Chorale Express stopping in Troy this year

The Northwest Montana Chorale Express is coming to the Troy High School auditorium on Monday, Oct. 29, and bringing young singers from around the area.

Started in 2006 by former music educators Lorraine Braun from Libby and Shelly Clark from Eureka, the Chorale Express is an annual opportunity for students from Libby, Troy, Eureka, Plains, Noxon and Thompson Falls to perform as part of a larger choir, said Troy music director Sheri Hand.

Choirs from all six schools will gather Oct. 29 to begin rehearsing around noon with special guest director Nicole Sanford from Flathead Valley Community College, Hand said by email. They will perform a free concert in the Troy High School auditorium beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Each year, a different high school hosts the Chorale Express, and this is the second time that Troy has hosted.

Joining the high school choirs as a guest choir will be the Libby Children’s Select Choir, Hand said. The children’s choir will open, with the high school choirs performing as a single, large choir to finish the concert.

“We hope that more of the community would like to see this unique opportunity,” Hand said. “It is a great day for the students and always ends with positivity.”

Hand said students from the six schools don’t normally have the chance to sing as part of a large choir such as some larger schools may have.

“The students sometimes don’t understand what it is like to perform in a bigger choir because they are so exposed as a small choir,” she said.

The six choirs will join as one to perform five songs, Hand said.

“I have always heard of positive reviews after this festival,” she said. “I’m hoping this year more of the community knows about the festival and can see what the talented students in this part of Montana have to offer,” Hand said.