works miracles!”
A Joyful Chorus can be found online at ajoyfulchorus.com with more information on their mission and how to join.
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