Video: Hidden Treasures — Columbus Choral Society

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COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – From Elvis to Howlin’ Wolf, Northeast Mississippi has a long and rich music heritage. But it’s not just those famous names that give the region its musical treasures. The Columbus Choral Society shares quality music with the Golden Triangle.

For Alisa Toy, music is a way of life.

“I often tell people that the three greatest loves of my life are God, family and music. And music’s really, really close to the other two,” Toy, conductor of the choir, said.

And members of the Columbus Choral Society can agree.

“That’s why we give up the time to get together, because we love to sing. We love to make good music and we want to promote that in this area,” Toy said.

The group is now five years old and made up of music lovers from all different backgrounds. About 30 members meet once a week to sing and make music. There’s a strong cameraderie and bond among the musicians.

“We have so much fun in this rehearsal that often we do a little more laughing than we do singing sometimes,” said Toy.

“There’s a lot of talent here, you can learn off other people, and we put on a good show. Seeing the audiences reaction and seeing them get into the music and afterwards tell you they enjoyed it, that means a lot,” said choir member Stephen Maykowski.

The choir performs two concerts along with other smaller shows each year. With each song they share a diverse range of music that listeners might not hear otherwise.

“We have a lot of good art music in Columbus that needs to be showcased. We have wonderful genres of music that are in the south and they’re fabulous. But unfortunately we don’t get enough of this kind of music. Being a part of the Columbus Choral Society means that you can sing all different kinds of music from the earliest baroque renaissance music, all the way up to everything we do now, jazz, pop, you name it. It’s a lot of fun to have that variety and connect with other members of the community,” said Toy.

The Columbus Choral Society’s fall concert “Southern Waters” is this weekend. You can catch them Friday at Poindexter Hall on the MUW campus at 7:00 p.m. They’ll also be in West Point Sunday at First Christian Church at 3:00 p.m. Both performances are free. The society is always looking for and accepting new members. For more information visit, https://www.facebook.com/#!/ColumbusChoralSociety