AVALON – Voices rang once again from the Angelus Community Singers, a volunteer choral group that has joined local singers for over half a century, as they performed for the first time in three years as part of Avalon’s Veteran’s Day ceremony Nov. 11.
The group was once extremely active year-round at fundraisers, churches and festive events. But the group’s performances were put on pause by the Covid pandemic, a common motif across the county and the nation.
The Angelus Community Singers were founded in 1965 as part of the now-defunct Angelus Convalescent Home, which once stood tall on 314 East Pine near the Wildwood boardwalk. The center was largely run by nuns tasked with caring for those of advanced age as they prepared for death.
The choral group was founded to bring joy to the home and to spread the joy of music across the county.
The group lives on as a nonprofit, even though the Angelus Convalescent Home was demolished to make way for a parking lot.
Their mission remains the same: to spread joy during hardship. Their new director, Ruthann Waldie, said that the choral group does deeply important work as they perform.
“The thing that connects us all is music,” she said. “The world has gotten ever more difficult and challenging, and when you hear music, particularly Christmas music, that all goes away.”
They practiced over the summer at Middle Township High School in preparation for their return. The 42-person group is not associated with any one church, and you don’t have to be a Christian to join.
Their hard – always unpaid – work paid off. Nobody missed a note as the group sang the notoriously difficult American national anthem to a group of veterans and Avalon locals who came to honor veterans alive and dead.
The performance marked Waldie’s first time directing the group in a non-practice setting. Though she is new to the Singers, Waldie is a seasoned musical instructor. She founded and led the West Chester Community Chorus for over two decades before passing the baton to her husband George, who travels from Cape May County to West Chester several times a month.
Her family has owned a house in North Wildwood for nearly 100 years, but she now confidently calls herself a local after relocating to the county during the pandemic.
Her brother-in-law, Jim Waldie, was an active member of the chorus and a member of their board; Jim pushed Ruthann to take on the director’s helm before his death in February of 2022. “Covid changed a lot of things in our lives,” she said, “but I’m happy to be here.”
Some members, like Carl Wannen, have practiced and sung with the group for over a decade. “It’s great to be back,” he said after singing two patriotic tunes to the spirited crowd in Avalon.
During a time when many local groups struggle for membership, the chorus added eight new members ahead of their Veteran’s Day performance. Anne Wannen, another long-time member of the group, said that it is “exciting to meet new people” through the joy of singing.
Carol Bostrom, a singer who returned to the chorus after their extended absence, said that it is wonderful “just to have the chance to sing,” even if it “took a while” to find her voice again.
The group will perform the following free shows for the 2022 holiday season:
Sunday, December 4 @3 pm PAC Center Middle Township
Monday, December 5 @7:30 pm Cape May Methodist Church
Wednesday, December 7 @7:00pm Cape May Convention Center
Sunday December 11 @3pm St Paul’s Roman Catholic Church Stone Harbor
Have thoughts on the story? Are you an Angelus Singer? Email the author at chall@cmcherald.com or give him a call at 609-886-8600 ext. 156