SPOTLIGHT: CFC Arts Community Choir takes the wheel for “Road Trip: USA”

Have you ever been on a family road trip over summer vacation? Maybe as an adult doing all the driving, or as a kid asking, “Are we there yet?” and playing rounds of I Spy, or Punch Buggy if you had siblings?

The Central Florida Community Arts Choir is offering the classic road trip vibe without the gas prices or bickering from the back seat at this weekend’s show, “Road Trip: USA,” performed at Northland Church in Longwood.

Justin Muchoney is Executive Director of CFC Arts, and the conductor of the CFC Arts orchestra (in that role, he’s known for wearing Converse sneakers with his tux and for an enthusiastic, physical conducting style that looks a bit like he’s busting some moves). He said this program celebrates America’s 250th birthday by taking a musical journey from Broadway to country roads to New Orleans to Hollywood, examining the tapestry of America’s identity through its music.

Get your kicks on Route 66

CFC Arts

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Justin Muchoney

“It is going to feature over 300 singers on stage, a 45-piece orchestra, and a couple of actors taking you on a whirlwind musical tour from sea to shining sea across the country…the people, the places, the songs, and the music that have made America such a creative and joyous place,” said Muchoney, noting that CFC Arts boasts the largest community choir and community orchestra in the country.

He said a local author wrote a script for “Road Trip: USA” to make the concert a story-driven experience. “We have a recently retired couple who are both taking up the tasks you take up in retirement, gardening and hobbies around the house, and then they finally get up the courage to look at each other at some point and admit that they're both miserably bored and they'd like to go see this amazing country that we live in,” Muchoney said of the story. “And so they pack up the RV and they hit the road.”

As conductor of the CFC Arts orchestra, Muchoney often works on symphonic and instrumental productions. But he said it’s a special treat when the orchestra and the singers in the chorus perform together.

Community

“First and foremost, it's the people,” said Muchoney. “Everything we do at Central Florida Community Arts is about community. That's why it's in our name. We bring people together. We believe life is better when we get to experience these things together.”

So in the end, Muchoney said, there really is no place like home.

“Just this reminder that your community is powerful and talented and life is just a little bit better when you choose to do things together. Boy, if you can walk away from a concert feeling that, then we have done our job.”