Tierra Verde chorale outgrows church stage

ST. PETERSBURG

A holiday choral staple in Tierra Verde has outgrown its roots and is bringing its message of Christmas prophecy through song to a larger venue downtown.

The Second Time Around Island Singers, an offshoot of the renowned marching band, enters its sixth year of bringing together 70-plus singers from across the Tampa Bay area. But this year, instead of packing a crowded Island Chapel, the choir will perform Forever Gloria! in four- and eight-part harmonies at the Palladium.

"The other five years we did it at the church and people were saying we won't be in it because there's not enough space" said organizer Bill Findeison, who came up with the idea seven years ago. "They were packed out and the choir was being crushed and we couldn't get any bigger."

Cramming 200-plus onlookers into the chapel gave way to the 850-seat Palladium after Findeison looked into other options such as Eckerd College. The move allowed the continuation of an effort that involves singers from seven churches and the community.

The transition to a larger facility was also a welcome change to Dr. Mike Wetzel. Wetzel, the pastor of the Island Chapel, which Findeison attends, is also visual coordinator of the group.

"Our stage is not large enough to hold the amount of people who want to sing," Wetzel said. "It is a tremendous opportunity for us to get out to St. Pete and say 'hey, look at this, this has been something on Tierra Verde you haven't even heard about.' ''

To Wetzel and Findeison, it's also an opportunity for those who may have sung in choirs in years past to reconnect.

"We wanted to come up with something that allowed people to sing," Wetzel said. "Christmas for people who sang in choirs but no longer sing, that is the one time of year they really miss singing."

That's the case with Larry Roddam, a tenor in his first year singing in the cantata. The fan host for the Tampa Bay Rays found out about the chorale through a co-worker and leapt at the chance to get back into singing.

He moved here three years ago from Atlanta, where he sang with the Atlanta Boys Choir as a child. In college he was part of the Air Force Academy Chorale. Although he sang with a respected choral guild in Atlanta, this is his first foray in the Tampa Bay area. He committed to the six mandatory rehearsals and hasn't looked back.

"I've so missed singing," Roddam said. "I wanted to get back into it. This was a golden opportunity."