MEMBER SPOTLIGHT!

HOLIDAY 2022 MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Janis Rehak – Soprano 1, Member since 2018

Shining a light on our friends and fellow singers
Interviewer: Marguerite LeBron

Speaking with Janis Rehak, the effervescent Soprano 1 singer, you would be surprised to learn that this vivacious, accomplished woman describes herself as “shy”! Therefore, it was gratifying to learn that her initial impressions and experiences of Oratorio Society of Queens were based on the friendliness and helpful impulses of the OSQ members she met at rehearsals who were so welcoming and supportive. Janis explains her feelings for OSQ this way,

“I love OSQ so much! Everyone has been so friendly and helpful, really welcoming. Among the people I met when I joined the chorus in 2018 was Irene Junge. She’s terrific and has become a real friend. And our conductor, David Close, he is just the best! I love the way he conducts – he whips us into shape. I especially like that this is a community chorus. There’s no competition to outdo another choir or chorus. We’re just here to sing. The idea of community permeates OSQ on many levels. There is the community within the chorus itself – we are a community of singers. But we are also part of the larger Queens community and we have something to offer that community too. As a community chorus, OSQ brings our friendliness and our talent to every one of our performances.”

Q. What is your earliest memory of music? How has music influenced your life?

A. “Music is so much a part of me, I just wouldn’t be anything without it. I was a premature baby and was partially sighted from an early age. When I was three years old my mother gave me a toy piano and a xylophone. According to my mother, I immediately began to play “Yellow Bird”. As a young person my mother attended a special program at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, and later became a piano teacher and a teacher in the New York City school system. I took piano lessons from five years old until I went away to college. At the age of nine I learned to play guitar. Later I studied Theory and Piano at the Lighthouse Music School. As a college student at C.W. Post, Long Island University I majored in Sociology because I wanted to be a social worker, but I minored in Psychology and Music, and eventually became a Psychiatric Social Worker.

When I was in 6 th grade, I had my first solo as a member of the elementary school glee club. From then on, I just kept singing in choruses, throughout high school and college, and even when I was in graduate school at the Fordham University campus near Lincoln Center. In my early twenties, I joined the New York Choral Society, where Robert De Cormier was Music Director and Conductor. I sang with them for 44 years. One of the highlights of my time with the New York Choral Society was when we performed special concerts with the folk music group, Peter, Paul and Mary. We also sang with the Metropolitan Opera and appeared on PBS with them. Other memorable events included singing with Harry Belafonte, Pete Seeger, and several other well-known performers. It was a very exciting time. Naturally, New York Choral Society also presented the great classical masterpieces. During this same time period, I sang as a soprano soloist with the Long Island Choral Society. I enjoyed performing and touring Europe with this ensemble. We sang in Holland, France, Germany, and Austria. Another fun experience was playing my guitar and singing in coffee houses around the metropolitan area.

Music has always been there for me, through good times and difficult times. It was with me during my battle with cancer, and the loss of loved ones, especially the loss of my brother Mark at age 29. Music has brought me happiness and peace when I felt sad or alone.”

Q. In your OSQ Bio/Profile you list music, baseball, and Trivia among the things you love. Please tell us more about your interests.

A. “Two strong memories that I have are of my brother Mark collecting baseball cards but more important, and more fun, is my memory of our Dad taking my brother and me to baseball games when we were kids. Based on these early experiences I formulated a plan in the 1990s to attend a ballgame at every major league ballpark in the country. There are thirty of them and I only have five left. When I worked at Lincoln Hospital in the South Bronx, I was one subway stop away from Yankee Stadium. On Friday nights after work, I would go to the stadium and cheer for the home team. That was fun!”

Q. Didn’t Trivia play a part in meeting your husband?

A. “Absolutely! Trivia has been a source of interest and pleasure for me for a long time. In 2012, I started attending a Senior Center in Manhattan at W. 23rd Street which is run by an agency called Vision Services for the Blind. This location is the first senior center in the entire country to offer programs specifically for the blind and visually impaired. This is where, in 2013, I met Michael. We attended many programs together and our relationship grew, and finally, in 2016, we were married. As time went by, I became a volunteer at the center, and they requested that I run a couple groups. As a psychiatric social worker I was accustomed to working with groups, so I agreed and began writing Trivia and Music questions to be used in the groups. People had a lot of fun with these questions and just talking and laughing about these topics. To this day, I still do the music and trivia groups for the center, but since the pandemic we do them by phone. My husband Michael and I also belong to a Trivial Pursuit Club. We get together with the club members and play every few months. These folks attend and love our OSQ concerts! Additionally I want to mention that I love traveling, and I have been almost everywhere in the world. In 2014 I even went to Australia. Learning about different cultures and different languages is fascinating. It has been an extraordinary adventure and I love it.”

Q. Dealing with the pandemic for the last 2 ½ years has affected all of our lives in so many ways. What obstacles did Covid put in your way and how did you overcome them?

A. “During Covid people stayed away from me. No one would help me cross the street or let me take their arm, not even our neighbors. Leading music and trivia groups for the senior center over the phone helped to lift my spirits. Technology has been a great aid too. I have a screen reader for my computer and that is a tremendous asset, especially since I became totally blind in 2008. The fact is, I’ve been memorizing music for years! Luckily, I have perfect pitch and that helps a lot. In addition, my tape recorder is a great tool. I bring it with me to our rehearsals and it helps me to learn new and unfamiliar music. The recordings also assist me when I practice at home. Talking books were of great benefit during school and college, and even now I still enjoy listening to audio books. When my husband and I first started dating he began to teach me Braille, but I was reluctant to learn. He asked why? So I confided that I thought he might become impatient with me. Michael replied, ‘Well, it’s not like I’m teaching you to drive a car!’. With his patience and persistence I did learn to read Braille.”

Q. When did you first come to OSQ and how did you hear about us? What keeps you coming back?

A. “Well, in 2018 I decided to leave the New York Choral Society because I wanted to find a chorus that was closer to home; one that didn’t require lengthy travel time, so that I could spend more time with Michael. I reached out to my friends to suggest a chorus in Queens. OSQ received the highest recommendations from everyone. They praised the friendly, welcoming atmosphere of the chorus, the joy-filled rehearsals under the direction of Maestro Close, and the outstanding choice of musical repertoire for concerts and videos. I am so glad that I made the switch and joined OSQ.”

Q. What hopes and dreams do you have for the future of OSQ? Would you like to share any insights or advice with your fellow singers?

A. “My hope is that OSQ will continue to be the kind, friendly, and welcoming organization that I love, and that it will thrive and grow. OSQ should maintain and expand its outreach into the Queens community. To my fellow singers I would say that it’s important to practice at home, to pay attention to the conductor, and most of all, let’s enjoy this special time we spend together!”