<< Back 7/3/02 Choral group finishes season with performance for Braves SMN Voices in the Laurel ended its sixth season by performing the national anthem for the Atlanta Braves game against the Detroit Tigers Tuesday, June 18. This has become an annual event for Voices in the Laurel. Under the direction of Martha Youngwood, Voices in the Laurel continues to grow as a regional choir for young people from third through 12th grades. During the 2001-2002 season, 80 choristers were enrolled from Haywood, Jackson, and Swain Counties in North Carolina, with one chorister travelling from Clayton, Ga., each week for rehearsals and concerts. Voices in the Laurel performs a variety of choral music including classical styles, jazz, multicultural, gospel, and folk songs. The season begins in early September and goes through June. There are three groups within Voices in the Laurel in which choristers are placed. Martha Youngwood directs Children’s Choir for singers in third through sixth grades, and Youth Choir for treble voices in grades six through 12. Robert Cooper directs Accord, an ensemble for male voices which are changing or have changed. Preparations have begun for the 2002-2003 Voices in the Laurel season. Public concerts are planned for Nov. 15, Dec. 1, and May 4. At the end of the 2003 season, choristers will have the option to participate in the Pacific Rim Children’s Festival in Hawaii. This is a prestigious choral workshop for children’s and youth choirs from all over the world. Voices in the Laurel had to pass an audition to be selected over a year ago. Nineteen new choristers were accepted during spring auditions. Mid-summer auditions will be held from 5 to 7 p.m., Tuesday, July 9, at Long’s Chapel United Methodist Church. Anyone interested may call 926.0568 for an audition appointment. For more information, locate them on the web at www.main.nc.us/voicesinthelaurel.