Middletown Alto Fast-Tracked into May Festival Chorus
When Monica Wilson moved to Middletown, Ohio, on a Saturday in 1984, she knew she wanted to get involved in a local choir. What she didn’t know was how quickly that would come together for her.
After a long day of moving, Monica decided to start life in her new town by attending services at Middletown’s Church of the Ascension. Before she left the building that day, she was asked to attend the church choir’s next rehearsal on Wednesday, and she obliged. There, a tenor named Earl Jones asked her to join him the following Monday at the May Festival’s next rehearsal.
Monica had lived in Ohio for just a week when she first sang with the May Festival Chorus and May Festival Director of Choruses John Leman officially asked her to join their ranks.
It's a good thing she can sight read! Her first performance with the Chorus and CSO was the Beethoven Choral Fantasy just one week later, followed by a Pops concert at Jim Tarbell’s grand re-opening of Grammer’s Bavarian Restaurant.
This year marks Monica’s 30th complete year with the May Festival Chorus, and thankfully, her schedule has slowed a bit. She enjoys knitting with her friends at the Wooly Bully Yarn Co. in Springboro, as well as cooking, baking, and reading. Try out her favorite cookie recipe.
Crackle Top Peanut Butter Cookies
¾ c. margarine
¾ c. sugar
¾ c. brown sugar, packed
1 egg, slightly beaten
¾ c. peanut butter
1 t. vanilla
1¾ c. flour
½ t. baking soda
½ t. salt
Granulated sugar
Cream margarine and sugars. Blend in egg, peanut butter, and vanilla. Add flour, sifted with soda and salt; mix well. Chill 20-30 minutes. Form rounded teaspoons of dough into balls, roll in sugar, and place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375∘ for 10-12 minutes. Yields five dozen cookies.
Help us celebrate Monica’s milestone anniversary with the Chorus by listening to some of her favorite choral works on our Spotify channel, including Rachmaninoff’s All-Night Vigil, Britten’s War Requiem, and On the Transmigration of Souls by John Adams.