About 50 years ago, a group of music-loving folks came together to form the Penticton Tune-Agers.
The group consists of musicians and singers who want to get together, play music and sing. Tune-Ager Peggy Whitley said the group was started not only as a way to make music together but also to provide seniors with a social circle.
鈥淚t was a time when most seniors lived alone and there weren鈥檛 any 鈥榮enior residences鈥�,鈥� she said.
鈥淭his group was started as a way to get seniors together and it worked.鈥�
The choir and orchestra were supposed to celebrate its 50th anniversary with a spring concert titled 鈥�50 Years of Song鈥�; however, due to COVID-19 restrictions on gatherings and travel, they have had to postpone the in-person concert.
The group鈥檚 singers and musicians have been rehearsing online through Zoom calls, to keep the music going without risking anyone鈥檚 health.
Whitley said, right now, they鈥檙e keeping up with the Zoom rehearsals but they haven鈥檛 made other plans for a future concert, as too much is unknown.
鈥淭he Tune-Agers have been putting together concerts in Penticton a couple of times a year for a long time now and the spring concert this year would鈥檝e focused on our 50 years, but it just isn鈥檛 going to happen,鈥� she said.
鈥淚f things ease up, we might be able to have a concert. But looking at everything that鈥檚 happening with COVID-19, I don鈥檛 think we鈥檙e going to be putting on a concert. The Tune-Agers number about 50 people, and we can鈥檛 get together with that many people. It鈥檚 not safe right now.鈥�
In the meantime, the group recorded a number via Zoom, which . As for future 鈥榲irtual鈥� numbers such as this one, she said they鈥檒l be working on it.
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