The
Sahib Shrine Chanters
by Milt Thoene, Chanters Facilitator (submitted in 2009)
To understand who the Chanters are we must go back in history, to 1971 when there were only 10 member Nobles and they were called the Vocalians. At this time they were members of Sarasota Shrine Club and were organized by Noble Harold Horn a former President of the Club. They met in a vacant store and charged 25¢ a week for dues. In 1973 they held meetings in Samoor Grotto, then to a new Sarasota Shrine Club building in 1975. They gave seven to eight concerts a year and raised many dollars for Shriners Hospitals for Children.
In 1981 the Sarasota Shrine Club became the Sahib Shriners. The Vocalians then became the Chanters Unit of Sahib Shrine and the first President was Noble Bill Allen 1981-82. In 1981 they grew to 25 voices under the direction of Noble Arthur Rohr. In 1982 they had their first concert as Chanters at the Samoan Club in Venice and received $1,200, which they turned over to the Transportation Fund of Sahib Shrine. That same year they received a float for parades with the help of Kinney/Johnson fabricators who also hauled the float for many years.
In 1983 Deacon Russell relinquished the president's office and became the Director which he held for many years. During the same year they sang at many concerts in the temple and in the community, as well as being a vital part of parades in Sarasota, Bradenton, and at many Imperial Sessions. As they grew in numbers they competed in many competitions against other Chanter Units, and as a result won several trophies over the years. This was the year that the Chanters took over the job of collecting papers in a trailer to raise funds to keep the unit viable and for the Shriners Hospitals. This was Deacon's pet project as well as being the Director. Noble Ray Mitchell became a very important part of the Chanters and led us to many awards and achievements over the years. It was this year that the Chanters sang the Arab Chants and Prayers at the Ceremonial Ritual.
In 1984 as the Chanters were making their mark in the state, so did their ladies. The ladies decided to organize a social gathering and as a result they called themselves the N’Chanters. They are still a morale-supporting group to the Chanters and travel with us throughout our season of song.
At our peak our membership rose to 49 in 1990. We, like many other units, have declined today but are presently reorganizing to make our unit interesting, enjoyable and available to the younger and newly made Shriners. We have done this by upgrading our repertoire of songs and by changing our rehearsals to Monday evenings at 7:00 PM November through March. This, we hope, will achieve our goals and allow the working Nobles to participate in our activities.
Though we are not able to provide our musical director/accompanist from within, this has not deterred our spirit or desire to continue. We have been indebted to Director Dr. Julie Rohr, who saw our plight and came to our rescue for many years. It is to Dr. Julie that we owe our very existence and to whom we will be eternally grateful. Dr. Julie is much respected, appreciated and loved by the Sahib Chanters.
Our motto has not changed, "We Sing That A Child May Walk".
For further information on the Chanters Unit of Sahib Shrine, please contact Noble Milt Thoene at 941-488-0466 (cell 401-378-8259) or mthoene@juno.com or Noble Roland Wilson at 941-727-1531.
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