Visuals and music will combine to create an immersive holiday experience during the Keynote Chorus’ performances this year.
The choir, made up entirely of volunteers from the local area, will perform on Saturday, Dec. 9, at the Harriet B. Wick Chapel at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford; and on Sunday, Dec. 10, at the Allegany Baptist Church. Both events will offer free admission, but donations are appreciated.
The theme of this year’s performance is “Holiday Visuals.” Director Shelley Wright explained how she came up with the idea.
“I am a very visual person, in addition to being a music person. I just thought it would be neat if we could use images to bring out the feeling of each song,” she said.
Mik Mortimer, a senior student in Pitt-Bradford’s graphic design program, was able to bring Wright’s vision to life by creating the visual components for each piece.
“I met with her and we discussed each song and what I was thinking for each one,” Wright said.
“Sometimes, she used real pictures and sometimes there are more cartoony images. She was able to use her imagination to capture a feeling for each song,” Wright said.
One of the songs featured in this year’s performance is called “I Believe,” a song created from a poem written by a Jewish prisoner on the walls of a concentration camp during World War II.
“It is a very positive song for having been written at such a dark time in his life,” Wright said.
“It shows we can be positive even when times are tough, and Mik created really beautiful images to capture that message.”
The choir includes 38 members from McKean and Potter counties as well as Cattaraugus and Allegany counties. But they are always recruiting new members.
“Our oldest member is 90 years old, and our youngest is a high school senior,” Wright said.
“It is amazing how the music brings these different people from all over together.”
Choir members commit to 13 weeks of practice and one concert. The choir runs two semesters each year, one in winter and one in spring. The choir began practicing for this holiday concert in September. They practice on Tuesdays in the Allegany Baptist Church. The spring session will begin in March and run until the beginning of June. Anyone interested in volunteering can find out more information on the Keynote Chorus Facebook page.
