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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Back in 1919, a good 22 years before the movie &#8220;How Green Was My Valley&#8221; gave people outside Wales an idea of the importance of choral singing in Welsh culture, a group of area residents formed the Orpheus Glee Club.</p><p>They were all men, all Welsh, and reportedly, all coal miners here in Northeatern Pennsylvania.</p><p>A century later members of the Orpheus Choral Society, as it is now known, are still raising their voices in harmony, and will celebrate their 100th anniversary with a free concert set for 3 p.m. May 19 at Firwood United Methodist Church.</p><p>&#8220;Fabulous,&#8221; director Michelle Tyburski praised the group &#8212; now coed, no longer entirely Welsh, and nary a coalminer among them &#8212; during a recent rehearsal as they came to the end of a hymn called &#8220;Majesty.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m getting chills up here listening to you.&#8221;</p><p>Some of the singers smiled at the praise; then they listened attentively to Tyburski&#8217;s directions for making the intricate harmonies sound even better.</p><p>&#8220;The music is just amazing,&#8221; said singer Joan Achhammer, of Sugar Notch. &#8220;The number one reason I like coming here is the variety of music. It&#8217;s an interesting combination of secular and religious. The group also has such good camaraderie.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;When you&#8217;re in the midst of all these voices, it&#8217;s such a wonderful feeling,&#8221; society president Bruce Evans, of Luzerne. &#8220;You don&#8217;t need drugs.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Coming here has taught me that I&#8217;m part of the whole, and being part of the whole is imporant,&#8221; said Helene Elko, of Larksville. &#8220;Every voice is important.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Besides, I just love to sing.&#8221;</p><p>Love for singing was evident as the group worked on music for its concert program, which Tyburski said will include contemporary, Broadway and patriotic numbers including a Salute to the Armed Forces as well as two Welsh tunes sung in English.</p><p>In its early days, long-time members said, the Orpheus Choral Society would have sung many songs in the Welsh language. Old scrapbooks, newspaper clippings and concert programs show the chorus used to perform at &#8220;Welsh Day&#8221; at the former San Souci Amusement Park in Hanover Township and in concert at the Irem Temple in downtown Wilkes-Barre.</p><p>The group also used to bring in guest soloists from the Metropolitan Opera and New York City Opera to perform locally, and welcomed women into their ranks in 1952.</p><p>&#8220;Cora Strouse was the first woman,&#8221; said Carol Wolosz, of Edwardsville, who has been singing with the society for 47 years. &#8220;She had a beautiful voice. I had the privilege of sitting next to her when I first joined.&#8221;</p><p>Sitting next to Wolosz during rehearsal last week was Joyce Jones, of West Pittston, who has been a member for 35 years. Behind them was Evans, the group president, who has been a member for more than 20 years.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;d love to have more people join,&#8221; Evans said. &#8220;We&#8217;ve tried recruiting at the local college dining halls &#8230; but people are so busy.&#8221;</p><p>For the 100th anniversary concert, Tyburski said, the group invited past members to return and sing with current members. About 20 responded, which doubled the size of the concert chorus.</p><p>The director said new singers are welcome to audition for the group, which practices on Tuesday evenings at Firwood United Methodist Church, with summers off plus January and February off.</p><p>Nowadays the occupations represented in the Orpheus Choral Society range from music teacher to nurse to college professor to hospital chaplain to retired state trooper and owner of a gardening center. They&#8217;re not quite as homogeneous as that group of coal miners who first gathered to sing in 1919.</p><p>But 100 years later, the more diverse group is still enjoying the thrill that only singing in harmony can bring. </p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Michele Tyburski directs the Orpheus Choral Society, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_op2_faa.jpg</photo0><caption0>Michele Tyburski directs the Orpheus Choral Society, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. </caption0><photoCredit0>Fred Adams | For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_singers2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Michele Tyburski directs the Orpheus Choral Society, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_singers2.jpg</photo1><caption1>Michele Tyburski directs the Orpheus Choral Society, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. </caption1><photoCredit1>Fred Adams | For Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_singers1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Members of the Orpheus Choral Society gather at Firwood United Methodist Church on Old River Road in Wilkes-Barre to rehearse for the May 19 concert. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_singers1.jpg</photo2><caption2>Members of the Orpheus Choral Society gather at Firwood United Methodist Church on Old River Road in Wilkes-Barre to rehearse for the May 19 concert. </caption2><photoCredit2>Fred Adams | For Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_singers3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption"> Susan Lauer provides the piano accompaniment as Michele Tyburski directs the Orpheus Choral Society. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_singers3.jpg</photo3><caption3> Susan Lauer provides the piano accompaniment as Michele Tyburski directs the Orpheus Choral Society. </caption3><photoCredit3>Fred Adams | For Times Leader </photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_singers4.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Joyce Lysiak jots down a direction on a musical number during a practice at the Firwood United Methodist Church. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_singers4.jpg</photo4><caption4>Joyce Lysiak jots down a direction on a musical number during a practice at the Firwood United Methodist Church. </caption4><photoCredit4>Fred Adams | For Times Leader </photoCredit4></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_singers5.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Richard Aston lends his voice to the Orpheus Choral Society, which is preparing for a 100th anniversary concert, set for 3 p.m. May 19 at Firwood United Methodist Church in Wilkes-Barre. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo5>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_singers5.jpg</photo5><caption5>Richard Aston lends his voice to the Orpheus Choral Society, which is preparing for a 100th anniversary concert, set for 3 p.m. May 19 at Firwood United Methodist Church in Wilkes-Barre. </caption5><photoCredit5>Fred Adams | For Times Leader </photoCredit5></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_singers6.jpg">
<div class="neCaption"> Old photos and news clippings reflect the 100-year history of the Orpheus Choral Society. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo6>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_singers6.jpg</photo6><caption6> Old photos and news clippings reflect the 100-year history of the Orpheus Choral Society. </caption6><photoCredit6>Fred Adams | For Times Leader </photoCredit6></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Concert set for May 19 at Firwood United Methodist Church</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Mary Therese Biebel</p><p>mbiebel@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>IF YOU GO</strong></p><p><strong>What:</strong> 100th anniversary concert</p><p><strong>Who:</strong> Orpheus Choral Society</p><p><strong>When:</strong> 3 p.m. May 19</p><p><strong>Where:</strong> Firwood United Methodist Church, 399 Old River Road, Wilkes-Barre</p><p><strong>Admission:</strong> Free, but donations will be accepted to support the society&#8217;s performances at area nursing homes</p></factboxMeta></div>

Orpheus Choral Society celebrates 100 years of harmony