» Our Leadership and Choir Members
South Coast Singers is comprised of more than forty talented singers from all over Orange County. South Coast Singers perform both traditional and popular styles of music, including jazz, swing, Broadway, classical, gospel and rock, as well as an inspirational patriotic repertoire. Presenting "people-pleasing" music, the Singers offer quality programming in the "pops" style to enthusiastic audiences each season.
The group was founded in 1992 by Jonathan Jenkins, and was known as the Capistrano Chorale. At the time there were ten women singing two-part harmony, and the only performance was in the gym at Dana Point Recreation Center sandwiched in between the elementary school orchestra and dance recitals. Today our arrangements are often complex and can have eight-part harmony. We perform our own concert series in theaters and at churches like South Shores Church in Dana Point, where great performers like Rosemary Clooney have graced the stage.
In 2000 the Chorale became a California nonprofit performing arts 501(c)3 corporation and in January 2002 changed its name to South Coast Singers. The group is dedicated to fostering the musicianship of its members and to bringing education, enjoyment and cultural enrichment to the community. The South Coast Singers present a series of concerts throughout South Orange County twice yearly, in June and December, as well as additional special performances throughout the year.
Since 2002 the group has been under the leadership of Raymond P. Woods, a highly regarded choral director, educator and musician. Our concerts are well-received by our audience. "Joyful" and "awesome" are words repeated over and over by audience members. "The musicianship shown by this group is breathtaking," wrote one member of our audience. Each season we gain additional enthusiastic fans as we continue to bring our love of choral music to our community.
Community involvement is an ongoing goal of the South Coast Singers as we seek to share our love of music with the public. With support from our community as well as corporate sponsorships and grants we continue to pursue our goals. Past investments by Arts Orange County and the City of Laguna Niguel aided us in establishing our Community Outreach Program through which we present more musical programs in our local communities. An Advisory Board of local business representatives and individuals interested in the arts help guide us toward achieving our mission and outreach. We are proud to be members of Chorus America, Laguna Niguel Chamber of Commerce, and South Orange County Regional Chambers of Commerce.
Each May we participate in Soka University of America’s International Festival on the Green. In December we lend our voices to Christmas at the Mission, a celebration of the holidays at Mission San Juan Capistrano. In February we host Stars of Tomorrow, a vocal scholarship competition which also provides a high quality performance opportunity to talented vocalists attending high school in Orange County. And in 2006, we were selected to participate in Disneyland’s Candlelight Choir. These are just a handful of the community and civic events to which we contribute our talent.
The South Coast Singers are bound together by our love of music and our dedication to each other and to our director. We believe that this love and dedication are expressed in our performances. Our audiences come away from our concerts with a smile and a feeling of joy. Join us for our next series. Let us capture your heart with song.