Church Choir

Potomac Charge , will host the senior church choir of Ebenezer AME Church in Hagerstown. The choir will present The Dream Endures, a tribute to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. at 4 p.m. Sunday at Parkhead United Methodist Church fellowship building, U.S. 40 west of Hagerstown. Dinner will follow at 5 p.m.

St. John's Episcopal Church, 101 S. Prospect St., a choral evensong for the Feast of All Saints, will be held this Sunday at 5 p.m. The event, which also marks the 60th anniversary of the Cumberland Valley Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, will be presented by the church choir and conducted by Mark King. Laurel Ridge Christian Church, Big Cove Tannery, Pa., By Faith will be in concert this Sunday at 10 a.m.

Mrs. Rebecca L. Leatherman, 91, of Wolfsville, Md., entered peacefully into eternal life on Tuesday, March 12, 2013, at Meritus Medical Center near Hagerstown. Born May 30, 1921, near Middletown, Md., Rebecca was the daughter of the late George Edgar and Edna Irene Palmer Shank. Upon the passing of her parents, Rebecca resided in Hagerstown with her Uncle Leon and Aunt Eva Brandenburg Palmer and also Mr. and Mrs. William H. Brandenburg near Wolfsville. She was the wife of the late Carroll Charles Leatherman, who passed in May 1991.

Music has always meant so much to me To the editor: I will try to find the words to tell you what music means to me and how important it is in my life. I'm one of 13 children and all of us loved to sing. We grew up singing in our home with the piano (which four of my siblings played) and organ, even without musical background. We all sang in our church choir, in school plays and operettas, and one of my siblings directed a church choir for 35 years. Music has always been so much a part of our lives.

kimy@herald-mail.com When LeAnne Stoneberger takes the field at Oriole Park at Camden Yards tonight to sing the national anthem, she may have to struggle to keep her emotions in check, she said. Stoneberger, of Fairplay, said she's patriotic, and it would be easy to let the moving song take over, threatening her perfect pitch. "They (audience) might not be able to tell but I will," she said. Stoneberger, 28, sent the Orioles an audition tape last year and was chosen to sing at tonight's home game against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, she said.

katec@herald-mail.com Nancy Newkirk, an elementary school teacher, says she has loved to sing since she was a child. She sings in her church choir, at weddings, and for about five years, with the St. Patrick's Chorale. "It's one of the best experiences that I've ever been involved in," she says. "It's really cool. " St. Patrick's Chorale, a chorus of about 50 voices, will perform a concert, "Celebrating the Dreams of America," Saturday, May 25, 7 p.m. at Hagerstown Community College's Kepler Theater.

Aaron John Hoopengardner, 37, of Hancock, died Saturday, Feb. 2, 2013, at University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore, Md. Born April 10, 1975, in Cumberland, Md., he was the son of Alton B. Hoopengardner of Warfordsburg, Pa., and the late Alleene M. Frost Hoopengardner. He was a 1993 graduate of Southern Fulton High School, Warfordsburg, Pa., and Frostburg State University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1998. He was a self-employed computer consultant and operator of Hilltop Farms.

Mrs. Betty Jane Myers Heckman, 87, formerly of Greencastle, Pa., and more recently a resident of HCR Manor Care, Chambersburg, Pa., died Saturday afternoon, April 21, 2012, at the facility.  She was the wife of the late Richard McKnight Heckman, who preceded her in death Nov. 8, 2003. Born Oct. 9, 1924, in Greencastle, she was a daughter of the late Harvey Ralphard and Clara Belle Cosey Myers.   She graduated from Greencastle High School in 1942. Mrs. Heckman was a member of Broadfording Bible Brethren Church, Hagerstown, where she sang with the church choir.

AUG. 19, 1925-APRIL 6, 2011 Betty Hoffman Jamison, 85, formerly of Downsville Pike, Hagerstown, Md., died Wednesday, April 6, 2011, at Williamsport Retirement Center, Williamsport, Md. Born Aug. 19, 1925, in Williamsport, she was the daughter of the late County Commissioner Joseph McKinley and Anna Catherine Poffenberger Hoffman. She was a 1943 graduate of Williamsport High School. She was employed as a secretary at Cushwa Brick Plant from 1943 to 1947, until her marriage to the late Myron L. Bloom Jr., who died in 1960.

marlob@herald-mail.com Mike Smith may not have realized it Monday night, but he may represent the uncertain future of barbershop harmony. He was enthusiastic and talented, but the only newcomer to attend the visitors night for barbershop singers Monday night at Haven Lutheran Church. The scarcity of new members worries some of the veterans who have long been raising their voices in song, some for more than a half century. Smith, of Fayetteville, Pa., said he plans to join the ranks.

Mrs. Rebecca L. Leatherman, 91, of Wolfsville, Md., entered peacefully into eternal life on Tuesday, March 12, 2013, at Meritus Medical Center near Hagerstown. Born May 30, 1921, near Middletown, Md., Rebecca was the daughter of the late George Edgar and Edna Irene Palmer Shank. Upon the passing of her parents, Rebecca resided in Hagerstown with her Uncle Leon and Aunt Eva Brandenburg Palmer and also Mr. and Mrs. William H. Brandenburg near Wolfsville. She was the wife of the late Carroll Charles Leatherman, who passed in May 1991.

Aaron John Hoopengardner, 37, of Hancock, died Saturday, Feb. 2, 2013, at University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore, Md. Born April 10, 1975, in Cumberland, Md., he was the son of Alton B. Hoopengardner of Warfordsburg, Pa., and the late Alleene M. Frost Hoopengardner. He was a 1993 graduate of Southern Fulton High School, Warfordsburg, Pa., and Frostburg State University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1998. He was a self-employed computer consultant and operator of Hilltop Farms.

Mrs. Betty Jane Myers Heckman, 87, formerly of Greencastle, Pa., and more recently a resident of HCR Manor Care, Chambersburg, Pa., died Saturday afternoon, April 21, 2012, at the facility.  She was the wife of the late Richard McKnight Heckman, who preceded her in death Nov. 8, 2003. Born Oct. 9, 1924, in Greencastle, she was a daughter of the late Harvey Ralphard and Clara Belle Cosey Myers.   She graduated from Greencastle High School in 1942. Mrs. Heckman was a member of Broadfording Bible Brethren Church, Hagerstown, where she sang with the church choir.

Music has always meant so much to me To the editor: I will try to find the words to tell you what music means to me and how important it is in my life. I'm one of 13 children and all of us loved to sing. We grew up singing in our home with the piano (which four of my siblings played) and organ, even without musical background. We all sang in our church choir, in school plays and operettas, and one of my siblings directed a church choir for 35 years. Music has always been so much a part of our lives.

Potomac Charge , will host the senior church choir of Ebenezer AME Church in Hagerstown. The choir will present The Dream Endures, a tribute to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. at 4 p.m. Sunday at Parkhead United Methodist Church fellowship building, U.S. 40 west of Hagerstown. Dinner will follow at 5 p.m.

When a high school student recently entered my classroom softly singing “Joy to the World,” her pleasant countenance made me smile. There's something about fall that turns our hearts toward the home, the hearth and the holidays. Yes, it is only October, but holiday performances are right around the corner, and our high school choir is working on Christmas music. Weeks of preparation are needed so that everyone knows the words, the notes, the timing. Likewise, our church choir has been working on Christmas music for a few weeks now, too. Cantatas require a lot of practice, so we're doing what we can to prepare.

AUG. 19, 1925-APRIL 6, 2011 Betty Hoffman Jamison, 85, formerly of Downsville Pike, Hagerstown, Md., died Wednesday, April 6, 2011, at Williamsport Retirement Center, Williamsport, Md. Born Aug. 19, 1925, in Williamsport, she was the daughter of the late County Commissioner Joseph McKinley and Anna Catherine Poffenberger Hoffman. She was a 1943 graduate of Williamsport High School. She was employed as a secretary at Cushwa Brick Plant from 1943 to 1947, until her marriage to the late Myron L. Bloom Jr., who died in 1960.

Bundled in their winter coats and shivering from the December cold, members of Hagerstown Choral Arts streamed into Trinity Lutheran Church on a recent evening for rehearsal. Their weekend performance of Handel's "Messiah" was just days away and on this night it was about fine tuning. Clutching their scores, the singers did what comes naturally. First one voice, and then another, and soon the room was swelling with song so rich and strong it almost spilled outdoors. While the local choral group's performance will not approach the extremes that some productions have reached over the centuries, member Jack Myers is confident their rendition will leave a lasting impression on audiences.

Fourum's afternoon show at Girls Inc. might be the senior-center version of the British invasion. The United Kingdom-based quartet is booked for a 1 p.m. show Thursday, May 21, at Girls Inc., and will cater to older patrons who have been taking advantage of the Washington County Commission on Aging's senior-oriented programming there since September, organizers say. But the kind of nostalgia the guys are trying to evoke isn't that of the...