Russian youth choir to perform on South End during Puget Sound tour

An award-winning choir of young Russian singers will appear in concert at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 30 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Freeland.

The Vladimir Girls Choir and Young Mens Quartet will present a program of Russian classical and folk songs, plus a touch of American jazz and rock-and-roll.

The young Russians are on a two-week tour of cities and towns in the Puget Sound area, sponsored by Seattle Girls Choir and Tacoma Youth Chorus. The itinerary includes Port Townsend, Sequim, Whidbey Island, Seattle, Bellevue, Puyallup and Tacoma. Throughout the tour, the young singers will stay in homes, visit schools, perform jointly with local youth choirs and give public concerts. On Whidbey, they will sing at Coupeville middle and high schools and at South Whidbey High School.

The Vladimir Girls Choir and Young Mens Quartet are part of the Choral Music Centre of Vladimir-Suzdal Rus, which began in 1974 with the founding by Prof. Eduard Markin of the Vladimir Chamber Choir. Today the Centre consists of not only the adult chamber choir and youth chorus, but a music school, professional symphony orchestra and boys choir. Although the Girls Choir and Young Mens Quartet began only in 2001, in 2007 the group won Grand Prize at the International Competition “Rainbow of Stars” in Varna, Bulgaria. About half of the young singers currently study English in school, but none have previously been to the United States.

A donation of $10 is suggested for the concert to help cover the expenses of the tour, but no one will be turned away for lack of funds.

Trinity is located at Highway 525 and Woodard Road, Freeland. Contact Karl Olsen at 331-5195 for more information.

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