A Fitting Tribute to Karen Carpenter

Do you ever find yourself thinking about Karen Carpenter? We’re not talking about the tabloid way she died or the ensuing jokes, but about her.

Man, what a voice. Sure, a lot of her songs fell into the bubble-gum/pop category, but most musicians and music critics still shake their heads, thinking about that voice .

So it just seems right that the first group to perform in the new Carpenter Performing Arts Center at Cal State Long Beach is the South Coast Chorale, a group that lives for song.

The performing arts center got its name after Karen’s brother and musical partner, Richard Carpenter, kicked in $1 million toward construction.

Getting a look at the 1,250-seat, brand-spanking-new theater might be worth the cost of admission. It has an enormous neon chandelier. (That’s right, neon.) It still smells new. The lobby bar is one big angle--about 6 feet wide at one end, 3 feet at the other--and the entire place is decorated in shades of purple. Now there’s a party.

Bob Phibbs, director of the South Coast Chorale, assures us there are no bad seats. He also mentions that the stage is huge, and he sounds just the teeniest bit nervous, as if the magnitude of the place, or the memory of Karen Carpenter’s voice, will swallow his 30-person choir.

No, they won’t be singing “We’ve Only Just Begun.” For this holiday concert, the chorale has a song list that is nothing if not eclectic.

When the chorale hits the stage, they begin with a Nigerian carol sung in the Yoruba dialect, accompanied by conga and bongos. Next up is the more recognizable “Ave Maria,” then a traditional Hanukkah song called “Hineymahtov.” (You don’t have to worry about pronouncing these songs, you just have to listen.)

And just in case you thought this group was stuffy, they’re also including the song “What’s This?” from Tim Burton’s “Nightmare Before Christmas.”

Actually, stuffy would be exactly the wrong way to think of this group. The very name of their holiday concert is an inside joke. A member of GALA, the international association of gay and lesbian choruses, the chorale chose to call its holiday concert “Don We Now. . .”

Bob Phibbs likes this joke. He laughs again, just in the telling.

“Don We Now. . .” will play Dec. 19 at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center, 6200 Atherton St., Long Beach. The chorale takes the stage about 4 p.m. The $15 seats are sold out, but $12 tickets are still available. Information: 985-5526.