GETTING READY — Practices have been under way since January as members of the Ohio Valley Choral prepare for their first public performance since December 2019, prior to the COVID-19 shutdown. Director Erik James Lucas leads the members as they get reads for “Let Music Live!” which will be performed on April 30 at First Westminster Presbyterian Church, 235 N. Fourth St., Steubenville, beginning at 3 p.m. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis, and it is free to the public, although a free-will offering will be collected during the concert. -- Contributed

STEUBENVILLE — The return of the Ohio Valley Chorale’s first public performance since Christmas 2019 truly is music to the community’s ears.

Originally formed in January 2017, the Ohio Valley Chorale will present its 2023 spring concert on April 30 at First Westminster Presbyterian Church, located at 235 N. Fourth St., Steubenville, beginning at 3 p.m.

This will be the first public performance for the chorale since December 2019, prior to the COVID-19 shutdown, according to Robb Townsend, chorale president and one of the group’s founders.

“Thanks to the generosity of our community, we continue to be able to offer our performances free to the public, though a free-will offering will be collected during the concert,” Townsend noted.

Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

“I am thrilled to be able to present this concert. When we had to shut down in 2020, due to the pandemic, we had no idea three years would go by before we could resume, so our Mondays together mean even more to me now, and I truly can’t wait to share this beautiful concert with our amazing community,” Townsend said.

“As the president of the Ohio Valley Chorale, I can’t thank the community enough for the generous support they’ve shown us over the years. Their generosity has enabled us to present our concerts free of charge,” he emphasized.

Earlier this year, the call went out for area residents interested in participating in rehearsals that began in January. The group brings together members of all ages and musical experience levels.

The program, titled “Let Music Live!,” will consist of a dozen individual choral pieces of varying styles from traditional hymn tune arrangements to spirituals. The concert will feature 70 singers under the direction of Erik James Lucas, conductor and artistic director.

Accompanying on piano and organ will be Michael A. Busija, who resides in the Pittsburgh area and serves as the director of music at Hiland Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh.

“Also joining us for this performance will be Miranda Johnson, who is pursuing a master’s degree in horn performance at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh where she serves as the graduate assistant to the horn studio,” Lucas explained. “We are also thrilled to be welcoming Rosalind Thacker, band director at Steubenville High School, and Kimberly Manning, who teaches in the Steubenville City Schools district, as guest musicians. From within our own group, we are excited that Abby Macre will be guest conducting a piece,” Lucas added. Macre is the choir and drama director at Harding Middle School and is a member of the chorale’s soprano section.

The program will feature soloists David Shaddinger, tenor, and John Michael Ward, bass, as well as a trio of women from the soprano section — Kira Birney, Shannon Blake and Diane Kopa.

“It really is wonderful to have a group of singers who clearly love what they do,” Lucas commented. “Their hard work and dedication week after week as we prepare for these performances is unmatched, and it’s truly an honor to lead them in those preparations, he said. “I repeatedly hear members of the group say that Monday evening is their favorite night of the week. Some of them have even said that it’s their escape from the craziness that day-to-day life brings,” he added.

“Music is a universal language that really brings people together, and it’s a joy for us to share our music with the local community.” Lucas said.

Th program is sponsored in part by Apollo Pro-Cleaning and Restoration and Anthony Mougianis as well as many other local individuals, businesses, and community organizations, according to Townsend.

“The chorale would like to extend its deepest gratitude for all of the financial support it has received since its inception in 2017 as all of our programs have been fully funded through the generosity of our community,” he said.

“During the last three years, our members have been eager to return to singing together,” Lucas said. “As I would see our singers out and about, they would always ask when we were starting up again. We resumed rehearsals in January for the first time since March of 2020, bringing back many returning members but also welcoming a large number of new members as well,” he said. “As a celebration of our return and the first concert of our 2023 season, the chorale members are being treated to a catered lunch the day before the concert. I would like to offer a special thank you to Matt and Kristen Belardine, owners of Josephine’s in Mingo Junction, for their support in helping to make this celebratory meal possible,” Lucas added.

“We continue to be grateful to First Westminster Presbyterian Church and Pastor Jason Elliott for allowing us to use their beautiful church as our home for rehearsals and performances,” he added.

“We also wish to share our tremendous gratitude to our rehearsal accompanist, Tom Dohnal, who has been musically involved in the local community for many years. He graciously donates his time accompanying us at rehearsals, and we wouldn’t be able to do it without him.

Anyone wanting to donate toward the upcoming concert or future concerts, may do so by sending a check, made payable to Ohio Valley Chorale, to P.O. Box 387, Steubenville, OH 43953.

For information regarding the Ohio Valley Chorale, see it on Facebook at facebook.com/ovchorale or by e-mail toovchorale@gmail.com.