Fox Valley Festival Chorus celebrates 75 years with local concert and France tour

“On the Red Carpet,” Fox Valley Festival Chorus' spring concert, will be presented at 3 p.m. Sunday, June 8.

The concert will take place at St. Mark's Lutheran Church, 27 S. Edgelawn Drive in Aurora. Tickets are $15.

Featured will be music from movie musicals including “My Fair Lady,” “Wicked,” “The Wizard of Oz,” “West Side Story,” “Singin’ in the Rain,” “Oliver” and “Top Hat.” Attendees are invited to take selfies on the ensemble's red carpet at the event.

Mary Beth McCarthy of Naperville, artistic director and director of instrumental music at Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy in Aurora, will conduct. Piano/organ accompanist is Eleanor Strong.

Celebrating 75 years in song, the 65-member nonprofit ensemble includes talented community members. They represent Aurora, Batavia, Big Rock, Elburn, Kaneville, Lombard, North Aurora, Oswego, Plano, St. Charles, Sugar Grove and Yorkville.

About 45 choristers and a brass quintet are gearing up for a France tour June 19-28. Venues will include Paris, Normandy, Chartres and Tours.

“We are excited to celebrate the Fox Valley Festival Chorus’ 75th anniversary by visiting France and sharing our love of music at many of the country’s historic cathedrals, sites and other attractions,” McCarthy said.

“We have been privileged to sing at Saint Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican and Basilica, San Marco in Venice and now are eagerly looking forward to sharing our music in the magnificent cathedrals of France including Notre Dame, Chartres, La Madeleine and Normandy where a member of the group's brass quintet will perform at a wreath-laying ceremony,” McCarthy continued. “The ensemble will be the first to perform at Notre Dame since its renovation from a fire.”

McCarthy added, “We feel a strong connection to France, most of our members had relatives who served in the allied forces of World War II. Of our group, eight members had family members who fought on the beaches of D-Day.”

Visit foxvalleyfc.org for more information.