The Last Note Singers is a living, changing and shifting group. Yet, there are some foundations we could call our Philosophy. This is something that was written up by the group some years ago:

Joining laughter and singing to make music

Our story begins on January 3rd, 1978, in a Capitol Hill livingroom, where enthusiastic singers gathered together to harmonize. This the the first meeting of the Denver Free University class "Discover Singing Again" which carried on and the class evolved into the Last Note Singers. Our name derived from our unerring ability to find the last note of a song regardless of how well or poorly the rest of the tune was carried.

As the years rolled by, we met at different members' homes and sang, partied and made decisions together. Along the way, the consensus of the group was that we wanted to share our music with the public; thus we began performing at nursing homes. Over the years, little has changed in that we still love to perform, party and "hash" decisions out within the entire group.

As the group grew, the venues have broadened from nursing homes to include the Botanic Gardens, Denver Zoo, Georgetown Winter Festival, and many other events. With the group expanding, there arose a need for a musical director as well as an internal stucture to facilitate the conducting of group business. The group adopted a set of guidelines for this purpose. The Guidelines clarify the roles and responsibilities of members and officers alike. These guidelines provide the necessary internal structure for the group without stifling the group's personality.

From the rich tradition started by the original members, the Last Note Singers have maintained the values with which the group began. Although we strive for musical excellence, we balance that pursuit with an emphasis on social interaction.

Who can be a member?

Anyone with the interest, desire and commitment to sing is welcome, provided they posess the basic skills necessary to memorize and sing the music—the ability to match musical pitch is essential. We do not hold auditions to determine suitability of individual voices into the group.

A NOTE FROM CURRENT DIRECTOR, JILL DELAGE:
We've found over the years that the VAST majority of people are aware of whether they can sing or not! And this is why we've found Auditions are not necessary. We welcome all interested singers provided the above criteria are met. We hope the choir will be a great learning experience for those with little or no group-singing history, and a great outlet for those who have sung their whole lives in various organizations. We really do house a tremendous amount of vocal talent--but not everyone is a Solo-quality singer--that's what's nice about singing with a choir--power in numbers! Strong singers can help other singers to blossom.

While we remain a performance-driven choir, it seems a growing trend for some members to sing with us during rehearsals without the intention to perform with us for various reasons. As the current musical director, I don't see a problem with this, as long as the member isn't disruptive or not serious about singing the music, and provided we are aware of that intention, and not counting on that member for concerts. Some don't feel they have the ability to memorize the program, some have physical limitations that won't allow standing or singing through an entire concert, some may suffer stage fright, and some will simply be unavailable for the performance season. But whatever the reason, I'd like to think that we offer a unique opportunity for those individuals to include singing in their lives despite these circumstances.

Singing is a joy, and a healing power. I hate to deny that to any singer!