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CC Singers name Scott Blakenbaker as new director

Director hopes to welcome in new members

By Kate Hayden | khayden@charlescitypress.com

Charles City Singers director Scott Blakenbaker. Contributed photo
Charles City Singers director Scott Blakenbaker. Contributed photo

The Charles City Singers have a new director to lead their next chapter.

After Scott Blakenbaker was named as the new director at the end of April, Blakenbaker spent his summer revising the choir’s music library and organizing his time with the volunteers.

“The way it had been set up in the past, the previous director had done almost everything imaginable,” Blakenbaker said. “They’ve changed the structure so some of the singers themselves are taking on some of the administrative duties. We’re getting our ducks in a row.”

The choir typically puts on two shows a year before going on a summer break, during which the director prepares for the next season. Most of the structure will likely stay the same this year, Blakenbaker said, although some of the music will sound a bit different.

“We’re doing a few songs they have performed in the past, and there will be some different things in terms of style,” Blakenbaker said. “I tend to be pretty eclectic in my taste. I think audiences appreciate a mix of different styles.”

Blakenbaker, who lives in Charles City, is the head of the music department at Riverland Community College in Austin, Minn., and said he’s never worked with a similar community choir.

“The first time I heard them I was pretty impressed,” Blakenbaker said. “I was going in really cautiously, being a volunteer choir in the middle of Iowa. ….there are some good voices and good musicians in here.”

Current members often talk about Floyd County residents they believe would be good members of the choir, he added.

“I would just love to see some new faces as we’re rebooting a little bit,” Blakenbaker said. “We’ll continue some of the traditions they already have, and hopefully we’ll expand our repertoire a little bit.”

Potential new members are encouraged to visit the group’s first rehearsal on Sept. 12 at 5:15 p.m. in the Charles City High School Choir room, where regular meetings take place once a week, Blakenbaker said. Tryouts of new members will follow Monday’s meeting.

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