MIDLAND, Pa. – It takes more than a good voice to be accepted into the Junior Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh. A young singer needs basic musicianship skills, a good ear and the ability to sing in other languages.
So say three Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School who made the grade this year: seniors Morgan Hopkins of Pittsburgh and Caleb Madison of Seneca Valley, and junior Charina Kimes of Pittsburgh.
The three students will sing with the choir in its 2010-2011 concert season – its 25th anniversary season –a fast-paced 10 weeks culminating in a concert. Though the choir meets for practice only one night a week, Hopkins said that “you must practice on your own time and hold up your part in the choir.”
Sopranos Hopkins and Kimes are returning for their second year on the choir. It’s the first year for Madison, a tenor.
The Junior Mendelssohn Choir is composed of 40 exceptional high school singers from the greater Pittsburgh area, chosen after a competitive audition season. Each student must audition one classical solo piece and perform an assigned a cappella selection.
“The choir helps with sight reading,” explained Hopkins, “It means you can take a piece of music, read it and perform it as perfectly as possible.”
All three students plan to pursue a career in music. Madison aspires to be a composer, Hopkins, an opera singer, and Kimes, a classical and jazz singer.
Students chosen for the Junior Mendelssohn Choir may someday advance into the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra chorus.
The choir’s season will conclude in a live concert with a professional orchestra at the Westminster Presbyterian Church in Upper St. Clair on Nov. 14, under the direction of Susan Medley. Information about the choir may be found athttp://www.themendelssohn.org/JrMendelssohn/JMCFallConcert/tabid/136/Default.aspx
Lincoln Park news release, contact Kati Knowles, Sept. 22, 2010
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