MAUREEN NAUSS
Maureen Nauss knew what she wanted to do from the time she was very young: be a choir director. “I never wanted to be anything else,” she says. So, it’s fitting that Maureen, or Mo, as she likes to be called, is the new Herons Glen Chorus director.
Mo grew up in Lansing, Mich., where she still spends nine months of the year. She has one son, a professional musician living in Los Angeles. She followed one of her four sisters, Pauline Middleton and her husband, here to Herons Glen where she spends the months of January, February, and March.
She brings with her decades of experience both as a singer and director. Her first choral experience was at the age of 7, and she’s been singing ever since. Back in Michigan Mo sings in a professional choir, of which she is board chairman. Her mother, who just recently passed away, lived with Mo both here and in Michigan, and was one of its founding members years ago. Most of her directing experience comes from the middle school and high school choirs she directed for 35 years.
Mo, her mother, and Bertha, their St. Bernard, first came to Herons Glen several seasons ago, but last year was her first as a member of the Herons Glen Chorus. When former director David Muir broke the news, he would be leaving Herons Glen, Mo stepped forward the next day, not wanting to see the chorus flounder. She was enthusiastically accepted by the Chorus Board as director.
Mo says this is the first non-auditioned choir, what she calls a “y’all come” group, that she has directed. So, how is it different from her years leading teenagers? “It’s more fun,” she says. “Because I am one of you.” For this group, her goals are all about building community and having fun making music. And fun it is. As a member of the chorus, I can attest to the enthusiasm and focused fun she brings to the group. And along with the fun, we are learning to sing better as individuals and as a group.
Mo especially appreciates the contributions the various chorus members provide to her and the group. They’re involved on the Chorus Board, as section leaders, managing the Choir Genius website, organizing and distributing music, selling tickets, moving chairs, and numerous other tasks. “I’m just one player,” Mo says. “And I’m thrilled they’re allowing me to do this.” From practice to performance, the Herons Glen Chorus has always put the emphasis on a healthy sense of community. We may not be a professional group, but we are your neighbors and friends. This is YOUR chorus.
This season’s performance is Broadway Our Way, and it will be on March 28 at 7 p.m. in the ballroom. Maureen says she especially enjoys singing Broadway tunes because of the variety of music styles they provide. The show has been sold out each of the last three years, so be sure to get your tickets early, either from a chorus member or on one of the sale dates advertised in the HGRD weekly newsletter.
