June Langland, a longtime and beloved Vashon Island Chorale member, received special recognition during the Chorale’s presentation of its holiday concert, “Candlelight Carols,” on Dec. 14 and 15, at Vashon Center for the Arts.

Both Langland and her late husband, Dwayne Langland, joined the Chorale in 1990, shortly after they had returned to the island after living in Europe, where they had been members of a 160-member German/American chorus. Now 93, June is still lifting her voice in song with the Chorale.

She was honored in both pre-concert remarks by Paul Peretti, as well as on a page in the concert’s program that told the story, in her own words, about her devotion to the Chorale.

Pointing out June in the soprano section of the chorale, Peretti credited her with being “the driving force behind the Chorale’s annual scholarship awards for Vashon high school seniors, and a great recruter of new singers.”

One of the singers recruited by June was Kay White, who became the lead donor for the concert hall that now bears her name at VCA.

Recounting her friendship with White in the Chorale’s program notes for “Candlelight Carols,” June recalled how she had coaxed her friend to join the Chorale after they had seen the ballet version of “Carmina Burana” one night in Seattle. But White, she said, had worried about which section of the chorale should could join, as a onetime soprano whose voice had deepened with age.

“I told her we did have some female tenors and she kind of lit up and said that might be a possibility,” June wrote, going on to describe how White had found her place after being seated next to Dwayne in the tenor section of the choir.

“She called me after we got home and was so excited,” June wrote. “The next day she brought me a bouquet of ‘thank-you’ flowers. And the rest is history!”