Children's Chamber Choir heads to Carnegie Hall

For more than a century, Carnegie Hall has been hailed as one of the world's finest concert halls. An appearance at Carnegie Hall has become synonymous with success. Internationally renowned performers and speakers such as Duke Ellington, George Gershwin, Albert Einstein and Winston Churchill have graced its stages, and March 23, the IU Children's Chamber Choir will join the ranks.\nBecause of their exceptional performance at the National Kodály Convention in Williamsburg, Va., last year, the Chamber singers have been invited to Carnegie Hall to participate in a choral festival as a featured ensemble. The National Choral Festival brings together eight children's choirs from across the nation to perform a mass concert under the direction of the distinguished Dr. Z. Randall Stroope. In addition to performing works with the mass choir, the Chamber singers are to be featured and will perform several of their own pieces, including works by Mendelssohn, Debussy and others.\nThe Chamber Choir is a 35-member ensemble of children ages 11 to 16. As well as performing its own concerts, the choir regularly participates in University productions in which children's voices are needed. It performed in the opera "Hansel and Gretel" this fall and participated in the production of "Carmina Burana" last year. \nKevin Skelton, a graduate student in the School of Music, serves as interim director this year.\n"I love having fun, and I like being able to make a difference," Skelton said of his position with the Chamber Choir. "They really trust what I tell them, and they really try."\nJulie Copland has been a part of the IU Children's Choirs for three years. Her mother, Thea Bransby, said Copland appreciates being part of an ensemble.\n"She loves the experience of singing with all the others around her. She likes the repertoire," Bransby said.\nSanchita Dutt's daughter, Anischi, joined the IU Children's Choirs when the Dutts moved to Bloomington from India. Sanchita Dutt said her daughter joined because she grew up with a culture of song and music.\n"We love music -- that's the main thing," she said. "Music is something which doesn't need any language."\nKatie Avers, a six-year member in the IU Children's Choirs, said she enjoys the group's camaraderie.\n"We get to travel, and we have a lot of fun together," she said.\nDuring their stay in New York, the singers will attend the Broadway show "Aida," visit the Hayden Planetarium and tour attractions including the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and the Empire State Building. Anna Hallagan, a three-year member of the choirs, said she looks forward to working with the other ensembles.\n"I'm looking forward to meeting new people and having tons of fun," Hallagan said. \nThe Chamber Choir's next local performance will be April 21 at St. Mark's United Methodist Church. Donations are always welcome, said Ruth Boshkoff, director of the IU Children's Choirs. \n"The Chamber Choir is completely self-sufficient, even though it is associated with the University," Boshkoff said. \nDonation information, as well as downloadable performances by the choirs, are available at the following Web site: www.indiana.edu/~iucchoir/.