Fox Valley Festival Chorus to put on spring concert June 11

The Fox Valley Festival Chorus will present its annual spring concert "5, 6, 7, 8 … 100 Years of Broadway" at 3 p.m. Sunday, June 11, at St. Mark's Lutheran Church, 27 S. Edgelawn, Aurora.

The 70-plus voice chorus, under the direction of Mary Beth McCarthy, will guide people through the history of 20th-century musical theater by presenting excerpts and medleys from dozens of musicals, including some of the group's all-time favorites: "Phantom of the Opera," "Les Miserables," and "Oklahoma."

Pianist Bonnie Werthmann will accompany the group with a guest appearance by some of the members of the Fox Valley Festival Chorus Brass as they help the audience "Consider Themselves at Home" as they visit "Tin Pan Alley" and take a ride on "Greased Lightning" before going to "Fleet Street" for a questionable shave, with many more stops along the way.

Over half of the members of the chorus will be leaving several days after the Aurora concert to perform in Italy as part of the American Celebration of Music in Italy tour. The group will be singing its repertoire of sacred music at masses at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi, in Venice at St. Mark's Basilica, as well as performing both a Broadway show tunes and a sacred music concert in Florence. The group will be accompanied in Italy by organists Mary Strong and Eleanore Strong and the Fox Valley Festival Chorus Brass. The Brass, under the leadership of Mark Running, has been invited to perform its own concert in the Pantheon in Rome, as well.

Tickets are $15; $10 for ages 65 or older and $5 for 12 and under. They are available from Chorus members and will be sold at the door. A reception will follow the concert.

For information, visit www.foxvalleyfc.org, or contact Linda at (630) 247-4831 or foxvalleyfc@gmail.com. Follow www.facebook.com/FoxValleyFestivalChorus/.