Did you ever have something so wonderful in your life that you can’t help smiling? When I asked Maggie Cook, Director of the Fuquay-Varina Chorale, why she loves teaching and directing music, she beams. “It’s my calling,” she says, “a gift that has been given, one that took a long time to discover and to hone.” Through her gift, Maggie has touched numerous people with music. She explains that there is a relationship created when you teach or direct music. She sees joy on singers’ faces when they discover what they can do, and that joy feeds her soul.
Her love of music began as a child. She recalls watching and listening to her dad and her uncle who were both jazz pianists. Beginning in elementary school and throughout her school years she has always been part of a choir. In 4th grade, she took the role of the witch in Hansel and Gretel, which fed her interest in drama. It was then that she discovered applause, and she liked it.
After receiving her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from The University of Massachusetts, she couldn’t find a job. A friend asked her, “What do you really want to do?” Maggie really wanted to major in music. “What’s stopping you?” the friend asked. And nothing did stop her. She went on to get her music education degree at The Hart School of Music in West Hartford, Connecticut. And she loved it.
Her music career spanned 32 years and involved teaching music and drama both in elementary and high schools as well as involvement in community theater (she has been on the board of Stage Works Theatre and was costume coordinator for all of their shows). But in 2015, after 14 years as choral and theater director at Green Hope High School in Cary, NC, Maggie retired. It was a hard transition going 24/7 to just stopping, and she missed work.
Maggie married and eventually moved to Fuquay-Varina. Being in Fuquay-Varina, she became aware of plans to open the new Fuquay-Varina Arts Center. So she made a coffee date with Maureen Daly (Arts Director at the Fuquay-Varina Arts Center) and asked if she could be of some help there. Maureen suggested starting a program at the new Arts Center. After some thought, Maggie decided to start a chorale.
In 2018, in anticipation of the soon-to-be opened Arts Center, a call for singers went out, and a small room was set up at the recreation center. She didn’t know what kind of response there would be and ordered music just for women, thinking a dozen women might come. To her complete surprise, 36 singers came, and 8 of them were men. She was shocked. The group had to be moved to a larger room and then to the Falcon Hut. Finally, the pastor of Fuquay-Varina Baptist Church graciously opened his church fellowship hall to accommodate Chorale rehearsals, until March 2019 when the group found its permanent home at the new Fuquay-Varina Arts Center. The Chorale sang at the grand opening and has gone on to perform in concerts at the Arts Center, at special events such as the Balloon Festival in Fuquay-Varina, and at benefits for the Fuquay Emergency Food Pantry and FACES.
When COVID stay-at-home orders were issued in March 2020, the Arts Center closed for rehearsals. During that time, Maggie invited anyone who wanted to continue to sing, to sing in her backyard. Fifteen singers came, persisting through heat and thunderstorms, singing through the tough times. She called the group “The Fresh Air Singers.” The group sang from July through December 2020, singing at the town Christmas tree, performing with masks. “It was difficult, but we did it because we love what we do, and we wanted to keep singing,” she says.
Now that restrictions have been lifted, the Chorale is back together singing. After the COVID period, some members could not return. The group is hoping to add new singers during membership recruiting to get back to capacity of 55 voices. It will take a while to build momentum back up. Plans are for the Chorale to perform concerts as well as community outreach events this year.
Maggie selects music for the Chorale from a repertoire gathered from over 30 years of teaching music and has quite a list of successful pieces. She takes into consideration the voices she has, how those voices blend, and the abilities of those voices. She chooses a variety of music types—soft, loud, pensive, upbeat, fun—songs the singers will enjoy singing.
Singing in the Chorale is about the enjoyment of sharing music and making the audience love what you are doing. There is magic and synergy when people make music that you can’t get anywhere else. “Every person needs some kind of art in their life,” she says. “Playing an instrument is great, but when you sing, you are the instrument.”
Maggie feels passionate about the fact that the community needs this Chorale to listen to (or to sing in). “Coming back from a difficult year-and-a-half filled with so much sadness, medical issues and political unrest, the job of the Chorale is to help people hear and see good things. We have so much to be grateful for. Our job is to remind people that every human being has something to be grateful for.”
The Fuquay-Varina Choral meets Monday evenings at 7 p.m. in the Fuquay-Varina Arts Center and is always interested in accepting new members. There are no auditions and no requirements for being in this group; anyone can join. For questions or further information, e-mail Debbie Simerly at fvchorale2021@gmail.com.
Comments from Chorale Member Joy vanEk:
Maggie’s love and passion for music is contagious. She has a desire to reach out and bring people together through music, both in the Chorale and in the community. She is a teacher, and is keen to teach through music, not only the nuances of music but also life lessons like compassion, care and empathy for each other. Her diverse choices of music appeal to all ages and backgrounds. No matter what your experience, you will be challenged by the music and will find something that you love, whether it be traditional choral, spiritual, or Broadway music. I think all of us are inspired by Maggie. She has sparked in us a desire to share music. And the gift of music goes on beyond Monday night rehearsals.
