By the end of the audition, accompanist Mark Johnson could sense this applicant might be the one.

“His energy — he worked with a number of singers [at the audition and] he just worked well,” Johnson said of Jon Stafford, the newly-selected conductor and director of the Peninsula Singers. “He got nice sounds out of the group,” Johnson said. “I think he was very engaging — pretty much everybody felt good about him.”

Stafford, selected by the group on Sept. 5, looks to lead the group composed of singers from across the Olympic Peninsula that since 1988, has been performing choral music “to enrich and promote artistic excellence.”

Some have been professional singers and some have music degrees, group members note on their website (peninsulasingers.org), but “we all sing for the pleasure of making great music.”

The group starts rehearsals for the season from 7-9 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 26, at Trinity United Methodist Church, 100 S. Blake Ave. Then and there, organizers will handle paperwork and accepting annual dues from members and the fresh crop of new recruits.

New members are asked to show up one hour early, at 6 p.m., to audition. Visit peninsulasingers.org/wordpress and click “Koin” or email to auditions@olypen.com for more information about auditions, dress code and dues.

An associate conductor of the Community Chorus of Port Townsend and East Jefferson County, Stafford earned a bachelor’s degree in music education from the University of Michigan in Flint in 2005. He also was the church choir director at Flushing United Methodist Church during his college days.

Photo courtesy of Community Chorus of Port Townsend & East Jefferson County Guest director Jon Stafford rehearses his singers in preparation for “On a Snowy Evening,” a program of seasonal music, in 2018.

Stafford and his mother, Colleen Johnson, co-conduct the The Summertime Singers, a mixed choral group in Port Townsend.

“He has a lot of experience,” Johnson said of Stafford. “I think it’ll be a nice fit.”

Johnson said Stafford will likely see some bumps in the proverbial road as he and returning singers and newcomers adjust to each other.

“There is always a testing period for any new director; there always will be a little bit of a push-back from people who don’t want to see change,” Johnson said.

“It will also take him some time to get used to us, to see what the voices of Peninsula Singers can do,” Johnson said, noting the group has participants with widely varying amounts of experience, from those who barely read music to people who have sung opera.

“Jon has a tremendous amount of talent, a good amount of experience and he’s got a lot of enthusiasm,” group members Karla Morgan noted.

“I think it’s going to be a fabulous fit.”

For more information about Peninsula Singers, email to info@peninsulasingers.org or visit peninsulasingers.org.