The West River Valley Chorus will present their annual spring concerts on June 9 at the Wardsboro Town Hall and June 10 at the Townshend Church. Both concerts will begin at 7 p.m. Ken Olsson will direct and accompany on piano.
The concert, titled A Spring Sing, will feature music by John Rutter (“Distant Land”) and Mark Patterson (“The Silence and the Song”).
The chorus will also sings “Just a Little Talk with Jesus” written by Rev. Cleavant Derricks, a noted pastor and choir director, who was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1984. This 1937 song was the most celebrated of the over 300 songs Derricks had written.
To round out the program, the chorus will offer some selections from musical theater, namely Cole Porter's Anything Goes. Additionally, there will be solos performed by Marge Johnson and Julie Olsson.
The chorus, which recently gained nonprofit status, has as its mission to bring a wide variety of choral music to the community and to be a place where members of the community can gather and have the opportunity to sing in an ensemble.
The chorus extends an open invitation to the entire community to join and there are no auditions required, although there is a nominal charge of $30 per semester for dues. Scholarships are available. Currently, members come from towns from Jamaica to Dummerston.
As always, admission is free. The group does accept free-will donations and will have baskets available at the entrance. Both venues are handicapped accessible.