Neighborhood news: Male singers heads south

Sixteen students from Benton Middle School will join 109 other young men from Richmond, Northern Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley to take part in the Third Annual Central Virginia Men’s Chorus Invitational hosted by Monacan High School in Richmond today and Saturday.

Similar to all-district or all-state choirs, this two-day festival consists of a selected group of singers who come together to rehearse and perform as a large ensemble. The difference is that all participants are males, as the purpose of this event is to promote male singing. Students in grades eight through 12 will rehearse this afternoon and tomorrow morning, and put on a concert tomorrow afternoon at 3 p.m. In addition to the festival choir performance, each individual school has the opportunity to perform.

Tomorrow’s concert will open with The Virginians, the performing chorus of the Richmond Chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society. The concert is free and open to the public.

Monacan High School is located at 11501 Smoketree Drive in Richmond. For more information, contact Nate Miller at 804-378-2480, Ext. 226 or e-mail him at .

Old Bridge Chamber Orchestra

The Old Bridge Chamber Orchestra opens its 2009-10 season with a series of Intimate Evenings concerts.

Featured Saturday is “Salzburg Sensation” at Covenant Presbyterian Church, 5640 Hoadly Road in Manassas. There will be a pre-concert talk at 7:30 p.m. followed by the concert at 8 p.m. Selections include “Valse Triste” by Sibelius, Mozart’s “Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra” with soloist Alisha Coleman, and Mozart’s “Symphony No. 41, Jupiter.”

The concert is free but donations are welcome.

Until next week.

Fay Wallace reports your neighborhood news from the mid-county area every Friday in the News & Messenger. If you have news about birthdays, your family, your club or your HOA activities, please send it to Fay at .