Staff Writer

 Camille Saucier says there is something magical about seeing three generations of the same family singing together.

For the past 10 years, she has watched families come together to perform songs with inspiring messages to raise money for charity. Saucier, a music teacher from Saco, founded Voices in Harmony community choirs as a way to for her music students to practice together.

After the parents of her students said they wanted a chance to sing, Saucier created adult choirs for people of all abilities. Some participants sing in church choirs, while others haven’t sung since elementary school, she said.

Members of Voices in Harmony choirs – Little Voices, Children’s Choir and adult mixed – practice once a week through the summer at Thornton Academy in Saco. The choirs perform two concerts at the end of the season, and proceeds go to a variety of local charities.

Saucier said the non-auditioned choirs are an opportunity for people from all walks of life to create a community through music. The adult mixed choir includes teenagers who are able to learn from older singers, she said.

“It’s a great place to be because they’re getting some great role models. They’re singing with doctors, they’re singing with lawyers, they’re singing with beauty queens,” she said.

The adult choir has grown from a handful of people to about 65 singers, Saucier said. The second annual concert drew a standing room only crowd, a tradition that has continued since.

 “We had all these people crowded into the aisles to hear our concert,” Saucier said.

Saucier said the Little Voices Choir is always a favorite at concerts. The choir includes children ages 6 to 8. This year, they will sing the Beatles’ “Let it Be” during the concert, which includes a 17-minute medley of Beatles songs performed by all three choirs.

 “They’re always so darling. They’re so uninhibited and full of passion,” she said.

Christine Blake of Saco and her 10-year-old daughter Daisy have participated in Saucier’s choirs for years and find it to be a “positive and rewarding experience.” Blake said singing in the choir was good lung therapy for her following a pulmonary embolism. She said Daisy has “blossomed” under Saucier’s direction.

“With the group, Daisy has sung in many performances, including with the Portland Symphony Orchestra and the National Anthem at a Pirate’s (hockey) game,” she said. “I really encourage anyone who has an interest in connection with people through music to contact Camille. Camille’s groups are a great way to obtain singing instruction without the high cost of private lessons.”

Saucier said basic tuition for the choirs is $65, which pays for supplies, music and guest musicians. Her husband, Daryl, and volunteers Rose Pomerleau, Sue Hunt and Giselle Tardiff help run the website, rehearsals and shows.

Saucier, who has in the past traveled with her other choirs, is headed to Washington, D.C., this summer with the adult choir and her auditioned group, Saco Bay Jazz Ensemble. The group of 40 singers will perform on the National Mall and tour the White House and museums.

 As she prepares for the start of the 10th season, Saucier said she is thankful to the people who have shared their lives with her through music. Some members of the adult choir started singing with her as children and are role models for her own children.

Saucier said she hopes the groups will continue to inspire families to make music a bigger part of family life. In Russia, families sing together every night, she said.

“I’m hoping to bring a little of that to Saco, to make it OK for dad to sing with son and have a platform to do that,” she said.

For more information about Voices in Harmony, go to www.voicesinharmonychoirs.com.