Grand Monadnock Youth Choirs (GMYC) will present two spring choral concerts titled “Rooted in Music,” featuring more than 50 regional youth in grades four to 12.
Concerts will be Saturday, May 14, at 2:30 p.m., at St. James Episcopal Church, 44 West St. Keene, and Sunday, May 15, at 2:30 p.m. at Peterborough Unitarian Universalist Church, 25 Main St., Peterborough.
The singers will present music with a natural theme featuring songs about animals, the environment and the power of children. Joined by local collaborator, the Caterpillar Lab, concert-goers will have the opportunity to meet caterpillars and butterflies up close with trained naturalists before each performance.
Under the direction of Artistic Director Esther Rhoades singers come from more than 15 different schools. The “Rooted in Music” shows will feature GMYC’s Peterborough-based choir for singers in grades four and up, Choristers, and the Keene-based sister choir, Elm City Singers.
Accompanied by CarinTorp, these choirs will sing the music of Carolyn Jennings, Benjamin Britten, Edvard Grieg, Andrea Ramsey, and Moses Hogan. The Cecilia Ensemble, with pianist Margaret Dodson-Buhl, will present folk songs from Japan, Newfoundland and the United States, along with music by Kim Baryluk, Ola Gjeilo, Z. Randall Stroope, and Charles Albert Tindley.
GMYC’sSATB chamber choir will make its debut performance with music by James Taylor and Thomas Tallis. At the conclusion of the performance, all singers will join together to perform a newer choral piece, “The Little Creek,” by Matt Carlson.
The May 15 performance will feature a senior recognition ceremony and senior performance. Admission to the performances is $15 for adults, $5 for children or $35 for families.
The weekend will also feature a private (family and guests only) debut performance by Rise Up, GMYC’s newest ensemble for children in kindergarten through third grade. The Cecilia Ensemble will welcome the newest GMYC singers with some special singing, and the two choirs will perform together at the conclusion of the Rise Up performance.
Grand Monadnock Youth Choirs is the performance-based choral music program for young singers in the Monadnock Region. GMYC has five different choirs drawing from more than 20 towns in New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts. For information, visit grandmonadnockyouthchoirs.org.