Westside Unitarian Universalist Congregation is forming a non profit West Seattle based community choir they are calling The Earthrise Chamber Choir. It is so named after an historic event in 1968 when for the first time astronauts saw, beyond the moon an "earth rise." This became the name given to a photograph of the Earth taken by astronaut William Anders during the Apollo 8 mission.

The choir is auditioning new members of all voice categories for the 2012-2013 season during July and August. Membership requirements and expectations: a passion for vocal ensemble singing; a mind-set that promotes a spirit of success and confidence; the capacity to read music or to quickly and accurately learn music; a personal commitment to make the calendar a priority and come to rehearsals prepared to rehearse. Child care is available at rehearsals and concerts at no extra cost. Visit http://wsuu.org/earthrise_chamber_choir.php for more information.

Contact Bert Gulhaugen: music@wsuu.org or 206-851-3518.

From their website about the choir:

"Earthrise Chamber Choir performs choral works from the Western choral tradition that elucidate the human experience and celebrate life in all of its beauty and complexity. We believe that great choral music, masterfully performed, can inspire, educate, and rejuvenate the spirit.

Our Vision

• To explore universal themes of the human experience such as love, service, peace, community, freedom of thought, the connectivity of all living things, and respect for the inherent worth and dignity of all
• To perform choral music that challenges the intellect as well as the heart; music that is transformative as well as emotionally satisfying
• To present concerts that push the envelope of traditional choral music expectations
• To commission new choral works that underscore our values
• To become an influential choral ensemble, both in our community and the broader world of music
• Earthrise Chamber Choir is a nonprofit auditioned community choir that is a resident ensemble of Westside Unitarian Universalist Congregation. In addition to the support we receive from Westside UU, Earthrise members pay a small fee to participate and are expected to participate in fundraising projects.

Earthrise
1968 was a year that dramatically changed the world. Social and political tensions throughout the United States had not reached such extreme levels since the Civil War. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy were assassinated, the Vietnam War escalated, and war protests were ubiquitous and often violent. Worldwide, there were bombings in Europe, massacres in Vietnam, Yasir Arafat’s rise to prominence in a volatile Middle East, American passenger jets repeatedly hijacked to Cuba, and serious concerns about environmental damage. The Soviets flexed their Cold War muscles, as did the U.S., and for a while it seemed the entire world would implode in its own rage.

Then, in December of that year NASA launched Apollo 8, the first manned mission to orbit the moon. On Christmas Eve, while in lunar orbit, the capsule emerged from the dark side of the moon and saw a stunning sight--the Earth rising over the horizon; a beautiful, little blue ball floating in the vastness of space. Astronaut William Anders then reached for a camera and captured what is considered to be the most influential environmental photograph ever taken, and named it “Earthrise.”

The effect on Earth was stunning.

For the first time in human history we witnessed the inescapable revelation of our precious, delicate Earth floating alone in the vast universe and for a brief time our collective problems seemed less crucial.
Composers, visual artists, musicians, dancers, writers, actors, photographers, and artists of all kinds found validation for what they had been saying for centuries; that Art enlightens the human condition by teaching us that all living things are interconnected and that all we really have in the universe is one another, love, beauty, creativity, imagination, knowledge, and a unique capacity to attempt to comprehend the seemingly incomprehensible.

It is the hope of Earthrise Chamber Choir to nurture the spirit of the Earthrise."