The Duke Ellington School of the Arts Show Choir -- which has shared the stage with Stevie Wonder, Dave Brubeck, Boyz II Men, Kenny Loggins, and Nancy Wilson -- will give a free concert at Ithaca College on Friday, February 17. The performance, under the direction of Samuel L. E. Bonds, will begin at 8:15 p.m. in Ford Hall in the James J. Whalen Center for Music.
Organized in 1986 by Bonds, this award-winning ensemble has a repertoire that ranges from classical to jazz to a Motown review. From its home base in Washington, D.C., the Show Choir has performed throughout the nation's capital, from neighboring high schools to the Japanese embassy to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to the White House. The choir's electrifying performances have also garnered invitations to venues in the Caribbean, Europe, and throughout the United States.
A public high school that offers preprofessional training in the arts as well as academic instruction to students in grades 9 to 12, the Duke Ellington School of the Arts was founded in 1974. The school's mission is to instill an appreciation for innate intellectual and creative potential; to develop the ethic of discipline, cooperation, and hard work needed to succeed in professional occupations; and to teach the skills required for personal fulfillment and proficiency in the arts.
The Show Choir's performance is part of a series of events being held at Ithaca College in February to celebrate Black History Month. For more information on this month-long celebration, visit www.ithaca.edu/oma/oma_viewcal.html.
The Ithaca College School of Music offers some 300 free concerts each academic year. More information on these performances is available by calling (607) 274-3717 or visiting www.ithaca.edu/concerts.
