The Aberdeen Area Men’s Chorus has been around in various iterations for over 90 years. Up until 1999, the group was known as the Elk’s Chorus.
There are currently around 30 active members from Ipswich, Huron, Faulkton, Mansfield, Northville, Redfield, and Warner; having members from the surrounding areas is one of the reasons for the group’s name change.
Practices are held at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church for around an hour each Monday night. Prior to that, practices were held at the Ward Hotel. They practice from Labor Day until their May concert, taking summers off in between sessions.
During each choir season, the group works on about 15 songs for the concert. In addition to those songs, some members will perform solos as well as small group and instrumental numbers. Clark Lunstrum has been the choir’s director since 1990, back when it was still the Elk’s Chorus. The sole female member, Missy Ngyuen, has been their accompanying pianist since 2003.
“The members come from all walks of life,” Lunstrum said. “There are farmers, doctors, teachers, and a lot of retired guys.”
Lunstrum said that their youngest member is 37 years old, and their oldest is 87, but men of all ages are welcome to join the group.
“The only thing required to join is a desire to sing,” longtime member Wes Elliott said.
Anyone interested can contact any member of the group, or they can stop by during one of their Monday night practices for more information.
The members all have one thing in common – their love of music.
“It’s something you can do your whole life, well into your adulthood,” Lunstrum said. “It also runs in families. There have been a lot of brothers and father and son pairs over the years.”//
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