Choir sets concert at Wynne Home

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Published: December 17, 2008

MCT REGIONAL NEWS

By Matthew Jackson

The Huntsville Item, Texas

(MCT)

Dec. 17--Huntsville's own Belle Chanson Choir will give a benefit concert Thursday night at the Wynne Home Arts Center in Huntsville.

The hour-long concert, beginning at 7:30 p.m., will feature classic holiday songs performed by the all-female group composed of local vocalists, among them several local choir directors.

Belle Chanson (French for "Beautiful Song") was formed by several local choir directors, all Sam Houston State University alumni, five years ago.

''We were all students in Ms. Virginia Irving's Women's Choir in college," said Cindy Rohe, Belle Chanson's director. "And one night, three or four of us were coming back from a choral director's convention, and we started singing 'Angel Voices,' which had always been our closing number. Somewhere on that trip we decided to form our own group, so we could keep singing that song."

As the group began to take shape, Rohe and company developed a very specific mission for their group: to serve their community through benefit concerts.

''We're a self-funded group," Rohe said, "and it's our intention to use our music to help our community, so we do only benefit concerts."

After performing several benefit concerts throughout Huntsville, including benefits for the SAAFE House of Huntsville and the HEARTS Veterans Museum, Belle Chanson decided to turn their attention to the Wynne Home this year.

''We just felt like the Wynne Home would be a good place to help," Rohe said.

''It's going to be a very pretty event," said Linda Pease, director of the Wynne Home. "They'll be in formal dress, and the home has great acoustics, and we'll have everything decorated for the holidays. This is our last major event of the year, so we'll use this as an opportunity to say Happy Holidays to everyone, and of course we encourage everyone to walk around and enjoy the home and shop in our gift shop."

The concert will be held in the Wynne Home's main gallery, with extra seating provided throughout the building to accommodate guests.

The program presented by Bell Chanson will feature fourteen holiday classics, including "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing," ''O Come, All Ye Faithful," and "Silent Night."

Attendance is free, but donations will be accepted throughout the evening.

A reception hosted by the Huntsville Arts Commission will follow the concert.

For more information on the event, contact the Wynne Home Arts Center at (936) 291-5424.

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