Hudson Community Choruses expand to include the littlest singers
by Karen Nathan
Founded in 1988 as a community choir for adults, Hudson Community Choruses has seen interest from the community’s smallest singers to be part of something bigger, and children as young as 5 can now lift their voices together.
The Hudson Community Youth Chorus was formed in 2014 for singers in grades six through 12. As popularity and demand grew, the Hudson Community Children’s Chorus was born in 2015 to serve children from grades three through five.
Now, the group is undergoing another expansion with the addition of the Hudson Community Primary Chorus, a choir for children in kindergarten through second grade.
According to Eve Sliwinski, president of the HCC Board of Directors, Hudson Community Choruses is a group of Northeast Ohioans, with singers hailing from communities including Twinsburg, Northfield, Solon, Stow, Sagamore Hills and Bainbridge, in addition to Hudson.
Performances and practices take place at the First Congregational Church in Hudson. Additional holiday concerts are held at Akron First Methodist Church. The choruses also perform at the “Akron Festival of Trees” and Hudson’s “Caroling on the Green.”
Classical choral music is the primary repertoire, which includes spirituals, traditional choral and sacred music. This past spring, the choruses’ concert focused on mental health, with the children’s and youth choruses singing age-appropriate songs about feelings.
“Our emphasis is on a community of people who share a love of singing,” Sliwinski said.
The music all happens under the watchful eyes of the artistic team, accomplished musical directors in their own rights. Angie Andreatta has been with HCC for two years and is the director of the children’s and new primary choruses.
Originally from Texas, Andreatta, who lives in Northfield, has been teaching music at Rushwood Elementary School in Sagamore Hills for the past 11 years. Andreatta said she always loved working with kids. They “are fun and interesting,” she said. There are roughly 50 children in the children’s and primary choruses.
The littlest singers were easy to recruit because parents recognize when their children love music and singing, Andreatta noted.
Choir is an ideal outlet for younger students, as Andreatta said children shouldn’t begin voice lessons until they are at least 12. The voice is an “instrument that doesn’t develop enough until [then],” she said. “It’s important to take care of young voices. Chorus is the perfect opportunity for kids who love to sing.”
Andreatta said the children’s favorite songs involve movement and patterns; songs where they follow directions and Andreatta makes a game of it. Of the addition of the primary chorus, Andreatta said, “it’s important for [kids] to explore their singing voice and keep trying because singing is important for physical, mental and emotional well-being and singing talent can develop over time.”
Amy Livingston, of Sagamore Hills, has two daughters beginning their second season with the HCC choruses, Ava, who is a fifth-grader at Lee Eaton Intermediate School, and Ellie, who is a third-grader at Rushwood Elementary.
“Mrs. A [as the children call her] is fun and has a lot of good energy,” Livingston said. Both Ava and Ellie like getting dressed up and performing. Livingston said her girls have made a lot of friends and it has brought families together. “We have gone out of our way to do it, because it is so enjoyable,” she said.
Andreatta said she loves working with HCC. “This is vital for our community,” she said. “It’s a privilege to do this and be able to offer it to my Rushwood students.” Several Rushwood students are in the primary and children’s choruses.
“It’s even more rewarding when you get to make music with a group of kids who are all-in like you are,” Andreatta said.
For more information on joining the Hudson Community Choruses, visit hudsonsings.org.
Photo caption: The Children’s Chorus performs outside the Hudson Library as a preview of the spring 2026 concert. Photo submitted.