About Us

The Space Park Singers are a four-section chorale – Soprano, Alto, Tenor, and Bass (SATB) for NGC employees, retirees, family & friends. Chorale Club was started in 1968 at TRW with the first ever Spring concert titled "I Hear America Singing" followed by a Winter concert "Christmas Carols". We come from all kinds of musical backgrounds; a novice singer will get support from more experienced singers. You do NOT have to audition in order to join the Chorale.

We presents two major concerts per year: Spring to sing love songs, jazz standards, musicals, Broadways, Pop/Rock; and Winter to spread holiday cheers: Christmas favorites, Hanukkah songs, fun Winter medleys. Admission is free but donations are welcomed. During our concerts' intermission, Solos or Special Group performances by Chorale member volunteers do require auditions.

We have performed at many company functions - the company Open House, NG Management Club Holiday Dinner, Launching Pad Tree Lighting Ceremony, Women's Week, the SEA Children's Holiday Party and company picnics.

We have also represented the company at civic functions - the Torrance Chamber of Commerce, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the National Contract Management Association, the Manhattan Beach Senior Center, the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life, and the Woman's Club of Playa Del Rey.

  • Rehearsal Location: Music Director's Home near Space Park corner of 9th & Johnson in Manhattan Beach.

  • Rehearsal Days and Time: Every Tuesdays & Thursdays from Noon to 1:00p.m. See "Events/Calendar" below

  • Membership Dues: $80 per concert season (half year). We have 2 seasons per year: Spring & Fall

  • Contact Brent Abrenica via email Brent.Abrenica@ngc.com or Lan Vera via email Lan.Vera@ngc.com for more info

Membership Info

Club Officers

  • Commissioner - Brent Abrenica

  • Co-Commissioner - Anne-Marie Walsh

  • President - Brent Abrenica

  • Vice President - Linda Van Der Baan

  • Treasurer - Lan Vera

  • Secretary/Production Manager - Kelly Kessler

  • Librarian/Historian - George Kurata compiled the History of our Past Concert Program

  • Artistic Director - Ellen Steinmetz, aka Weezie, received her BA from Duke University, and an M.M.Ed and a M.M. in organ performance from the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University. She has taught music in Maryland, Virginia, and California and has worked as musical director in community theaters. Ellen is an associate conductor for the South Bay Children’s Choir of El Camino College. She also conducts the South Bay Women's Chorus as well as the children’s choirs at three churches in the South Bay. Ellen brings tremendous energy and enthusiasm to the Space Park Chorale.

Chorale Club Events & Calendar

Join our Spring Chorale Season !

Song List
Credits

Check out our Past Chorale Concerts

We have an extensive collection of past concerts with YouTube links, concert programs, and credits on the Events page

Our Tenor Tony McQuilkin collected detailed notes of our Spring 2026 songs:

  • All of Me is a 2013 R&B/soul/pop song written by John Stephens & Toby Gab. It was released by John Legend that year as a single and on his fourth studio album Love in the Future. It was dedicated to his first wife Chrissy Teigen. This arrangement is by Mac Huff. (Note: this song is not to be confused with the 1931 jazz and pop standard by Gerald Marks and Seymour Simons of the same title.)

  • America the Beautiful was originally a poem written by Katharine Lee Bates in 1893. An English professor at Wellesley College, she went to Colorado Springs to teach summer school at Colorado College. On her train trip across the country she saw the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago with its White City made of alabaster, the grain fields of Kansas, and a majestic view of the Great Plains from the top of Pike’s Peak. There the words of a poem came to her, and she wrote them down on returning to her hotel, with the title “Pike’s Peak”. She had originally intended the poem only as a personal memoir, but two years later she had it published on the 4th of July under the title “America”. In 1892, Samuel A. Ward, wrote a tune Materna. In 1910, Ms Bates’s poem was set with Ward’s tune, and the match was made.

  • The Final Countdown is a hard rock song released in 1986 by the Swedish group Europe, written by their lead singer Joey Tempest. The lyric was inspired by David Bowie’s “Space Oddity.” This arrangement is by Kirby Shaw.

  • Jump ’n’ Boogie is a medley of three songs by Kirby Shaw.

    • Jump ’n’ Boogie is an original song by the arranger of this medley, Kirby Shaw.

    • The Joint Is Jumpin’ is a song by Andy Razaf (words) and Thomas Wright “Fats” Waller (music). It was used in the 1978 show Ain’t Misbehavin’, which revived the revue format with beguiling vignettes built around the songs of “Fats” Waller, and ran for 1,604 performances. It received a Tony award for Best Musical. (“Joint” refers to a perhaps less-than-ritzy establishment; the words originated from clubs or venues attached to other establishments.) (Andy Razaf was born Andriamanantena Paul Razafinkarefo in Washington, D.C., a descendent of Madigascar royalty, and raised in Harlem. He was the lyricist of such songs as “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” “Honeysuckle Rose,” “Stompin’ at the Savoy,” and “In the Mood.”)

    • Bandstand Boogie was the second theme for TV series American Bandstand., after Artie Shaw’s “High Society.” The music was written by Charles Albertine, and it existed in several versions, one with words by Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman, which is the arrangement in this medley.

    • Jump, Jive an’ Wail is a 1956 jazz-swing song by Louis Prima, first appearing on his album The Wildest! It became one of his signature songs.

  • Lady is a 1960 song by Lionel Ritchie, Jr and first recorded by Kenny Rogers. It is one of Rogers’s greatest hits. It has been described as a meeting of R&B, country, and pop. This arrangement is by Anita Kerr.

  • Love in the 50s! is a medley of three songs by Robert Allen, arranged by Greg Gilpin. Born Robert Allen Deitcher, Allen was a composer of many popular (non-rock) songs of the 1950s. One of his most famous songs is “(There’s No Place Like) Home for the Holidays.” He was an accompanist for Perry Como, Peter Lind Hayes, and Arthur Godfrey.

    • A Very Special Love is a song written in 1957 by Allen for “The Ninth Day” episode of the TV drama Playhouse 90. It was recorded by Debbie Reynolds, Mitch Miller, and Johnny Nash, among others.

    • Chances Are is a 1957 Allen song with a lyric by Al Stillman and was a #1 hit for Johnny Mathis.

    • Everybody Loves a Lover is 1958 popular song by Richard Adler (lyric) and Robert Allen (music). It was a hit single for Doris Day that year. In 1963 it was remade as a hit for the Shirelles.

  • Moonglow is a 1933 pop and jazz standard written by Will Hudson & Irving Mills, with a lyric by Eddie De Lange. It was first recorded by Joe Venuti, and subsequently covered by Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Benny Goodman, Ethel Waters, Art Tatum, Artie Shaw, Harry James, Bing Crosby, Billie Holliday, and Sarah Vaughan. This arrangement is by Russell Robinson.

  • Show Boat: a choral montage of four songs arranged by Hawley Ades from the 1927 musical show Show Boat, with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and music by Jerome Kern.

    • Why Do I Love You?

    • Make Believe

    • You Are Love

    • Ol’ Man River

  • Sing Sing Sing [1936: wm. Louis Prima; arr. Deke Sharon] Sing, Sing, Sing (with a Swing) was written in 1936 by Louis Prima and is strongly identified with the big band era and with Benny Goodman. It was first recorded by Prima and the New Orleans Gang, and later by Fletcher Henderson, and, in 1937, by Benny Goodman and his orchestra. Most big band recordings lasted three minutes, the length of a side of a 45 rpm recording. But Goodman’s 1937 recording lasted 8 minutes and 43 seconds. The song was originally titled “Sing, Bing, Sing,” in reference to Bing Crosby. Benjamin David Goodman grew up in a poor neighborhood of Chicago, son of Jewish immigrants from the Russian Empire. He was able to take music lessons, and eventually moved to New York, where he played as a sideman, and then formed his own band. They were engaged to play on the radio program Let’s Dance, but their sets were broadcast too late at night to attract much of an East coast audience. The radio show was cancelled in 1935 because of a strike at the station’s sponsor. The band played as a replacement for Guy Lombardo at a Manhattan venue, but they were not well received by the audience, which expected “sweet” music. That summer the band went on a coast-to-coast tour without much success, until they played in Oakland, where they received an enthusiastic reception from young dancers, who had heard their music on Let’s Dance (broadcast at a convenient hour on the West coast). Their next stop was Pismo Beach, but their show there was a flop. Then they had a three-week engagement at the Palomar Ballroom in Los Angeles. The first night they started with stock arrangements, to an indifferent response. But apparently their drummer Gene Krupa then said, “If we’re gonna die, Benny, let’s die playing our own thing.” The crowd went wild! Word of mouth made the Palomar engagement a smashing success. This point is often marked as the beginning of the Swing Era, when swing music became popular

  • The Sound of Music: choral selection is a medley by Clay Warnick of four songs from the 1959 Broadway musical The Sound of Music, which features music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. It was Hammerstein’s last Broadway show. For the 1965 film version Rodgers wrote both the music and lyrics to three new songs.

    • The Sound of Music

    • My Favorite Things

    • Do-Re-Mi

    • Climb Ev’ry Mountain

  • Talk to the Animals is the only well-known song from the 1967 musical fantasy film Dr Dolittle. The words and music are by Leslie Bricusse; the film was a box office bomb (20th Century-Fox lost over $11 million; over $100 million on 2026 dollars), but the song earned the oscar for best song. The Doctor Dolittle books by Hugh Lofting originated as stories sent by the author from the trenches of World War I to his children. Dr Dolittle is a physician who prefers to treat animal patients when he is encouraged by his talking Parrot Polynesia to learn to speak animal languages.

  • There’s No Business Like Show Business: In 1946 Herb and Dorothy Fields were working on making the life of Annie Oakley into a musical comedy, to be called Annie Get Your Gun. Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II were part of the production team, and would have written the songs, but they were committed to other projects. So they turned to Irving Berlin, who was not certain if he could do it. They had asked him on a Friday, and on Monday he showed up with three of the songs written, both words and music. “There’s No Business Like Show Business” was almost cut, because he thought Rodgers and Hammerstein didn’t like it! Since then it has become Broadway’s anthem. This arrangement is by Hawley Ades.

  • Tijuana Taxi was written in 1965 and revised in 1966 by Johnny Flamingo and Bud Coleman; our version was transcribed by Jay Arnold from the Lou Leaman arrangement. The tune was famously recorded by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass on their 1965 album !!Going Places!! They also released it as a single the same year with more bicycle horn sound effects.

  • Traces is a song released in 1969 by the rock band Classics IV, both as a single and the title song of their album of the same name. It was written by Buddy Buie, James Cobb, and Emory Gordy. It has become a popular cover songs, recorded by such artists as The Letterman, Mel Tormé, Andre Kostelanetz, Liberace, Harry James, and Gloria Estefan. This arrangement is by John Coates, Jr.

  • Vaya con Dios is a popular Western song from 1953, written by Larry Russell, Inez James, and Buddy Pepper, first released by Anita O’Day. It became a #1 hit for Les Paul and Mary Ford. Other notable covers were recorded by Desi Arnaz, Gene Autry, Chuck Berry, Pat Boone, Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby, The Lennon Sisters, The McGuire Sisters, and Mel Tormé. This arrangement is by Chuck Cassey.

  • Vogue is a 1990 song by Madonna Louise Ciccone (better known simply as Madonna) and Shep Pettibone, from Madonna’s album I’m Breathless: Music from and Inspired by the Film Dick Tracy. It was inspired by the dance style voguing, popular in New York in the late 1980s, where dancers form poses inspired by fashion magazines. This arrangement is by Andy Beck.

  • Whatever Lola Wants (Lola Gets) is a song from the 1955 musical Damn Yankees by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. It is sung by Lola, Mr Applegate’s (that is, the devil’s) assistant, to Joe Hardy, the young transformation of the older Joe Boyd. The name was based on Lola Montez, an Irish-born mistress of King Ludwig Ist of Bavaria (r. 1825-48). Partly because of her unpopularity, there were riots in Munich in 1848, which became part of the Europe-wide revolutions of that year. Ludwig abdicated, not willing to reign as a constitutional monarch. Lola then became a San Francisco gold rush vamp.

(Most of the information above from Wikipedia.)

  • All of Me [2013: wm. John Stephens & Toby Gab; arr. Mac Huff]

  • America the Beautiful [1910: w. Katharine Lee Bates; m. Samuel A. Ward; arr. Rob Landes]

  • The Final Countdown [1986: wm. Joey Tempest; arr. Kirby Shaw]

  • Jump ’n’ Boogie [arr. Kirby Shaw]

    • Jump ’n’ Boogie [wm. Kirby Shaw]

    • The Joint Is Jumpin’ [1938: w. Andy Razaf; m. Thomas Wright “Fats” Waller]

    • Bandstand Boogie [from the TV series American Bandstand; w. Barry Manilow & Bruce Sussman; m. Charles Albertine]

    • Jump, Jive an’ Wail [1956: wm. Louis Prima]

  • Lady [1960: wm. Lionel Ritchie, Jr; arr. Anita Kerr]

  • Love in the 50s! [m. Robert Allen; arr. Greg Gilpin]

    • A Very Special Love [1957: w. Robert Allen]

    • Chances Are [1957: w. Al Stillman]

    • Everybody Loves a Lover [1958: w. Richard Adler]

  • Moonglow [1934: w. Eddie De Lange; m. Will Hudson & Irving Mills; arr. Russell Robinson]

  • Show Boat: a choral montage [1927: w. Oscar Hammerstein II; m. Jerome Kern; arr. Hawley Ades]

    • Why Do I Love You?

    • Make Believe

    • You Are Love

    • Ol’ Man River

  • Sing Sing Sing [1936: wm. Louis Prima; arr. Deke Sharon]

  • The Sound of Music: choral selection [1959: m. Richard Rodgers; m. Oscar Hammerstein II; arr. Clay Warnick]

    • The Sound of Music

    • My Favorite Things

    • Do-Re-Mi

    • Climb Ev’ry Mountain

  • Talk to the Animals [1967: wm. Leslie Bricusse; from the musical film Dr Dolittle]

  • There’s No Business Like Show Business [1946: wm. Irving Berlin; from Annie Get Your Gun; arr. Hawley Ades]

  • Tijuana Taxi [1965 & 1966: wm. Johnny Flamingo & Bud Coleman; transcribed by Jay Arnold from the Lou Leaman arrangement]

  • Traces [1969: wm. Buddy Buie, James Cobb and Emory Gordy; arr. John Coates, Jr]

  • Vaya con Dios [1953: wm. Larry Russell, Inez James, and Buddy Pepper; arr. Chuck Cassey]

  • Vogue [1990: wm. Madonna Ciccone & Shep Pettibone; arr. Andy Beck]

  • Whatever Lola Wants [1955: wm. Richard Adler & Jerry Ross; from Damn Yankees]

Contact Us

Reach out for inquiries about joining or performances.