A choir that grew out of a retired forester’s passion for music will make its third annual spring appearance in Jasper next weekend.

“I like it,” is Bob Udell’s simple answer for why he devotes much of his energy in retirement to the Foothills Male Chorus.

Music has always been a part of Udell’s life. He studied piano as a youth and for several years played coronet in a Salvation Army band and sang in several choirs.

“We had a quartet in Hinton, but disbanded several years ago,” Udell recalled. He missed the experience and wondered if there was enough interest to form a choir.

“I asked around and circulated a notice through church bulletins and 20 guys showed up,” he said, his voice “a bit croaky” on a Monday morning from  four hours of singing.

“We were at the Lutheran Church for an hour and then at the Rotary Arts Festival and followed that with a two-hour practice.”

The Foothills Male Chorus presents its third annual Spring concert series in Jasper next Saturday at St Mary and St George Anglican Church. The concert will begin at 7 p.m

The Chorus will be joined this year by Edmonton’s Tenor Power as well as the Blue Diamond Quintet.  In addition, the Chorus’s own Pathfinder Quartet and Pilgrims Octet will present some numbers. 

The Chorus and  guests will present a broad spectrum of musical genres including folk, classical, gospel, traditional and popular songs.

Founded and directed by Udell, the 28-member choir is widely known for the quality of its singing and repertoire. They appeared as guest artists in the Men Making Music Concert at the Winspear Centre in Edmonton in March 2007. The choir is accompanied by Dolores Logan, who brings a lifetime of experience as an accompanist and piano teacher.