Heart of America concert features TV theme songs
“Sunday, Monday, Happy Days.”
“One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Schlemiel! Schlimazel! Hasenpfeffer Incorporated.”
“Here’s the story of a lovely lady, who was bringing up three very lovely girls.”
“Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name.”
There’s something about television theme songs, particular those from the 1970s and 1980s, that makes them delightfully impossible to forget — or evict from your brain once they invade.
Eviction will be even more difficult for those who attend this weekend’s 10th anniversary Heart of America Men’s Chorus spring concert. Titled “Stay Tuned,” the show is a collection of television theme songs performed by the 30-member chorus.
The group formed in August of 2002 when a group of men got together with the goal of singing for their own enjoyment. The first group was made up of 16 men who put on its first concert at Christmas that year, donating proceeds to charity.
Ten years later, the chorus is known for its energetic, three-times-a-year shows: one in spring, one in summer and one at Christmas, when the group traditionally donates its proceeds. Its members are a cross section of singers — some who are active members of the local theater scene, others who are educators, businessmen and college students who just love to sing.
The spring concert is a bit different from most of the group’s past shows in that it mixes a few skits in with the musical numbers, said Eric Nachtigal, the president of the chorus.
The theme songs, which come from favorites such as “Happy Days,” “Laverne & Shirley,” “The Brady Bunch,” “Cheers,” “Rawhide” and “Bonanza,” are so much fun that audience members won’t be able to help but sing along.
“It’ll be a concert where people will laugh along the way and will want to sing with us along the way,” Nachtigal said. “They’ll recognize so many songs from when they were growing up. They just bring out fun memories.”
The group recently has been re-energized by the addition of its new artistic director, Deanne Zogleman, who also works as the director of music at Newman University. (The choir rehearses on campus every Tuesday night.)
The only girl in the group, Zogleman directed her first Heart of America concert at Christmas and already has given the group new life, Nachtigal said.
“We kind of fell in love right away,” he said. “She is terribly energetic and a great teacher who has a wonderful, vast knowledge of music. She takes us to a better place where we can perform better for our audience and hopefully build our audience.”
The group’s annual summer concert is scheduled for June 30 and July 1 and will be a look back at songs the chorus has performed through the past decade.
This story was originally published April 10, 2012 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Heart of America concert features TV theme songs."