Community Chorus Plans Phantom, Fiddler, and Fantasticks

For Broadway musical fans, the Western Carolina Community Chorus has planned a spring concert headlined by three all-time favorites. Hit songs from The Phantom of the Opera, Fiddler on the Roof, and The Fantasticks will be featured in the group's April program. Each production has compiled a long list of superlatives in the world of musical theater, and although all three shows have been around for many years, their memorable tunes remain popular with audiences everywhere.

Rounding out the program will be several groups of folk songs from Europe and America. Among the more familiar are "Shenandoah," "Skip to My Lou," and one of the universal classics, "Danny Boy."

The chorus will begin its spring concert preparation with an organizational rehearsal 3-5 p.m. Sunday, January 15, in the Western Carolina University Choral Room (Coulter 357). Weekly rehearsals will continue until the concert which is set for 8 o'clock, Thursday evening, April 20, 2006, in the WCU Music Recital Hall, Coulter Building, on the Cullowhee campus.

The Western Carolina Community Chorus is sponsored by Western Carolina University, the Jackson County Arts Council, and the Grassroots Program of the North Carolina Arts Council. During its 35 years of existence, the group has performed over eighty concerts in fifteen different locations throughout the region.

The chorus opens its membership at this time for experienced singers. Individuals interested in joining the group should plan to attend the organizational rehearsal on January 15 and should view the chorus website at http://www.wcu.edu/wccc and/or contact the director, James E. Dooley at (828) 293-5589.