The recently formed Citywide Children's Celebration Choir will perform for the first time tonight at Gospel Light Baptist Church.
The Celebration Choir will perform a concert in conjunction with the Gospel Light Christian School elementary choir.
The show will begin at 7 p.m. in the Gospel Light auditorium, 600 Garland Ave. The program will last an hour.
The concert is free to attend and the public is welcome.
Sonya Chittum formed the Celebration Choir in January as a musical outlet for young children and teenagers. Chittum is a kindergarten teacher and elementary music teacher at Gospel Light Christian School. She is also the music director at the church.
Chittum said she was thrilled at the initial attendance for the first rehearsal, which was held on a cold Monday evening in January. She spread information and invitations to join the choir through the church and through social media.
"If a dozen kids had shown up, I would have been happy," Chittum said. "My choir room was almost full."
More than 30 children attended the first night. No fee is required for students to participate in the choir. The students practice for an hour on Monday evenings.
"That is an hour of music instruction for free," Chittum said. "It really is an exciting thing."
The elementary choir consists of more than 40 students in grades K-6. Some elementary singers also practice on Monday evenings.
The Celebration Choir consists of home-school students, members of the elementary choir and students from public school districts including Cutter Morning Star, Fountain Lake and Hot Springs.
Chittum estimated the Celebration Choir rehearsals average 40-50 students. About 30 of the children are not part of the Gospel Light elementary choir. The singers range from kindergarten students to teenagers.
Chittum said the choir has been very well received by the children and their parents.
"The parents absolutely love it," Chittum said. "If you could hear them, you would know why."
Chittum said she was thankful of the parents for their support and the "special effort" to bring students to practice and prepare for the concert.
Today's concert will be an original program written by Chittum. The show will include popular music, as well as original works she has written for children.
Chittum has previously released two children's music albums. The show written for today's concert will eventually become an album as well.
Chittum said she can envision a time when the Celebration Choir could perform at Horner Hall in the Hot Springs Convention Center in the future if the program continues to grow.
"That might be 10 years down the line, but every dream starts somewhere," Chittum said.
Local on 04/17/2014