Then, the sweet sounds of music begin to fill the room, and suddenly they don't look so ordinary anymore.

That's because they aren't--they're the West Valley Masterworks Chorale.

West Valley College is home to a talented and accomplished choir, its members ranging in from college freshman to the middle-aged. And, thanks to new choir director Lou De La Rosa, the group is flourishing.

Since De La Rosa took the job just over a year ago, the choir has nearly doubled in size, and members are preparing for a trip to Europe, where they will participate in a celebration of Mozart's 250th birthday.

De La Rosa, who taught at Lincoln High School for 13 years, came on board in August of 2004, and the three choirs at West Valley--the College Chorus, a small, daytime class that requires no experience or audition; the Chamber Singers, a small, audition-only choir; and the Masterworks Chorale, the largest audition-only group--have shown considerable improvement since then.

"Lou is wonderful as far as enthusiasm. And he's picked a wide range of music," says Chris Bollinger, who has been singing in Masterworks for four years. "It's an awesome choir; we have a great time. There's a lot of camaraderie."

Kay Jensen finished her associate's degree and transferred to San José State University, but she stays enrolled in just one West Valley class, just so she can remain a member of Masterworks. She serves as the group's student president.

"I was totally amazed, from the first day I came to the class, that when they started singing, they sounded really good," Jensen remembers. "I'd sung in choirs my whole life, and when my parents came to see our first concert, they said afterwards, 'This is the best choir we've ever heard you sing in.' Since then, I've been a total advocate of the choir, trying to bring people in and have them have fun with us. We just have such a great time."

De La Rosa says the number of concerts varies, but averages around three to five per season. Last month, the Chamber Singers performed at the Music Association of California Community Colleges Conference in San Francisco, as well as a performance during mass at the gothic-style St. Dominic's Church in April. They will perform for both the Saratoga Retirement Center and the Los Gatos Rotary Club this holiday season. Masterworks recently did a joint concert with the San José State Choir.

De La Rosa says Masterworks has five concerts on its calendar this year. However, the one they all can't stop thinking about is the European tour coming up from June 26 to July 7.

"We sent in an audition CD, and we were accepted," De La Rosa says. "So we're one of the representatives of the state of California, which is pretty cool."

To make the most out of their trip, De La Rosa is also planning a few other shows in Europe.

"We'll be joining a lot of other choirs from around the world. Then we'll also be performing on our own just outside Salzburg, and in Prague," he says.

No trip to Europe would be complete without some sightseeing, so Masterworks has planned visits to Hohensalzburg Fortress, Mirabell Gardens and Schonbrunn Palace in Salzburg and Vienna, and many locations in Prague.

If this all sounds exciting, De La Rosa says there's still a chance for people to join the choir and earn a spot on the trip. Auditions for Masterworks will be held by appointment with De La Rosa on Jan. 17 and 24. No material or solo needs to be prepared ahead of time.

These days, De La Rosa says Masterworks is busy rehearsing material for the group's "Sounds of the Season" holiday concert at West Valley on Dec. 10, and fundraising like mad for the Europe trip, which will cost between $2,000 to $3,200 per person--a bill the school can't afford to pay.

"If I needed to raise funds in high school, I knew exactly what to do. We'd put a box of candy in their hands and they would go out and sell it, and we'd make lots of money. Or we'd do car washes and pizza sales. Well, you can't do that in college; certainly not with adults in the community. No one's into that," he says.

"So it's a little bit more challenging trying to get sponsorship, which is basically what we're trying to do," he adds. "So the more people that find out about our program, maybe they'll be interested in supporting us, or sponsoring a student. That would be fabulous."

The group has a number of "restaurant nights" planned, in which a local restaurant donates a certain percentage of sales on one day to the group for anyone who says they came to support the choir.

All in all, De La Rosa is very happy with the way things are going at West Valley. He says he would love to get the group up to 60 members, and to be able to travel every two to three years.

"Traveling is an education in and of itself, and it's also nice to share your music with new audiences," he says. "But my ultimate goal is that people know about us here in the community, and if they want to sing, they feel that they're welcome. And if they like to hear music, they think of us. I want people to feel that West Valley is their home, and that we're their resident artists."

The West Valley College Chorus, Chamber Singers and Masterworks Chorale perform 'Sounds of the Season' on Dec. 10 at 8 p.m. in the West Valley College Theater, 14000 Fruitvale Ave. in Saratoga. General admission is $15 for adults and $10 for seniors and students. For more information, call 408.741.4663 or email lou_delarosa@westvalley.edu. Visit www.westvalleychoirs.org.