The Pearl at Boulder Creek in Boulder is beloved for its packed schedule with activities for everyone, no matter their interests – from art classes and the gardening and gaming clubs to hiking expeditions, lectures and wine tastings. Yet the one enrichment the Pearl only recently added to the schedule is now bringing joy to the entire community: A resident-run choir.
“When we get together to sing, people are bubbling with excitement and interest,” said Cita Furlani, a Pearl resident who helped launch the choir with resident Patti Fields. “I can’t say enough about the support from the Pearl for making this happen.”
Fields agreed, noting, “I wanted this from the day I moved here, but the elements had to come together.” Fields figured a choir needed a director and accompanist, a place to rehearse and logistical guidance from the Pearl. Most of all, “we needed to find out if we had singers,” she said. “Would enough people be interested?”
The answer has been a resounding yes. After Fields heard Furlani’s “beautiful voice” at a Christmas carol event last winter, she recalled, she “hurried across the room to say, ‘Do you think you might be interested?’” The Pearl’s activity director engaged a local musician with a doctorate in musical arts, Dr. Lisa Harrington, to serve as both director and accompanist. “This was a dream for us,” said Fields. Furlani’s apartment soon became rehearsal headquarters.
The group first met in February, with Pearl staff members arriving at Furlani’s apartment early to shift furniture and provide extra chairs around the piano. Some residents, like Fields, who has sung with choruses most of her life, and Furlani, who sang professionally for decades in Washington, D.C., bring experience to the choir, while others simply enjoy singing and are eager to develop their skills. “We’re making music together, but we’re also drawing together people that might not otherwise have been drawn together,” said Fields. “It’s an opportunity to grow and learn and have a good time.”
The choir assembles on Tuesdays for about an hour, and Harrington has recorded the parts of each musical piece to help members practice during the week. The group plans to present a patriotic concert at the Pearl in June, and Broadway show tunes and a holiday concert are in the works. They are currently honing numbers such as “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “God Bless America,” as well as a U.S. Armed Forces medley.
The benefits of choir extend beyond the pleasure of singing with friends. “I’m more relaxed when we sing,” Furlani said. “We leave our problems at the doorstep.” Likewise, Fields noted that creating music is beneficial to the mind, body and brain, despite any health challenges choir members may be facing in their senior years. “Making music together creates a certain kind of camaraderie,” she said. “We’ve come to care about each other in just a short time.”
She added with a laugh, “It’s definitely an upper. I look forward to it each Tuesday in a big way.” Several new residents at the Pearl have already asked about joining, and families who have toured on Tuesdays and happened to spot the choir rehearsing have been mesmerized by the joie de vivre emanating from Furlani’s apartment.
“There is so much energy coming from that room, so much laughter and joy,” said Christian Shahmardian, senior living advisor at The Pearl. “It’s wonderful and contagious.”
This energy and joy from the residents make the Pearl feel like home. While the Pearl presents all the amenities one would expect from luxury senior living – including a chef-led restaurant, 24/7 fitness center, saltwater pool, theater, and, of course, the ever-expansive enrichment schedule, our “best asset is our residents,” Shahmardian said. “We are lucky to have some of the most incredible, interesting and genuinely thoughtful people here at the Pearl.”
Furlani said a welcoming spirit pervades every corner of the Pearl. “You could sit down in the dining room with anybody, and they’d happily welcome you,” she explained. “There are incredible people here, and with us being so close to the university, many have incredible back stories and things to share.”
For Fields, living at the Pearl has empowered her to choose how she wants to spend her days, including the agency to launch and help run the choir. “The goal is to have independence for as long as you can,” she said. “You know you’ll need some support, but you want to do life the way you want to do it, and the Pearl supports that.”
As for independence and agency, residents appreciate that the Pearl offers transportation throughout Boulder County, and the convenient location enables seniors to attend concerts and games at the University of Colorado just steps from their front door. Many residents love wandering the nearby Boulder Creek path to the vibrant restaurants and shopping up and down
Pearl Street.
The Pearl at Boulder Creek is part of the Dial Senior Living family and features independent and assisted senior living apartments in a high-end, resort-like setting. To schedule a tour or learn more, visit dialseniorliving.com and look for The Pearl under “find a community” or call 720.565.6844.
