As Sounds Good Choir added more choirs in different communities throughout Chicagoland, a new type of singer was born—the choir hopper. Choir hoppers are those singers who can’t get enough of Sounds Good once a week, so they also sing with Sounds Good choirs in other locations, attending as many rehearsals as they can fit into their schedules. (This is one of the perks of joining Sounds Good Choir; you can choir hop as much as you like, at no extra charge!) George Klippel is among the most active choir hoppers, making the rounds from his home choir in Hinsdale to Oak Park, Arlington Heights, Wheaton and others, including the Good Memories choir in downtown Chicago where his resonant bass enriches the harmony, and his upbeat attitude lifts the spirits of singers and their care partners.

Music has been part of George’s life since his childhood in Mansfield, Ohio. “I started banging on pots and pans when I was three years old,” he says. He went on to play the drums in church and school, “even when I no longer ‘had to’ participate.” With money he earned on his paper route, George bought a Joe Morello drum kit, which he still plays today. (Jazz aficionados will recall that Morello was the drummer in the Dave Brubeck Quartet.) George brought his percussion skills to the Sounds Good Gold Coast concert last December, playing eight different instruments, from bongos to tambourine, and finishing with genuine jingle bells.

George first learned about Sounds Good Choir from a pretty reliable source: “I stand next to Jonathan Miller in the choir at the Church of Holy Nativity [in Clarendon Hills],” he explains. “He kept bugging me to join Sounds Good, but I told him, ‘You rehearse in the daytime and I’m still working for a living.’” George was intrigued enough to attend a Sounds Good concert in Hinsdale and “It blew me away. The musicianship was just outstanding.” He joined the choir within days of retiring from his 47-year career with General Motor’s Electro-Motive Division.

Before launching his engineering career, George spent three years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Brazil. His interest in the Peace Corps was piqued during high school when he worked at WVNO-FM, the “Voice of Northern Ohio.” As the “night boardsman” he would frequently cue up a public service announcement touting the Peace Corps as “the toughest job you’ll ever love.” In 1973, he decided to put his newly earned electrical engineering degree to work in the Peace Corps. But first he had to persuade his fiancée, Debbie, to join him, as they were planning to marry a month after graduation (George from the University of Cincinnati, Debbie from Bowling Green).

Although George and Debbie had known each other since junior high (“I was the drum major and she was a majorette”), they didn’t start dating until George came home on a visit from college. “That’s when I really noticed her for the first time,” he says with chagrin. Debbie was a bit uncertain about the Peace Corps, but “I convinced her they would send us home when we flunked the language classes,” George recalls. Instead, the two new recruits passed the test, each scoring two points on a five-point scale, where five meant native speaker. “Not too bad for me,” George quips, “since I started to the left of 0 on the pre-test.” The newlyweds were soon on their way to a remote area of Brazil that George describes as “the end of the asphalt. We were at the southern end of the Amazon jungle, in the city of Cuiaba.”

George’s assignment was clear: to help build the electrical infrastructure in a rapidly growing area (the population of Cuiaba in 1973 was 135,000; today, it is 1.1 million).

Debbie, who was tagged by the Peace Corps’s lingo then in use as “a non-matrixed spouse,” was not about to just go along for the ride. The Klippels’ arrival in Cuiaba coincided with the delivery of the first mainframe computer in the area. Debbie quickly created a role for herself training and supervising keypunch operators. Although his Peace Corps assignment ended after three years, George made many return trips to Brazil during his career with GM. “I was the account manager for our power products distributor in Brazil, and worked closely with them on all aspects of new engine sales, service and parts. We did business with other Brazilian state and national electric companies, as well as the Brazilian Navy and the Brazilian National Oil Company, PETROBRÁS. So the guy who thought he’d flunk the language class became a translator for Brazilian distributors,” George recalls with a chuckle. Reflecting on his experiences, George says it’s important for Americans to seek service and other opportunities beyond our borders: “You have to go to the end of the asphalt.”

Finding solace in music
“I’m always looking for music,” George says. The quest took on new importance after Debbie passed away in 2022, and two years later he retired from GM. Happily, Sounds Good Choir helps fill the void. “I just believe in it,” George says. “I’m on board a hundred percent.” Some might say 200 percent or more. It’s not hard to get testimonials about what George brings to the choir. Says fellow choir hopper, Teel Miller: “I first met George at a lunch during the Summer Rocks session of 2024. Once I was keyed into him, I realized he was showing up at more and more rehearsal venues, always with a smile and a ‘How are you doing?’ He is gregarious, funny and welcoming. I feel honored to have him as a friend.”

Amy Wurtz, a conductor and accompanist for both Sounds Good and Good Memories, appreciates George as a chorister and as a supporter of her work as a composer and performer: “George is an enthusiastic singer, supporter and friend. He attends almost as many rehearsals per week as I do (which is truly record-breaking) and sings in almost every concert. George has attended my solo piano concerts and chamber music events, as well, and for an extra-sweet finishing touch, never shows up without flowers for all involved. I’m always happy when anyone comes to listen to a concert, but George truly goes above and beyond. His excitement and love for music and community are infectious, and his presence is a blessing to our community.”

Paul Langford, a Sounds Good conductor, leader of Friday Zoom rehearsals and creator of our online rehearsal tracks, says, “George has been a bright light and a fresh wind of friendliness and positivity since he joined Sounds Good. He brings so much energy and joy to each rehearsal and performance. He comes early, he stays late. He helps with whatever or whoever needs help. He leads the bass section with his powerful voice and musical expertise. He offers friendship and kindness and so much extra beyond the music and the rehearsal.” Paul learned just how far beyond George will go when the choir hopper showed up in the audience on July 26 when Paul’s daughter, Chloe—star trombonist and recent graduate of Mundelein High School—performed at Carnegie Hall with NYO Jazz, an ensemble made up of the best high school jazz musicians from around the country. Says George, “I told Paul, ‘If she makes it into the orchestra, I’ll be there.’”

George admits to currently being in “choir withdrawal” during Sounds Good Choir’s brief hiatus after the Summer Rocks session ends and before the start of the Fall session with its holiday concerts in December. He’s using some of the time for mundane tasks like getting the car tuned up, but he is also taking daily walks and weekly 5K runs to get into top form for walking his other daughter, Rachel, down the aisle at her upcoming wedding. Rachel also shares her father’s love of music and has made it her career. She has a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Boston Conservatory at Berklee and is a teacher and performer. Earlier this year George accompanied Rachel on a two-week tour in Italy with the choir of St. Cecelia’s Church in Boston, where she is a soprano soloist. The choir sang at two concerts in Rome, as well as Masses in Rome and Assisi.

During the course of our conversation, George makes the observation that “Most engineers are socially inept.” Anyone who knows George Klippel the choir hopper, new and dear friend to so many Good Memories and Sounds Good singers, would beg to differ!