Choral singing is an experience that brings joy, laughter and friendship to our choir members.  For many, this experience is also shared with a family member.  About one fourth of the Binghamton Downtown singers are either currently singing with a family member, or have sung with one in the past. They are spouses (even some who met through the choir and married), parents and children, brothers and sisters, even aunts, uncles, nephews and nieces are included.

Three siblings from the Purdy family, Talitha, Diedre, and Caleb recently shared their thoughts on singing together: With a pretty big age gap between them, it's really nice to have something they can do together despite all the ways they're different. And additionally, carpooling and selling tickets is easier when you come from a large family!

Mother and son, Patti and Phillip Wolfe recount how they got started with the choir. Phillip  was heavily involved in music in high school at Owego Free Academy, which his mother Patti enjoyed tremendously because she didn’t have a choir in her tiny high school. After Phil and his brothers graduated, Patti missed the concerts deeply and decided the best way to remedy that was to learn to sing choral music herself. Phil and Patti joined the Downtown Singers for the 2021 Messiah concert (masks and all!). This concert let Phil reconnect with his love of singing years after leaving school, and now it’s a blessing for both of them to connect with each other every week.

As you enjoy our Glory and Light concert on Saturday June 7th, please take a look at our choir and see if you can spot any family resemblances!