Company choirs join voices to bring cheer

Most of the audience does not know they are listening to software engineers, production compliance specialists and gaming operations executives.

They're surprised when they find out, says Ron Brooks, vice president of gaming operations for International Game Technology.

The IGT Carolers, formed six years ago, sing only during the holiday season, and only for fun.

They're all volunteers, all IGT.And they come from all over the company.

"We provide Christmas cheer," says Brooks, the group's songleader,who is also a volunteer choir director for his church.

He leads a band of about 15 holiday-spirited IGT folks, including a few guitar players and one magician.And why do they do it? Why does a hard-working IGT facility specialist or hardware engineer come back to work after hours to launch into song with coworkers - some of whom have never been in a choir before? The answer lies in the holidays, says Brooks.'Tis the season to give.And volunteer groups within companies give in many ways, from adopting families in need, to delivering holiday meals to seniors, to writing large checks to the community's non-profits - to singing.

"Our original charter for the carolers was just to provide some holiday cheer," says Brooks.

A humble ambition.And this, he says, is still the group's goal and its only reason for being.

The carolers practice a few times in November and December and then get together for performances - a visit to the Veteran's Hospital, gigs at a few local hospitals and nursing homes, and then a hometown performance in the IGT cafeteria for co-workers.

"It's fun," says Brooks.

Plus, there's no pressure, no auditions.

And every IGT-er is welcome.

They come back year after year, he says.

Each year, the group expands its repertoire a bit.

This year, they're singing in five languages - English, Latin,Hebrew, Spanish and German.

And the reward intangible is in the caroling itself, says Brooks.

Holly Evers, business manager of Schultz Financial Group, Inc., a much smaller company - of 16 financial consultants, analysts and support team leads her co-workers in song, too.

"It brings us together," she says,"and we're doing something for the community."

The Schultz carolers are a one-gig group, she says.

They get together before the holidays for a series of 15-minute practices spread over two weeks, and then carol through the halls of the Veteran's Hospital.

Last year, she says, her group sang the classics; this year they're lightening it up a bit with renditions of Frosty and Rudolf.

And can they sing? "Well ..." says Evers, the group is all financial folks - numbers crunchers - as an industry, not known for their harmonics." But we're better this year than last year." Singing brings the team together, too, says Evers,whose background includes several years in New York as a professional actor.As a team-builder, singing works wonders, she adds.

Harmonizing on "Silent Night" translates into harmony on the job.

Some of the scientists at the Desert Research Institute sing, too, says Tom Bullard, an earth scientist at DRI.

A group used to get together during holiday parties."We sing, but nothing organized," adds Charles Whitaker, a DRI business manager.

Both men now sing actively outside of DRI - Whitaker in a barbershop quartet, and Bullard in the University of Nevada, Reno symphonic choir.

The world still awaits an official DRI caroling group.