Three distinct groups of singers with members from Arlington and Marysville are offering an assortment of choral music this weekend — the Northwest Sound Chorus, the Northern Sound Girls Choir and the Everett Chorale.

Northwest Sound Chorus

performs a cappella harmonies

The all-male Northwest Sound Chorus will be emceed by Marysville business man, Barry Knott, who tutors students at KnowledgePoints on 116th Street and who lives in Arlington. Knott is a singer with Northwest Sound Chorus which is presenting “Live At The Benaroya,” a concert of a cappella harmonies in the barbershop style.

“I have written the script and am serving as co-chair of the show,” Knott said, adding his small group, “Under the Radar” is not part of the show, but did sing at Arlington’s Immaculate Conception Church’s volunteer banquet May 31. Knott is retired from 34 years of teaching and coaching and is in the Who’s Who among America’s Teachers and is nominated for the Washington State Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame. He has been singing barbershop for 25 years and won a fifth-place world award with a senior quartet called Silver Chords. He is a certified judge in barbershop singing.

“Live at the Benaroya” features the Northwest Sound chorus, Division II Chorus Champions, plus 2007 Evergreen District Quartet Champions JetSet, and the hottest new youth chorus in the area, Northwest Vocal Project. There are two shows at 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday, June 7, at the Illsley Ball Nordstrom Recital Hall at Benaroya Hall in downtown Seattle. Tickets are $22 general admission, $17 for seniors 65 and older, and $12 for kids 12 and younger. Tickets are on sale through Ticketmaster. Call (206) 292-ARTS, or log onto www.ticketmaster.com.

For information go to the Northwest Sound Web site at www.nwsound.org, or call the chorus hotline at 206-988-8988.

Everett Chorale ends season with “Sing Hallelujah”

A 70-voice choral ensemble that includes singers from across Snohomish County and beyond, the Everett Chorale will “Sing Hallelujah!” in various compositions in the final concert of its 42nd season Saturday, June 7 and 8, at the Everett Performing Arts Center.

Marysville singers are Stella Mintken, soprano; Louise Kennedy, soprano; Laurie Gray, alto; Kathie Roon, alto and secretary of the Everett Chorale Board of Directors; Fran Sanders, alto; Prince Schaeffer, bass and Steven Torrence, bass and chorale assistant conductor.

Arlington singers include Diana Lawrence, soprano; Joyce Wold, soprano; Linda Allen, alto and Patty Chatterton, alto.

Music Director Lee Mathews has announced guest soloist Kathryn Weld and organist Kim Croft will contribute to the traditional music of Martin Shaw, ethereal compositions of Ralph Vaughan Williams, baroque masterpieces of G. F. Handel, and jazzy Broadway show tunes of Vincent Youmans.

Mezzo-soprano Kathryn Weld is well known around the Puget Sound due to her participation with Everett Chorale’s “A Night At The Opera” and “Journeys On American Rivers,” concerts in recent seasons. She is currently alto soloist at St. James Cathedral in Seattle and is on the voice faculty and affiliate artist at Western Washington State University and the Cornish College of the Arts. She was among a group of singers selected to perform for both the Pope and the Dalai Lama during recent visits to the U.S.

The program will also include a suite of popular African American spirituals arranged by renowned composer John Rutter, who has twice conducted members of the chorale at Carnegie Hall in New York City. The suite includes well known favorites such as “Steal Away,” “I Got A Robe,” “Deep River,” “Every Time I Feel The Spirit,” “Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child,” and “When The Saints Go Marching In.”

The chorale’s accompanist and concert organist Kim Croft holds bachelor and master degrees in organ performance from Brigham Young University and a masters of arts in musicology from New York University. Croft has done postgraduate work in musicology at the University of Washington where he is currently completing an advanced degree in music librarianship. He is organist at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Everett.

The Everett Chorale is comprised of singers from Everett and the surrounding area. Membership in the Everett Chorale is open to all interested singers with previous choral singing experience and is available for college credit through Everett Community College.

For tickets, $16 general and $14 for seniors, students and military call the Everett Performing Arts Center at 425-257-8600 or toll free 1-888-257-3722 or at the EPAC box office, 2710 Wetmore Ave. in downtown Everett from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Special discounts are available for groups.

Northern Sound Girls Choir offers six centuries of music in three languages

Comprised of young women from north Snohomish County and Skagit County, the Northern Sound Girls’ Advanced Choir will present its Spring 2008 Concert at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church in Stanwood at 7 p.m. June 7. The girls are ages 12 – 18 from Snohomish and Skagit counties. They will present the culmination of their 2008 season included works that they performed recently at Fort Worden Children’s Choir Festival. The concert features a variety of songs covering 600 years of the choral art in many genres and three languages. Student conduc The choir performed. Donations of food for the Stanwood Food Bank will be accepted at the door. Auditions for the 2009 choir are being scheduled now. To arrange an audtion, call choir director Stuart Hunt at 360-652-4942.