Chorus to Present Its Prelude to Carnegie Hall

The Granada Hills Chorale will play Carnegie Hall this summer, but lovers of choral music won’t have to travel far to see a performance. The group, excited about appearing in the landmark auditorium, is sure to be at its best in its annual Spring Concert on Sunday.

The show, titled “Prelude to Carnegie Hall,� will feature some of the material to be presented in New York.

“This isn’t just a practice session or a warm-up,� said Maryann Mendenhall, director of the chorus. “If anything, it’s going to be a special concert for us because of the trip we’ll be taking.� The chorus is taking part in the 100th anniversary of Carnegie Hall.

Sunday night’s program opens with several songs by Mozart, followed by Gabriel Faure’s “Requiem�--which the group will sing July 7 in New York--and concludes with a “Salute to America,� featuring folk songs and the “Battle Hymn of the Republic.�

The chorale’s appearance in 2,700-seat Carnegie Hall is part of a series arranged by MidAmerica Productions, which is presenting eight such concerts this spring and summer. Each concert combines several groups from around the country; in all, 42 will take part. Choruses come from communities, churches and universities and are chosen mostly by recommendation from choral directors who have worked with MidAmerica.

“They’re all very good,� said Sara Bong, MidAmerica’s marketing and development director. “We draw our audience from around New York, which is a very competitive area for entertainment, so it’s to our benefit and the choruses’ benefit that they be very strong.�

Granada Hills Chorale members are paying $900 each for a five-day trip that includes travel, hotel and sightseeing.

The 40-member chorus was formed in 1984 by Jean Chamberlain, a retired Granada Hills High School music teacher who has since left the group. Mendenhall, who lives in Granada Hills, said the membership is made up mostly of former students of Chamberlain, members of Congregational Church of Northridge and singers from Mormon churches throughout the San Fernando Valley.

The group has sung at the Hollywood Bowl Easter Sunrise Service, the Holiday Music Marathon at the Los Angeles Music Center and at numerous community events in the Valley. It gives a spring and winter concert each year.

“There’s a wonderful camaraderie in the chorus,� said Millie Willmore of North Hills, a six-year member. “Over the past years, we have developed a following of our own. The same people come back all the time. Hopefully, they like what we do and they sense that we enjoy what we do together.�

In explaining the group’s purpose, Mendenhall said “the great composers wanted very much to uplift mankind and we want to showcase that kind of emotion and music.�

Guy Ervin will provide piano and organ accompaniment for Sunday’s concert. Elaine Litster will play harp for “Requiem.�

Granada Hills Chorale’s “Spring Concert� begins at 7 p.m. Sunday at Congregational Church of Northridge, 9659 Balboa Blvd. Tickets: $2. Information: (818) 360-2209 or (818) 894-0306.