Barrington Village Singers show a sellout

In any given year, the Barrington Village Singers perform up to 70 concerts, mostly at private holiday parties throughout the Northwest suburbs.

However, few measured up to the elegant surroundings they found themselves in on Friday, when they sang in the music room of the San Filippo estate in Barrington Hills, surrounded by the family's expansive music machine collection.

Their "Gala Send-Off Concert" was a sellout, drawing 350 supporters. At stake was the chance to help finance the choir's performance in China as part of the country's "Cultural Overture" leading up to the Summer Olympics in August.

The Barrington Village Singers include Barrington High School students, recent graduates, and a few adults. The 75 singers leave on Saturday for Beijing.

"Any time you can perform there, it's just an incredible venue," said Nancie Tobison, Barrington Village Singers director.

Choir members were positioned on risers set above the residence's musical centerpiece, its 8,000-pipe theatre organ.

Surrounding them were magnificent chandeliers, elaborately sculpted balconies, as well as smaller instruments, including orchestrions or chamber organs, a hand-carved music box, and a gold-leafed Victrola.

Performing under Tobison's direction, the choir sang excerpts from their upcoming trip, including "Call of the Champions," composed by John Williams for the Salt Lake City Olympics, the "Olympic Hymn," arranged by Leonard Bernstein, and a portion of Beethoven's 9th Symphony.

They also sang pieces from their concert program planned for the Forbidden City, which features popular American music, ranging from "Tango to Evora," to the ballad, "Shenandoah."

Afterwards, choir members and their guests retired to the estate's carousel building, where they grazed over a dessert buffet while taking in the Eden Palais carousel, built in 1890, as well as the other music machines and even steam engines housed in the building.

All year long, choir members have sold everything from cookie dough and soups, to flowers, to raise money for their China trip. With less than a week to spare, choir officials conceded Friday's gala was as much about sending them off in style, as much as it was about raising the remaining funds.