Lindsey Esterdahl finds music inspirational, and she wants everyone to have the chance to sing. “I believe everyone should have the opportunity to make music,” said Esterdahl, who currently serves as the artistic director of the Dutch Fork Choral Society.
The Dutch Fork Choral Society is a community choir that welcomes singers of all skill levels. “We are a non-audition ensemble. That was part of the reason why I was so interested in working with them as someone who has been a music educator,” said Esterdahl, who taught an adaptive music class in high school for students in a self-contained autism class. “There shouldn’t be barriers to music. So, the fact that they don’t have an audition process, and that they’re not going to turn anybody away – I was really drawn to that.”
Esterdahl determines the repertoire of each concert. “My role is to decide on the music selections for the concerts. I typically set concerts around a central theme, then work in conjunction with the board for other decisions like the location of performances,” she explained. Esterdahl enjoys selecting music for concerts, while acknowledging that the process comes with challenges. “Selecting the music is probably one of the things that I love to do the most and is simultaneously the most difficult thing to do because there’s such a vast selection to choose from. I try to see what would be a great experience and meaningful for the singers in the ensemble and also for the audience.”
She also takes many factors, such as themes and composers, into consideration when selecting music for performances. “I consider the difficulty level of the repertoire, because you want to pick pieces that are within the range of the singers, while at the same time wanting to challenge them a little bit.”
For their spring concert, Esterdahl said she is focused on the theme of journey. “We did a set of seven pieces that were composed by Randall Thompson, all on poems written by Robert Frost. There is this idea of community, journey, and navigating life. It was fun to put it together.”
Esterdahl sang in the choir in high school, then majored in music education in college. She said she wasn’t sure if she wanted to teach when she graduated, so she worked managing a restaurant before deciding to pursue teaching. “I went back to school, finished my degree, and I taught high school choir for eight years,” said Esterdahl, noting that she got her master’s degree in music education during that time.
When she’s not with the Dutch Fork Coral Society, she enjoys going to local coffee shops and singing in a group called Limited Time Only. “It’s a group that’s based out of the Columbia area under the direction of Dr. Alicia Walker, who’s the director of choral studies at the University of South Carolina. It started about 10 years ago as a part of a recital she was putting on for a presentation, and it just sort of stayed,” said Esterdahl.
When asked about one of her favorite parts about the Dutch Fork Choral Society, she said its inclusiveness. “Our members range all the way from early their twenties to mid-eighties. And I think that that’s something really special –anyone who wants the opportunity to sing is welcome to join.”