“We’ve had people come up to us and say, ‘Well, it can’t be that bad, looking forward to retirement’,” says Liria Petrides, 82, member of the Young@Heart Chorus. “There is much more to life after retirement.”

Never too old to rock
The Zoomers of the Young@Heart Chorus prove you’re never too old to rock. The Chorus consists of performers who range in age from 72 to 88, and all hail from Northampton, MA. Some have had previous professional experience; some, amateur experience and some have never set foot on a stage until now. With song choices from James Brown to Radiohead, these performers are delighting audiences across the globe.

Now their story has been captured in a documentary, Young@Heart, directed by Stephen Walker. The 107-minute film, opening in Toronto and Vancouver on April 18, takes audiences behind the scenes to learn what fuels these 80-something rockers.

What the Chorus members have to say…
50Plus.com had a chance to sit down with Chorus members Helen Boston, Joseph Mitchell and Liria Petrides to discuss the movie, life as a Chorus member and their happy retirement.

“I like to sing, it’s so fun,” says Liria, who is one of the longest members of Young@Heart. She joined the group twenty two years ago, when she was 60 and founder of the Chorus, Bob Cilman, was barely 30.

“I was so very young. Bob was not even 30 and thought 60 was old. His perception on that has changed a lot,” she says.

Joeseph Mitchell, 76, says that the chorus is the missing piece of the puzzle for him.

“It has fulfilled my retirement dream…I have found another piece of my life that fits in very well. I love every minute of it,” he says.

Helen Boston, 78, began coming to rehearsals and the group let her join in.

“It’s something that is so invigorating and so different,” she says. “It shows you that there is something else to live for, you don’t just have to sit down and do nothing.”

They all agree that this is not your ‘run of the mill’ activity for retired people, but an added bonus. Most people tend to volunteer or find a part time job, they say. In fact, Helen, Joseph and Liria all volunteer as well as sing in their spare time.

Joseph helps out at the local blood bank and also lends a hand at the ‘Open Pantry’ at his Church, while Liria volunteers at the library and local university to help raise scholarships through the Woman’s Club. Helen has been a foster parent for over ten years and has spent the past six as an emergency foster parent.

“I like that,” she says, “I get them when someone else doesn’t want them, or can’t care for them anymore.”

International acclaim
With their heavy community involvement, it’s no wonder they are sometimes referred to as the ‘Darlings of Northampton.’

While they may be a well-known name in their hometown, they were not sure what to expect at their first European performance. Liria says that during their performance in Rotterdam, Netherlands, the crowd was silent. “We thought that we had blown it when we didn’t hear as much as a peep throughout the show from the audience.”

That, however, was not the case.

“As soon as the last note ended, the place exploded,” she says. “They were cheering and stamping their feet.”

While in Ireland, Joseph along with two other Chorus members were approached by a young boy who wanted an autograph for his mom. “He handed us a piece of paper and said ‘Here, you can write on my back,'” he recounts. “All the shows we’ve been to, we’ve had standing ovations. Makes you feel really good.”

The group hopes the movie will generate enough publicity to allow them to engage in cross-country tours across Canada and the U.S.

“The world is just a book, if you don’t travel, you don’t get to read that one page,” Joseph says, of his enjoyment of touring.

When asked if they’ve ever received any negative feedback, Liria laughs, saying, “Well, if anyone ever thought anything negative they must have been too polite to say so.”

Helen recalls a ‘young’ couple, about 50, approaching her and telling her how much they loved the show. They then went on to add that they bought tickets to another show, the CD and tickets to the movie. Joseph says his 13-year-old grandson loves the act and walks around the house singing all the songs that they perform.

Forever young
The song Forever Young is considered the signature song of the Chorus and is also a favourite for Helen, Joseph and Lira.

“It [the song] gives you such a feeling. When you are looking out at the audience, well not really looking at the audience, looking out into space…it does something for you. So still and quiet and singing these words and really thinking about yourself… hey, I can stay forever young,” said Helen. She also added that people sometimes question how they can do what they do at their age. Her answer is, simply, “This is wonderful.”

Keeping fit
Keeping healthy and fit is very important for all of them. They all walk regularly and Lira takes exercise classes twice a week. There is, however, no way to avoid certain things such as arthritis. During a question and answer session, the Chorus was once asked about health, and how can people avoid things such as arthritis and other general health ailments. One of the members responded, “I only know one cure for arthritis – die before you’re 30.”

Staying active, physically and mentally is a top priority to all three.

Attitudes and staying young
The three all encourage people to get involved with things they are passionate about.

“You have to do something with your life, don’t just sit down and expect it to come to you. They say if you don’t use it, you lose it,” Helen reflects.

When asked what their attitudes are towards people who may question what they are doing, or say that are ‘too old’ for a certain activity, their answers are clear.
“Those people need to get up and forget that, you should feel like you can do whatever you want to do no matter your age,” says Helen.

The main thing they all agreed on is that you cannot let those people dictate your life – you need to get up and go. “Don’t sit down, just keep going,” says Joseph.

During retirement, keep doing what you love, Lira says. “When you have something that you like when you are young, try to keep at it. Don’t say ‘I’m too old to do that. That simply isn’t true,” she adds.

The movie
Young@Heart, the documentary, opens in theatres on April 18. For more information and to meet the other Chorus members, visit youngatheartchorus.com.