Two years ago Samantha Infeld landed a job as a NASA engineer, moved to the Bay Area, and began her search for a chorus to join. She found one. “WomenSing stood out as a high-quality yet friendly group with enough variety of music to keep exercising my brain and keep me excited about the next season,” she says. In order to attend Wednesday evening rehearsals, she stays up two hours later than on other week nights.

This season Samantha is excited to acquire the exotic skill of throat-singing, the production of overtones on top of a melody by changing the shape of the mouth, in order to sing a work called Past Life Melodies. She also eagerly anticipates WomenSing’s December repeat performance ofMagnificat by Christine Donkin, in which groups of singers echo the notes of the soloist’s chant-like melody. “It feels like we are bells being played, and the sound slowly layers and fills my ears,” she says. Her family, she adds, was “mesmerized” by this piece, and she feels happy they will have the chance to hear it again.

Samantha’s full life includes participating in professional engineering organizations that do outreach to children and developing world communities. She plays the piano and African drums and also teaches yoga and meditation. Photography and world travel fascinate her.

Last spring she went to Washington, D.C., where she sang with the chorus in the National Cathedral and the Old Post Office Pavilion. “I felt very alive and aware of our audience, our group’s sound, and my own singing, all at the same time.”

This spring, you’ll again find Samantha in the second soprano section. “There are always a few songs in the season that are just too intriguing to miss learning,” she says. “Being in WomenSing ensures that I keep singing all the time, and singing feels good and keeps me happier. It is really nice to be part of a community that really cares for each other.”