![]() Cecilia Ensemble Czech Send-Off Concert, “There is Peace,” April 15 in Dublin NH (Peterborough, NH) The Grand Monadnock Youth Choirs (GMYC) began in 1997 as the Peterborough Children’s Choir, founded by Maria Belva and David Vernier. The high school-age choir, known as the Cecilia Ensemble, has traveled abroad with Belva every two years since 2003. In 2018, the ensemble will travel on their 8 th European Tour. Previously, Belva took the group to Northern Italy in 2003; Germany and the Czech Republic in 2005; Spain in 2007, Sicily in 2010; Austria and Hungary in 2012; southern Italy in 2014; and France in 2016. This year they travel to the Czech Republic, where they will perform for six days in various locations ending in Prague. According to Belva, “These tours change lives. Our young people come to see themselves as part of a world culture. They get a much bigger picture of who they are and who they can become. We also give our audiences a different picture of who we are as American citizens. We become ambassadors representing our town, our state, and our country.” This tour is very special because they will be performing a choral piece that was composed in Terezin by amateur musician, Karel Vrba, called Nezapomeň, who was transported to Auschwitz shortly after the piece was completed. “On this tour, we will be visiting the Terezin Concentration Camp and performing Nezapomeň where it was composed 74 years ago. We will present the Terezin Museum with a recording of the song for their archives.” The Cecilia Ensemble, directed by Maria Belva and accompanied by David Vernier, will perform on Sunday afternoon, April 15 at 4:00 pm, at the Dublin Community Church on Main Street in Dublin, NH. This is the concert that the ensemble will perform on their European Concert Tour of the Czech Republic. Titled “There is Peace,” the hour-long choral program will include several Spirituals, Shaker Songs, and part-songs by contemporary American composers, as well as sacred a cappella pieces, and arrangements by the choir’s accompanist, David Vernier. A performance of a very special kind will be included in the concert: the Czech song, Nezapomeň (translation: do not forget). The concert on the 15th is free and open to the public. A free-will donation will help defray the cost of the trip for the young women of the ensemble. GMYC is the performance-based Choral music education program for young singers (Grades 2-12) in the Monadnock Region. We value choral music as essential to growing peace in our community and do not discriminate. Visit the website at www.grandmonadnockyouthchoirs.org, or call 603-313- 0052 for more information.
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Grand Monadnock Youth ChoirsGMYC is the performance-based choral music education program for young singers in our community. Archives
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