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McConnell, Apollo Club to perform in Quincy
Dan McConnell grew up in Quincy as the son of a music teacher, and as such, music has always been a big part of his life.
However, McConnell saw his passion for singing come alive at a church retreat last year.
“There was a lot of singing going on,” he said. “I had so much fun with that, so I decided to seek out another place to sing.”
He talked to an old college friend named Skip Laney (McConnell and Laney were part of a choral group called ‘Choir Mafia’ at Wenatchee Valley College). Laney was a member of the Wenatchee Apollo Club, a men’s performing choral group located in Wenatchee that is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.
“We believe we are the longest performing male chorus in the Pacific Northwest and one of very few in the nation to have that longevity,” according to a statement on the club’s Web site.
McConnell went to the club last September, thinking he’d have to try out, but much to his surprise they simply asked him to join. It was as simple as that.
“I’m pretty excited,” he said about being in the 70-plus member club. “They like to push the boundaries of what I normally would do as a singer.”
The club will kick off its 2010 schedule with a performance at Quincy High School’s Performing Arts Center at 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 26.
In honor of the club’s anniversary, the group will perform songs from each of the decades the Apollo Club has been in existence, such as: ‘Alexander’s Rag Time Band,’ an up-tempo hit from 1911 penned by Irving Berlin; ‘There’s Nothing Like a Dame,’ a song from the 1949 Broadway musical ‘South Pacific;’ ‘Help Me Rhonda,’ a hit Beach Boys song from the 1965; and ‘You Raise Me Up,’ a popular inspirational song written by Rolf Lovland and Brendan Graham originally released in 2002.
In addition to those numbers, the group will do a variety of patriotic songs.
The funds from admission to Apollo Club concerts will go to pay for a variety of needs within the club and fund-raising for scholarships the club makes available for music students in the Central Washington region.
“When (my dad died in 2005), the family set up a music scholarship in his name for Quincy High School music students who planned to pursue music in college,” McConnell said. “Three recipients have benefited from the Charles McConnell Memorial Scholarship. Last year the recipient was Marcos Sanchez, who has a variety of vital musical experiences in his life.
“The funds for the scholarship have now been depleted, but there is still hope for future music students who require scholarship funds in order to attend a college in furtherance of a musical career, and that is through the Apollo Club.”
McConnell, of course, is looking to perform in front of a lot of familiar faces. He graduated from Quincy High School in 1966 and now lives in Cashmere.
“I’ve got a lot of friends from high school. Our class is pretty active,” he said. “Ed Field and the Rotary Club have been helping us to promote (the concert), and Ed was in my class. I’m calling a lot of my friends and asking them to come and support us.”
This won’t be the first time McConnell has performed in Quincy, though.
“I was in a rock and roll band in high school, and we came back and played for the class of 1965’s 20-year reunion dance,” he said. “That was a lot of fun. I’ve (been involved in music) all my life. When my family would travel around, there would always be singing in the car. We’d sing ‘Row, Row, Row Your Boat’ or something like that, and we’d break it into parts and go around.”
Because of that fact, McConnell is looking forward to being part of a musical group once again.
“I will be 62 this year, so this is not a new career for me or anything,” he said with a laugh. “But it’s a lot of fun.”
