Choral Guild of Atlanta

Saturday, August 11, 2012

The Choral Guild of Atlanta is one of the city’s oldest choral groups. Originally founded in 1939 by Haskell Boyter, the 30 member community chorus is starting its 73rd season. The Choral Guild is directed in recent years by Clair Maxwell. Maxwell and his 30 singers rehearse at St. Luke’s Presbyterian Church in Dunwoody. I photographed their rehearsal on Saturday for a Three of a Kind photo feature for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Clair Maxwell (center), conductor of the Choral Guild of Atlanta, leads his singers in warm up and stretching exercises before rehearsal at St. Luke’s Presbyterian Church in Dunwoody on Saturday, August 11, 2012.

 

Marie Juchelka (left) is massaged by Dodie Atkins who is massaged by Helen Truslow as they warm up and stretch for a Choral Guild of Atlanta rehearsal at St. Luke’s Presbyterian Church in Dunwoody on Saturday, August 11, 2012.

 

Wooyoung Choi plays the piano as singers from the Choral Guild of Atlanta rehearse at St. Luke’s Presbyterian Church in Dunwoody on Saturday, August 11, 2012. Originally founded in 1939 by Haskell Boyter, the 30 member community chorus is starting its 73rd season.

 

In music theory, the major scale or Ionian scale is one of the diatonic scales. It is made up of seven distinct notes, plus an eighth which duplicates the first an octave higher. In solfege these notes correspond to the syllables “Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Ti, (Do)”, with the “Do” in the parenthesis at the end being the octave of the tonic starting pitch.

 

Steve Stern (left), George Taylor and Jerry Juchelka rehearse with the Choral Guild of Atlanta at St. Luke’s Presbyterian Church in Dunwoody on Saturday, August 11, 2012.

 

Karin Stern (center) sings an excerpt from “Come Ye Song of Art” during rehearsal for the Choral Guild of Atlanta at St. Luke’s Presbyterian Church in Dunwoody on Saturday, August 11, 2012.

 

Gail Frankle sings an excerpt from “Come Ye Song of Art” during rehearsal for the Choral Guild of Atlanta at St. Luke’s Presbyterian Church in Dunwoody on Saturday, August 11, 2012.

 

Jerry Juchelka sings with the Choral Guild of Atlanta during rehearsal at St. Luke’s Presbyterian Church in Dunwoody on Saturday, August 11, 2012.

 

Clair Maxwell conducts the Choral Guild of Atlanta during rehearsal as Wooyoung Choi plays the piano as accompaniment at St. Luke’s Presbyterian Church in Dunwoody on Saturday, August 11, 2012.

 

Steve Stern sight reads a piece of music during rehearsal for the Choral Guild of Atlanta at St. Luke’s Presbyterian Church in Dunwoody on Saturday, August 11, 2012.

 

Jean Nash (right) sings with the Choral Guild of Atlanta during rehearsal at St. Luke’s Presbyterian Church in Dunwoody on Saturday, August 11, 2012.

 

Claire Hayes makes notes in her sheet music during rehearsal for the Choral Guild of Atlanta at St. Luke’s Presbyterian Church in Dunwoody on Saturday, August 11, 2012.

 

Clair Maxwell conducts the Choral Guild of Atlanta during rehearsal at St. Luke’s Presbyterian Church in Dunwoody on Saturday, August 11, 2012.

 

Jerry Juchelka (center) plays the glockenspiel with the Choral Guild of Atlanta during rehearsal at St. Luke’s Presbyterian Church in Dunwoody on Saturday, August 11, 2012.

 

Steve Stern (right), Karin Stern and Claire Hayes sing during rehearsal for the Choral Guild of Atlanta at St. Luke’s Presbyterian Church in Dunwoody on Saturday, August 11, 2012.