Elmhurst chorus finds the right chord for regional competition

The Elmhurst community is invited to a free event, “Friends and Family Night” hosted by the international award winning Choral-Aires Chorus at 7 p.m., Monday, April 1, at the Redeemer Lutheran Church Recreation Center (345 S. Kenilworth Avenue, Elmhurst). This evening of classic American Barbershop music will provide visitors with a taste of true Americana as the Chorus and four barbershop quartets prepare for the annual regional competition, held by the Sweet Adelines Lake Michigan Region 3 in Grand Rapids, Mich., April 11-14.

The Chorus, current reigning Regional Champions, support four quartets competing in this year's contest: ROXY, Pizzazz, PipeDreams and UpSide. Each quartet has at least one member that is also a member of the Choral-Aires Chorus. As current Regional Champions, the Choral-Aires Chorus will sing only for evaluation, giving the group critical information to prepare them for international competition in the fall.

“The women of the Choral-Aires love to have a good time and perform in front of any size audience,” says Chorus President Nancy Smith. “Having the opportunity to share our music through an informal performance like Friends and Family Night inspires us all. This is the reason we sing!”

Women passionate about music are invited to join the Choral-Aires Chorus during weekly rehearsals held each Monday from 7 to 10 p.m., at the Redeemer Lutheran Church Recreation Center (345 S. Kenilworth Avenue, Elmhurst). For more information about joining the Chorus, contact Barb Ehst at barbehst@hotmail.com or 630.204.5188.

More than 100 women from Illinois and Wisconsin sing tight harmonies a cappella (without instrumentation) with the Choral-Aires Chorus, a Sweet Adelines International medaling chorus, and the 2012 Lake Michigan Region 3 Champion. This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency. More information about the Chorus can be found at their website, http://choral-aires.com.