OAKHURST — Sierra Chamber Singers will perform their annual Christmas concert, “Our Wish for the World,” on Sunday, Dec. 18 at New Community United Methodist Church. As always, the concert is free, and all donations benefit the Vision Academy scholarships fund. The program starts at 2 p.m. and the Methodist church is located at 49223 Road 426 in Oakhurst.
Concert-goers may wish to arrive early as delicious treats, beautiful ornaments and expressive cards will be for sale, and a raffle will take place for a Jane Gyer print.
The 2017 Season of Sierra Chamber Singers began on Monday, Dec. 12. Rehearsals are on Thursdays at 7 p.m., at the church. New members are welcome, say organizers, and sopranos are an especially needed asset. No experience is necessary. Past themes include, “Be the Change,” “Lincoln and Liberty,” “Singing the 60s,” “Let’s go to the Movies,” and “Be Happy.”
Sierra Chamber Singers and its smaller ladies’ group, Sierra Chamber Maids, currently operate under the umbrella of Vision Academy of the Arts, established in 1994, though the Chamber Singers actually predate that organization. Jackie Byers is the groups’ first and only director.
Vision Academy members are dedicated to the development of all art forms, performing and supporting musical and instrumental concerts. With workshops and summer camps and a continued emphasis on the arts for people of all ages, Vision Academy members volunteer their services for the benefit of the mountain area.
Membership for Vision Academy or Sierra Chamber Singers is $15 annually. For more information, visit the website.
“Concerts raise money for scholarships to encourage young people to pursue their own love of art in all its glorious forms,” notes the Board of Directors. To date, Vision Academy has given out more than $150,000 in scholarships to local graduating high school seniors.
