JOIN THE CLUB: Lift your voice with Highland Lakes Men’s Chorus
The Highland Lakes Men’s Chorus sings in the Texas Capitol Rotunda on March 27 during the 89th legislative session. Staff photo by Suzanne Freeman
The Capitol Rotunda in downtown Austin reverberated on a March weekday with the deep baratone sound of “We’re the Men,” the opening number for almost every performance of the Highland Lakes Men’s Chorus. Director Garry Kesler chose it for its lyrics:
We’re the men of the chorus,
The composers all ignore us,
They don’t know we sound so glorious,
We’re the men of the chorus, we’re the men.”
“The biggest issue we have is that men’s music is just not being produced,” Kesler said. “Boy’s music is, but not stuff for men.”
The classically trained Kesler solves that problem by coming up with his own arrangements for songs he thinks the chorus will enjoy singing and audiences will love hearing. Currently, he is working on a lineup of Western songs to add to the group’s repertoire, which already includes holiday tunes, patriotic pieces, and Golden Oldies.
The 32 members of the Highland Lakes Men’s Chorus hope to increase their rolls to around 60, which is where they were before the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in 2020.
The chorus was formed in 1997 at The Church at Horseshoe Bay, where it still rehearses, although the group is not a part of the church.
“We have a lot of diversity in religious and political backgrounds, but those things are all dumped at the door,” said Michele Kesler, Garry’s wife and chorus organizer. “We have guys from Marble Falls, Burnet, Kingsland, Spicewood, Round Mountain, Horseshoe Bay, Sunrise Beach, all over the Highland Lakes.”
Some have been in the group for a decade or more. All are there because they love to sing.
“We are an entertainment organization, not professionals,” said Garry Kesler in his pitch for new members. “We have so much fun. We are showmen, and we love to perform.”
The camaraderie of the weekly rehearsals is also a draw.
“The fellowship of the group is tremendous,” said Johnny White, a longtime member and retired pastor. “We enjoy getting together and being together. The reality is being a part of a choir or a chorus is more about the rehearsal than the performance.”
White was the new pastor at The Church at Horseshoe Bay for only a month when he joined the chorus.
“For over 30 years, I had not felt like singing in a choir was the thing I would do, even though I grew up singing in a choir,” he said. “After the very first rehearsal, I was hitting myself on the forehead saying, ‘Why haven’t I been doing this all along?’ I loved it so much.”
The year was 2005. He’s still showing up.
“I think a lot of people who haven’t sung in a choir since childhood have let that part of their lives lapse,” he said. “It comes back very quickly. You get your chops back, so to speak.”
Members do not need formal training or even to know how to read music.
“The only requirement is they have to love to sing and they show up to rehearsals,” Garry Kesler said.
Rehearsals are from 3-4:30 p.m. every Monday. The first rehearsal for the 2025-26 show year is Sept. 8 at The Church at Horseshoe Bay, 600 Hi Ridge Road on Thanksgiving Mountain.
From the fall through the spring, the chorus entertains at assisted-living facilities, nursing homes, and senior centers. Public events include Veterans Day, Memorial Day, and the Fourth of July. The group also makesperiodic appearances at the Texas Capitol in Austin. Afterward, members head out for a barbecue lunch.
“I love singing, and they are a really good group of men,” said David Greene, who joined last year. “Garry is a really good director. He leads in a way that is easy to follow. There’s just a lot of camaraderie between the guys.”
The group sums it up in their final song of every set: “This is Why We Sing.”
Music builds a bridge, it can tear down a wall!
Music is a language, that can speak to one and all!
This is why we sing, why we lift our voice, why we stand as one in harmony!
This is why we sing, why we lift our voice, take my hand and sing with me!
This is why we sing, we sing, WE SING!
Ever the showman, Director Kesler turns to the audience on the last line to join in the singing.
“He goes into full voice,” Michele Kesler said. “The audience and the choir love it when he belts it out.”
Anyone interested in joining the Highland Lakes Men’s Chorus or scheduling a performance may email highlandlakeschorus@gmail.com. Or, just show up at one of the rehearsals!