One of the premier youth choirs in the United States, the Roanoke College Children’s Choir will make their second stop on the 2009 Home & Heartland Summer Tour on Sunday July 5 at 4:00 p.m. at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Valparaiso, IN. 
The concert is free and open to the public. Select choristers will perform a program of musical favorites including classical, gospel, patriotic, and Broadway music. Under the direction of Kimberly Ruse Davidson, the choir is pleased to present their summer tour which will include performances in Illinois, Indiana, and Ms. Davidson’s hometown of Coldwater, Michigan.
Established in 1987 by Valparaiso University alumna Kimberly Davidson, the Roanoke College Children’s Choir has grown to include 250 choristers aging 8-18 divided into three training choirs and a concert choir. Choir members are chosen through auditions and represent over 55 schools throughout Central and Western Virginia. Following the lead of director, Kimberly Ruse Davidson, choristers receive musical experience designed to develop and encourage their personal and musical growth. The challenging program of voice and choral repertoire demands dedication and discipline from its young members.
The Roanoke College Children’s Choir has repeatedly represented Central and Southwest Virginia since 1989. They have appeared on the Today Show and performed twice at the National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony in Washington D.C., for President Bush, Sr. and President Clinton. The choir has performed for Parliament in Ottawa on Canada Day and at the inauguration for former Virginia Governor, Mark Warner. Other performances include joint concerts with the United States Army, the Australian Children’s Choir, and festival performances at Carnegie Hall and the Pacific Rim Festival in Hawaii. In 2008 the Children’s Choir was one of only two choirs to be featured at the American Choral Director’s convention in Louisville, Kentucky. The Children’s Choir has partnered with the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra several times including their Holiday Pops, “Carmina Burana”, and a community concert in honor of 9/11 victims.
“As conductor, I have the privilege of working with Children’s Choirs from across the United States. Without question, the Roanoke College Children’s Choir is the best prepared, most enthusiastic Children’s Choir! These wonderful kids get training at the highest level and I know when I invite them to sing with our professional symphony I can count of Kim Davidson and the RCCC to have first rate group to sing with us,” said Maestro David Stewart Wiley of the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra.
The Children’s Choir frequently tours throughout the country, and its impressive resume includes a joint concert with the U.S. Army Band, a featured performance at Carnegie Hall and participation in the Pacific Rim Festival in Hawaii.
The choir, chosen twice as the official choir for the lighting of the National Christmas Tree in Washington, D.C., will perform at 4 p.m. at Immanuel Lutheran Church, 1700 Monticello Park Drive. The concert is open to the public.
During its summer tour, the Children’s Choir also will perform at churches in Coldwater, Mich., and Wilmette, Ill.
To follow to choristers on the Home & Heartland Summer Tour become a fan on their Facebook page which will updated throughout the tour. For more information on the Roanoke College Children’s Choir visit their website at http://childrenschoir.com.
For more information, contact: Kim Davidson, choral director, 540-375-2222, kdavidson@roanoke.edu.