Living her life through song

Celeste Faber of LaMoille reviews some of the music chosen for the Women’s Winter Get-a-way Choir which meets each Sunday afternoon to rehearse. In March, the choir will give three performances at area churches. Faber, a former public school music teacher, said she started the choir as a special get-away outing and opportunity for women of all ages.

E-mail this story

Print this story

The Women’s Winter Get-a-way Choir (WWGC) is combating the challenges of winter with song.

Choir founder and Director Celeste Faber of LaMoille said the name of the Women’s Winter Get-a-way Choir does a good job of describing its mission.

“As women, we all need time and space in our busy weeks to do something special just for us, to get away from the family, from the job, from the dog, from whatever,” Faber said. “This is a choir for every woman. I wanted to encourage all levels of female vocalists to be part of this.”

The WWGC choir, which started practicing in January, is about 60 women strong, ranging from high school age to people in their 70s from throughout Bureau and LaSalle counties. The choir is for the woman who may not have done a lot of solos or choir time before, but who still loves to sing, Faber said.

“These were the people I wanted, who maybe thought they weren’t good enough to sing in a choir,“ Faber said. “I wanted them to find their best voice and to have fun doing it.”

The WWGC is alternating its practice times Sunday afternoons in January and February between the St. John’s Lutheran Church on the Hill near Hollowayville, the Zion Lutheran (LaMoille/Clarion) Church, and St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church in Princeton. In March, they will give three performances, one each at the rehearsal churches. All performances are at 2 p.m.

In explaining the background for her forming the choir, Faber said music has always been an important part of her life. She grew up with music in her home. She later went to college and became a music teacher in Bureau and LaSalle counties. She’s also given private voice and piano lessons and served as the choir director for her home church of Zion Lutheran Clarion and later at a church in Mendota.

A few years back, Faber began developing some serious health issues and has been on disability leave from teaching for about three years. A couple of her doctors gave her some real words of wisdom, which led to the formation of the WWGC.

“They said it would be good if I didn’t live my disease, but live my life. Spend time with people you love and doing things you love, they said,” Faber said. “I thought about what those doctors said. I knew I loved choirs, and I loved directing choirs. I knew then I wanted to bring women together to sing, and that’s when I decided last fall to start this choir.”

Pam Warren of Princeton is one member of the WWGC. She learned about the choir after Faber contacted the schools in which she had taught to see if any of the female staff would be interested in the choir. (Faber is a former music teacher for the Princeton Elementary School District, and Warren is a secretary for the district.)

The choir was geared for women who simply loved to sing, which described her well, Warren said.

At first, Warren said she did consider the challenge of a12-week time commitment, with nine Sunday afternoons of rehearsals and three Sunday performances. But the rehearsals are very spirit-filled, encouraging and inspiring, Warren said.

“Obviously, there is the wonderful message of the songs we sing, some of which are spirituals,” Warren said. “God is there at those rehearsals. The rehearsals aren’t a chore. I look forward to going. And I leave the rehearsals with such a sense of peace and joy. And that’s something we all need.”

Warren credited Celeste Faber for making the rehearsals what they are.

“Without a doubt, she is God’s instrument,” Warren said. “It is Celeste’s heart and her excitement for the music and her desire to want to serve and to be involved in spite of her illness that brings such an inspiration to us all.”

Another member of the choir, Stephanie Cartwright of rural LaMoille said the choir has been one of the best things she’s ever done for herself.

“It seems nowadays, with so many bad things happening in society and within our own personal lives, that we have a tendency to drop everything that matters and focus on avenues that aren’t healthy,” Cartwright said. “We forget our spirituality and lose some of ourselves in the process. Being in this choir, giving one’s praises to God and making beautiful music for others to enjoy, not only brings back some of that joy, it literally feeds my soul. I’ve been blessed to have become a part of this wonderful group of women, and I can’t wait for others to hear us.”

The choir is practicing hard under Faber’s direction and hopes the public will come to their performances in March, Cartwright said.

“No one puts more of her heart and soul into this collection of spirituals than Celeste,” Cartwright said. “She’s an inspiration to everyone on stage, motivating each and every one of us to work past what we ever thought we were capable of. It’s been an amazing journey, and I believe the audience will feel that emanate from us.”

Comment on this story at www.bcrnews.com.