Sing out, kids
Auditions for regional children's choir are Sunday in Moscow
Area children have something new to sing about.
The Palouse Choral Society is forming a regional children's choir for children currently in grades four through six. It will rehearse Sundays in Moscow and perform with the adult choir and have its own concert during the 2015-16 season.
"It's a vision that the Palouse Choral Society has had for several years now," said Claire Murphy, director of the children's choir. "It was a matter of waiting until the timing is right and having enough financial support."
Murphy believes this is the area's first regional choir for children, something not offered in local schools. The society hopes to appeal to children within a 45-mile radius of Moscow. It will train them to develop their voices and teach basic fundamentals in music. Musical arrangements will come from a variety of genres and time periods, both secular and sacred.
"These are children that enjoy singing, so there is going to be a lot of passion and energy about music in each rehearsal," said Murphy, who has a background in vocal performance and music education. She serves as adjunct faculty in music education at the University of Idaho and is employed as director of Family Ministries at First Presbyterian Church in Moscow. She previously directed a regional children's choir in North Carolina.
Children are required to audition for the choir. No prior choral experience is needed. Auditions are Sunday at the 1912 Center in Moscow and parents can register for a time slot at palousechoralsociety.org under the tab Sing With Us. Other dates can also be arranged online.
Rehearsals will be from 4 to 5:15 p.m. Sundays starting Sept. 13 at the 1912 Center. Choir members have yearly dues but scholarships are available and cost should not be a deterrent for anyone, Murphy said.
Murphy's husband, Michael, is the artistic and music director for Palouse Choral Society, a nonprofit group with members from around the region. The children's first performance will be "Handel's Messiah" with the adult choir Dec. 4 and 6 at St. Boniface Catholic Church in Uniontown. !
