SlidellSINGS! Inaugural Performance 3/29/25

(written by Sara Pagones and published on NOLA.com for the Advocate/Times Picayune)

It began as a conversation with musically inclined friends sitting around a table at a wedding reception. The conversation turned to the wealth of vocal talent in the Slidell area, and the concept was born. “Let’s just get together and just sing,” Lisotta recalled.

Lisotta said she wanted to keep it simple — no solos, no juggling schedules to accommodate singers or weeks of rehearsal. She talked it over with friends. “We decided four songs, a quick concert, and then go off to do your thing on a Saturday. We chose songs that were familiar," she said.

Lisotta, the theater director at Our Lady of Lourdes and music director for the monthly Special Needs Mass, enlisted three other directors — Theresa Sharp-Jones, who directs choir at Northshore High School; Jennifer Baptiste, who helps direct at her church and is a Slidell Little Theatre board member; and Melanie St. Cyr, choir director at Slidell High. She also secured the services of accompanist Carol Cline.

Lisotta was geared up and ready as participants began arriving on the final Saturday in March, and she checked off the list of those who had preregistered. “I’m a little nervous,” one singer confided upon entering the lobby. “We all are,” Lisotta replied.

As the group assembled, Lisotta reassured the singers. “We know Slidell has a ton of talent,” she assured them. “We just wanted to get everybody together and sing, because that’s community."

Then the marathon rehearsal began, with the group sight-reading each song: a medley of “The Age of Aquarius” and “Let the Sun Shine,” “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing.” Then the choir spent an hour working on each selection with the individual directors.

By the time 5 p.m. rolled around and the doors to the auditorium opened, the 32 singers were the community that Lisotta had envisioned.

Participants were drawn to the event for a variety of reasons.

“I thought it would be fun,” said Rickie Malasovich, who has sung in a band and in a number of theatrical productions, but not a choir. “I thought I’d give it a try,” he said, adding what he tells young theater performers, “They can’t eat you.”

Hayden Patzer, a medical assistant, said he loves to sing, but since graduating from high school in 2022, his singing has mainly been confined to the car. “I was hesitant; it’s been a minute,” he said. But he was excited to sing under St. Cyr, who was his choir director at Slidell High. “I’m glad I did it. I’ve always loved music and being part of a group,” he said.

Kaya Elbaz Welsh, a voice student who’s been in numerous musicals, said she was drawn by the opportunity to work under four different choir directors. “It’s a good opportunity to grow. As a singer, you can always learn more, and it’s nice to be with others who do what I like to do.”

For Lisa Meredith, the prospect of a choir close to home was a plus. “I saw it as a post on Facebook and got really excited because we don’t have a community choir here,” she said.

That might be about to change.

“I want to continue to build community through singing, so I hope to continue to plan single events like this first one,” Lisotta said. “It will involve fewer rehearsals, open to everyone, with different styles to suit different people.”

She’s considering an event for children that would feature Disney songs and the possibility of a “Messiah” singalong before Christmas among other ideas.

“This model isn’t meant to create perfect music and award-winning performances,” she said. “It’s about sharing the joy of singing with others.”