Rock Voices choir takes any Long Islander who can sing

Ready to graduate from karaoke to a bigger stage? Check out Rock Voices Long Island West — an adult choir that takes anyone. No audition required, no need to read music, just a desire to sing your heart out.

Many members say they haven’t performed in a choir since middle or high school, says choir director Nick Ambrosino, 62, of Nesconset. Others have never participated in one at all. The group — which has grown to 120 members — rehearses about a dozen pop and rock hits for 12 weeks before executing a 90-minute public performance dressed in black and accompanied by a live, four-piece band.

"We sold out an 800-seat house and had to turn people away," Ambrosino says of the most recent concert in January at Walt Whitman High School in Huntington Station.

NATIONWIDE GROUP

Rock Voices is a nationwide organization that started with one choir in Northampton, Massachusetts, in 2012, and now has 34 locations along the East Coast, says Nate Altimari, the group's director of growth and development. Long Island’s lone group launched with about 20 members in 2019 and has mushroomed each season since. Ambrosino says he is hoping to soon start a Rock Voices Long Island East that will rehearse and perform farther into Suffolk County. "Some of our members come from as far east as Setauket and Port Jefferson," he says of the Tuesday night rehearsals at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Plainview.

Members receive recordings of their parts so they can practice them by listening — the choir sings with harmonies, he says. Some members try out for solo roles. The choir has three seasons — fall, which runs from September to January, spring, which runs from February to May, and summer, which runs from the end of May to August. Sometimes a season is themed, such as "One Hit Wonders," or the music of Queen. Songs planned for the upcoming season, which starts this month, include "Teach Your Children" (Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young), "Stand By Me" (Ben E. King), "Black Water" (The Doobie Brothers) and more. 

LIKE LIFTING WEIGHTS

Ambrosino says he believes that anyone who has a voice can exercise that muscle and improve, just as weightlifters who start out with just 5 pounds progress toward being able to lift much more.

"It’s just a muscle," Ambrosino says of the voice. "Are you going to get a contract with a major studio? Probably not. But you can still sing and have fun."

Member Christopher Calvacca, 57, an auto mechanic from Bethpage, says he considered himself a karaoke singer when he joined. "Growing up, one thing I felt I couldn’t do was sing," he says. From the first rehearsal, he loved it, he says. "Our energy in the choir is just amazing," he says. "Some people don’t have the best voice, but we encourage them all the time. Once you start it’s just so much fun."

Members are warm and welcoming to newcomers, says member Elissa Cazassus, 59, a child psychologist from Commack. "I have made some of the best friends I ever had. To do that at my age is an amazing gift," she says. The choir also raises money for the community at its concerts, she says — she coordinated a raffle at the most recent performance that raised $3,700 for Kids Need More, an organization that helps children with cancer.

THINKING ABOUT JOINING?

New members can attend the first three sessions for free and then pay a $275 per concert season fee that Rock Voices considers "tuition," Ambrosino says. Each new member is paired with a veteran "ambassador" member to "hand-hold" them through their first season, he says.

So, the million-dollar question: Is the Rock Voices Long Island choir any good?

"Actually, they are. They really are," says Christine Calvacca, 54, who works in the mortgage industry and attended her husband’s recent show.

Supporting evidence: While most of the time performers like to hear an audience burst into applause after a musical piece, Ambrosino says he was thrilled when the choir was met with silence after one ballad at their most recent concert — "Shed A Little Light," by James Taylor.

"The silence at the end is the loudest applause you can get," Ambrosino says — indicating that the audience is so moved by the piece that there’s almost a prayerful feeling that nobody wants to interrupt. "You could hear a pin drop at the end of the piece. The audience was silent for at least 10 seconds. It was awesome."