Women with low voices find a niche in the boys' room.

classical

True female altos, singers whose range extends well below the middle C that stands at the bottom of the soprano range, are rare. Famous altos of modern recording history include Kathleen Ferrier, Erzsebet Komlossy and Ewa Podles--whose collection of Rossini alto arias on the Naxos label remains one of the great CDs of the last few years. (Even though she could plumb those depths, Marilyn Horne studiously avoided embracing the promise of that word, choosing to be called mezzo-soprano instead.)

But even rarer is the female tenor, whose range can extend all the way down to C below middle C. One of those is Mary Forbord of Salinas.

When the Salinas High School English teacher and member of the Camerata Singers, returned to the chorus after taking time off, she discovered that her alto had literally turned into tenor. "After rehearsing with the altos, I told (director) John Koza, ''I can be an alto in your audience or a tenor in your chorus.''" Anyone who has attended the Bach Festival has witnessed a recent infatuation for male altos and sopranos. But low female voices such as Forbord''s have held fascination for the likes of such composers as Bach himself and Mahler.

How does Forbord feel about being counted among the "men in the other room," as Koza describes his tenors and basses? "I love it," she responds, "I was fearful the guys wouldn''t accept me. But they''ve just been great." Forbord''s voice has been described as being of the "deepest, darkest" quality. While she has little ambition to sing the popular tenor operatic repertoire, she is glad to be free from "the horrible sore throat" that followed her struggles to retain the upper extension of the alto range. "The only bad thing is having to learn the repertoire all over again," she complains through a smile of satisfaction.

Another local female tenor is Cathy Lee of I Cantori, a contralto who has been pressed into service by director Sal Ferrantelli while still recruiting that always hard-to-find male tenor. Lee''s struggle to reach the bottom of the tenor range echoes Forbord''s difficulty in getting to the top of alto.

But despite these challenges, it''s plain that both women love singing. "Making music is to be part of humanity," proclaims Lee. As "one of the boys," Forbord says, "It''s wonderful."

Repotted Director

Executive director of San Francisco''s Philharmonia Baroque since 1986, George Gelles admits that "after 14 wonderful years, it''s time to get repotted," adding, "Where could one be more happily repotted than in Carmel?" Effective April 1, Gelles will take up similar responsibilities with the Carmel Bach Festival. The title is different--executive vice president and managing director--owing to the management structure of CBF, but in terms of long-range vision, Gelles has obviously won the enthusiasm of the board of directors. Trained as a horn player, Gelles has spent most of his professional career in performing arts administration and journalism, as music critic for the Washington Post in the ''70s, and contributor to The New Grove Dictionary of Music.

"Informally, the board has shown an appetite for growth," says Gelles, including expanding the summer festival, the Bravissima series, and "my own passion for in-school programs."

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Chanticleer Thursday, 5 and 8pm. Acclaimed all-male chorus sings 20th century masterpieces by Poulenc, Britten, Tavener, other works. Carmel Mission, Rio and Lasuen. $29/reserved; $26/seniors and students. (800) 407-1400.