Concert of All Ages
Friday, February 29, 2008
7pm at Ironwood Ridge High School Auditorium
Tickets are available : Adult ($3) and Student ($1) by calling any of of the below schools at: Ironwood Ridge High School – 696-3900, Cross Middle School- 696 -5920, Mesa Verde Elementary – 696-6090.

The Concert of All Ages, as presented by Greater Oro Valley Arts Council on Friday evening, February 29th at Ironwood Ridge High School will be the 12th Annual in this Intergenerational series. This year the unique concept gathers the chorus forces from Mesa Verde Elementary, Cross Middle School, Ironwood Ridge High School in conjunction with  an adult chorus. The students will be joined by “The Lost Chords” a group made up of vocalists from “Sons of Orpheus – The Male Choir of Tucson.”

The Lost Chords will open the program with a vocal and film remembrance of those immigrants who passed through Ellis Island. “The Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears,” by Brendan Graham tells the story of Annie Moore who, on her fifteenth birthday January 1, 1892,  disembarked from the SS Nevada and made history. Annie was the first person to pass through the doors of the United States immigrant processing station at Ellis Island in New York Harbor.

Today a bronze statue depicting the little girl from County Cork, Ireland stands near the Great Hall at the Ellis Island Immigration Museum. One hand holds her hat in place while she lifts her head to take in the sights of New York Harbor; the other holds a small suitcase – a fitting symbol of the immigrant journey that she and 17 million others took through Ellis Island.

With the singing of Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears, The Lost Chords salute all those from every country who passed through Ellis Island and other points of immigration and who helped build a great nation of unity.

In addition, the men’s chorus will perform the musical creation of very young men. On a December night in 1955, while on leave from the army, Fred Parris and The Five Satins recorded In the Still of the Nite in the basement of their hometown church, St. Bernadette’s, in New Haven, Connecticut. (Night was purposely misspelled as nite.)
Amazingly, this quintessential piece of doo-wop never came close to being a number one record. Even so, steady radio play for over fifty years has turned it into a multi-million seller and a classic anthem of the doo-wop era.

The student groups will perform a wide range of music from Jacques Offenbach to Rogers and Hammerstein. The evening will conclude with all singers joining in the celebratory “Tribute to Heroes” and “An American Celebration.” All ticket revenue stays with the schools’ choral programs. Please phone them for Adult ($3) and Student ($1) tickets: Ironwood Ridge High School – 696-3900, Cross Middle School- 696 -5920, Mesa Verde Elementary – 696-6090.