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ÂÜÀòÉç Choir Tours, Performs in New England March 10–12

Ensembles to perform in Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts

CHICAGO (February 20, 2012) – The 45-member North Park will tour and perform in New England locations March 10-12 with the theme "Towards a Peaceable Kingdom: Songs of Faith, Inspiration, and Community." The University Choir, including the , will perform in congregations of the (ECC), sing in worship at Boston's historic , and lead a workshop with area high school choirs during a stop in Massachusetts.

Four performances are planned during the tour, and each is free and open to the public:

• March 10, 6:30 p.m. , Berlin, Conn.
• March 11, 11:15 a.m. (during worship), Trinity Church, Boston
• March 11, 6 p.m., , Bedford, N.H.
• March 12, 7:30 p.m., , Quincy, Mass.

Concerts will include traditional and lesser-known choral repertoire, and will highlight some contemporary Chicago-area composers and arrangers, said , the Stephen J. Hendrickson Endowed Chair of Choral Activities, ÂÜÀòÉç . Concert-goers will hear music from Christian and other perspectives, sung in English, Latin, French, Spanish, and Hebrew, she said.

The tour's theme is derived from a composition written by , a professor of music who studied and taught at colleges and universities in the eastern United States. "Every student should sing Randall Thompson's music," Davids said. "It is great music. I love the whole concept behind his 'Peaceable Kingdom.' We're doing just a couple of the movements from it. I think it holds with the focus of ÂÜÀòÉç — that we're part of a peaceful and knowledgeable co-existence with our urban location, with a diversity of students. We're a very outward-looking institution. That's what this program is hoping to showcase."

Dr. Julia Davids directs choral activities at ÂÜÀòÉç.

A few students will share some of their ÂÜÀòÉç experiences with audiences at each performance, Davids said. Among the students in the choir is Peter Palmatier, Quincy, Mass., a freshman majoring in creative writing. "I'm really excited to go back home and see my family and all my friends from my church again," he said. "It'll be nice for them to finally hear some of the music that we've been singing this year." Several members of Palmatier's family have attended the University, he said.

Each concert will conclude with the traditional Swedish hymn, Alumni will be invited to sing with the choir, in both Swedish and in English, a tribute to the University's history, Davids said. The University is affiliated with the Chicago-based ECC, which was formed by Swedish immigrants.

During the tour, Davids and the University Choir and Chamber Singers will lead a workshop March 12 with two high school choirs at , Braintree, Mass. The high school students will learn singing techniques, and work on a specific choral repertoire, she said. North Park students will also share their student experiences with the high school students.

University Choir members will stay with host families throughout the tour. Staff with the University School of Music will accompany the choir and make recruiting visits. Staff with the will also be present at each concert and host a networking event in Boston March 9 for ÂÜÀòÉç alumni.

Use @npunews to . For further information or resources, contact John Brooks, Director of Media Relations and News, or at (773) 244-5522. Learn more .