Purdue News

May 23, 2002 Extension Choral Festival Day attracts singers throughout the state WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – More than 400 women from 31 counties throughout Indiana will travel to Purdue University to participate in the Extension Choral Festival Day from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, June 11. Throughout the day county choruses will perform songs in the North Ballroom of the Purdue Memorial Union. The choruses will then assemble for a free "Purdue Women in Song" concert at 7:30 p.m. in the Loeb Playhouse. The concert is conducted by Brian Breed, Purdue Musical Organizations director. The Extension choruses have been rehearsing for the concert since August when Breed sent a music selection book to each group. Songs to be performed include, "Back Home Again in Indiana," "On the Banks of the Wabash," "Under the Boardwalk" and "God Bless America," to name a few. Jane Massey of Frankfort, Ind., who serves as the director of the Tippecanoe and Clinton County choruses, has been attending the festival for 15 years. She says she looks forward to it each spring. "I can't wait," Massey says. "This is the climax of the whole year. It is something that all the choruses look forward to." Massey, who also is the choral director at Klondike Middle School in West Lafayette, says representatives from PMO visit many of the choruses to help them prepare for the festival. "I like seeing how we improve from August to June," Massey says. "It's always amazing to see the difference from the beginning to the end." The festival is held each year in conjunction with the 2002 Home and Family Conference, which is sponsored by the School of Consumer and Family Science. The Extension choruses began in 1933 when PMO founder Al Stewart formed a small chorus to perform on WBAA Radio. Counties which will be represented include Tippecanoe, Hendricks, Gibson, Hamilton, Monroe, Vanderburgh, Howard, Montgomery, Lake, Fulton, Clinton, Putnam, Rush, Benton, Cass, Porter, Jasper, Parke, Blackford, Jay, Huntington, Kosciusko, Madison, Delaware, Wells, Starke, Marion, Pulaski, DeKalb, Bartholomew, Vigo and Marshall. CONTACT: Jane Massey, (765) 654-6873, jmassey@iquest.net; Julie Ricciardi, PMO Club director, (765) 494-3947, jericciardi@purdue.edu. Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page