2010 Robson Ranch Singers, back row: Jim Iten, Joe Paulsen, Bill Terrill, Dave Anderson, and Wally Waluk; middle row: Carol Iten, Jan Stocek, Jill Stettler, Janice Murphy, Sandy Kantrud (accompanist), Babs Barney; front row: Phyllis Davis (musical director), Sharon King, Anne Terrill, Sue Hart, Debby Harris, Diane Wiersema, Grace Synder
Marsha Oliver
With a charge from the Robson Ranch Singers’ Board in April to write an article describing the history of our group, I was directed to Sue Hart, the originator of the Robson Ranch Singers. It was such fun interviewing Sue and it’s amazing to realize how the Singers began and how much we’ve remained the same!
In 2009, Sue put out a message to Robson Ranch residents, asking if anyone would be interested in singing. Six people responded initially. The first meeting of singers gathered in Sue’s house and sang to a keyboard, which was sitting on the kitchen counter!
Six months later, Phyllis Davis assumed the role of director and the group pooled their resources of music and began practicing weekly.
By the end of 2009, the group had grown to 18 and they presented a concert in Phyllis’ home. With a maximum capacity of 40, they presented two performances—allowing their spouses and a limited number of guests to attend.
Sue credited then HOA Manager Betty Murphy with helping the group expand, when she allowed Sue to use the copy machine! By this time, the group had grown to 24 singers and Betty authorized the purchase of a Kawai piano and reserved one of the card rooms for the Singers’ use every Monday afternoon at 3 p.m. (We still rehearse at 3 p.m. on Monday afternoons!) She even let the group store their piano in a locked closet in the card room, and soon this closet also housed a file cabinet for choral and sheet music.
During this time, Sue wrote bylaws and the Robson Ranch Singers became chartered with the HOA. With so few members, they wore several hats. Sue did the publicity and served as treasurer, Phyllis remained the director, and Sandy Kantrud was the accompanist.
Their first official concert occurred in 2010. They performed to a sold–out audience in front of the big window in the dining room of the Ranch House. Two “guys” trucked the piano over from the card room closet. This continued with two concerts per year (two performances per concert) until the Hermosa Ballroom was built in 2013-14.
Having the Hermosa Ballroom was a huge step forward for the Singers! They were able to rehearse and perform their concerts there—and even store their piano off stage. As the group grew, so did their audiences. Following Phyllis’ time as director came Jacquie Fedie, Lisa Hunt, and now Laurie Laramie, director, and Beth Forbes, associate director.
Our membership stabilized at 45 to 55 and our concert schedule remains the same. Several years ago, we started renting risers and performing from the stage. Our audiences love being able to see us, and we love being able to see them! We sold out both nights of our last two shows, enabling more than 600 folks to enjoy live music at each show.
Those of us singing today are grateful to the handful of singers who started it all, and we can’t thank them enough!