Young People’s Chorus of Erie to tour Chicago

ERIE, Pa. — The Young People’s Chorus (YPC) of Erie, a youth outreach program of Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, will embark on a special tour of Chicago beginning Monday, June 12.

The tour, which concludes June 16, will see YPC Erie attend a choral clinic with Stephen Edwards, founder of the Allegrezza Singers, and also perform concerts at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church and the First United Methodist Church at the Chicago Temple.

The concerts will feature songs by YPC Erie’s advanced chorus, Chorale, comprised of singers ages 12 to 21. Music selections will come from YPC Erie’s recent spring concert, “Love Call me Home.”

The details for the two concerts, which are both free and open to the public, are as follows:

Tuesday, June 13, 7 p.m.
St. Martin’s Episcopal Church, 5700 West Midway Park

Wednesday, June 14, during noon service
First United Methodist Church at the Chicago Temple, 77 West Washington Street

YPC Erie is northwestern Pennsylvania’s only comprehensive youth choral music program. The organization dates back to 2009, when Howard Lincoln, local businessman and the former director of choral activities at Penn State Behrend, recognized a need for young people in the Erie community to have opportunities to further their personal and creative talents and appreciation for the arts.

The mission of YPC Erie today remains true to its origin: Give every child in the community the opportunity to further their personal and artistic growth and help foster cross-cultural understanding. With an emphasis on diversity, YPC Erie brings together young singers from across Erie County. Since 2009, more than 1,200 students from more than 30 different public, private and parochial schools have benefitted from the YPC Erie program — currently, more than 125 choristers participate in YPC Erie’s choirs.