READY TO ENTERTAIN — Members of the Ohio Valley Chorale will present their spring concert at 3 p.m. Sunday at First Westminster Presbyterian Church, 235 N. Fourth St., Steubenville. “Songs of Faith, Hope and Love” is the theme of the concert, that has no admission cost. A free-will offering will be taken. -- Contributed

STEUBENVILLE — Members of the Ohio Valley Chorale, now in its second season, will be presenting their spring concert on Sunday, beginning at 3 p.m. at First Westminster Presbyterian Church, located at 235 N. Fourth St.

There is no admission cost. A free-will offering will be taken to help support the choir for future performances.

The concert, involving about 65 performers, will be conducted by Erik R. Waugh, with George Melhorn as accompanist.

“Songs of Faith, Hope and Love” is the theme of the concert, celebrating that music is a universal language that brings people together. Some of the pieces include: “Amor De Mi Alma” (translated “You Are the Love of My Soul”) by Z. Randall Stroope; “Hark I Hear the Harps Eternal” arranged by Alice Parker; “Lamentations by Jeremiah” by Z. Randall Stroope; “Last Words of David,” music by Randall Thompson; “Sure on this Shining Night” by Morton Lauridsen; and “True Light” by Keith Hampton. The concert also includes a special tribute to Leonard Bernstein in the centennial year of his birth, “One Hand, One Heart” from West Side Story, sung by husband and wife, Albert and Abby Macre.

The concert will be accompanied mainly on piano with a couple of additional pieces accompanied by organ. Robb Townsend, president of Ohio Valley Chorale, also will be guest conductor on Mack Wilberg’s arrangement of “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing.” The arrangement is commonly performed by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

The group was founded in early 2017 by Amanda J. Abrams, Townsend and Waugh, who saw a great desire for the formation of a community choral group after the former Civic Choral Society dissolved in 2012.

“In just over a year, the chorale has had at least 105 singers participating at one time or another throughout their first three concerts,” Abrams noted. “The financial support of the community has been absolutely astounding. The first concert was completely funded by donations for a contracted 20-piece orchestra for the group’s performance of the Faure “Requiem” in April of 2017. Donations have continued to come in for the 2018 season. It is definitely clear that the community is pleased to have a community choir performing again. Additionally, the members of the ensemble frequently comment about just how much they enjoy being a part of something like this,” Abrams noted

The group is planning a Christmas concert in early December with a date and time to be announced. It will feature the Ralph Vaughan Williams “Fantasia on Christmas Carols” among other seasonal favorite choral works. Hopes are to use a full orchestra as the accompaniment. Rehearsals will resume in early September.

Representatives of the chorale will perform the national anthem to kick off the 2018 Jefferson County Relay for Life at 3 p.m. on June 16 at the Robert Kettlewell Memorial Stadium at Indian Creek High School in Wintersville. Anyone interested in joining the group can e-mail ovchorale@gmail.com; call (740) 346-5676; or visit the Facebook page under Ohio Valley Chorale. Donations can be sent to Ohio Valley Chorale at 631 Canton Road, Wintersville, OH 43953.