Song In Her Heart
Master Singers president celebrates choir’s diversity
By Jessica Laskey
November 2024
Laura Lofgren can’t stop lending her voice to the Sacramento Master Singers. As the group opens its 41st season, Lofgren sings alto and serves as board president.
Her relationship with the nonprofit choir dates from 1990, when Lofgren and husband John auditioned to sing. One year later, they joined the board, Laura as choral liaison and secretary, John as vice president.
“It’s not just a choir, it’s more like an extended family,” says Lofgren, who spent 37 years in education before retiring from the Twin Rivers Unified School District in June. “We all truly care for each other.”
Sacramento Master Singers incorporated in 1983 but operated under various names, including Camellia Concert Chorale. Ralph Hughes, one of the original 14 singers, continues as artistic director and conductor.
“I really appreciate working with Ralph,” Lofgren says. “He’s given us opportunities I wouldn’t have gotten in any other local choir. We’ve gotten to sing with Maria Guinand, Oscar Escalada, Moses Hogan, Alice Parker and so many other people.
“We’ve collaborated with other local arts groups, like Celebration Arts. We even went to Scotland and worked with Sir James MacMillan. Ralph is able to coordinate all these things, which has made for an amazing experience.”
The experiences are part of the group’s mission to expose singers and audience members to a variety of music, “from Gregorian chant to 21st century music and everything in between,” Lofgren says.
Over the decades, the group has performed in multiple venues—often churches—locally and around the world.
For the past several years, the annual holiday concert, “A Master Singers Christmas,” stages at three sites—First United Methodist on J Street, Fremont Presbyterian in East Sac and Harris Center at Folsom Lake College.
“We take a lot of notes to coordinate where to stand, who’s singing and where to go during the concert,” Lofgren says of shifting locations for the holiday concert. “All those nuances don’t just come naturally.”
Expert coordination is part of the professionalism required by the singers, who have performed in Hawaii, Seattle, South Carolina, Scotland, Vancouver, Venezuela and Eastern Europe.
The 41st season opens Dec. 14 at 11 a.m. with a children’s holiday concert, “Jingle All the Way.” The main holiday concert, “A Master Singers Christmas,” follows Dec. 14, 15, 22 and 23.
Spring brings “Romantasy! Songs of Romance and Fantasy,” March 15 and 16, with pieces such as Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer’s “Old Black Magic” and “Fantasy” as sung by Earth, Wind & Fire.
The local season ends May 17 and 18 with “Where the Light Begins,” featuring Jake Runestad’s “Becoming the Ocean.” A fitting metaphor as the singers prepare for a summer tour of England, Wales and Ireland.
“Thank you for letting me brag about Sacramento Master Singers,” Lofgren says. “It’s something very important to me and has been a huge part of our life.”
For information, visit mastersingers.org.
Jessica Laskey can be reached at jessrlaskey@gmail.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram: @insidesacramento.
