May Festival to Celebrate 40 Thousand Hours Of Singing From Notable Residents

Every year the May Festival kicks off with two weekends of incredible vocal and instrumental talents from local and International Artists.

This year the May Festival celebrates twelve members of the chorus who share a collective 70 years of service. Now THAT's something to SING about! They so voluntarily because they are aware of the gift their voices bring to each and every one of us in the community.

What is the May Festival?

In the late 1800's a group of visionaries came together with the idea of presenting musical festivals in Cincinnati. The concept was a festival that would transform the musical tastes of America and, at the same time, enhance Cincinnati's image and national reputation. The first May Festival occurred in 1873 and proved such a success that it prompted the construction of the Music Hall-the largest concert hall in America, to house the choral festival.

Yes, Music Hall was built for The May Festival, the oldest, and one of the most prestigious, choral festivals in the Western Hemisphere.

The all-volunteer May Festival Chorus is comprised of 145 professionally trained singers who are the cream of the crop. The age range this year spanned 16-92 years. These singers are the principal artistic component of the Cincinnati May Festival.

Throughout each season the 145 chorus members collectively devote more than 40,000 combined hours in rehearsals and performances.

· The following twelve individuals have selflessly volunteered their trained vocal talents to the May Festival Chorus.

· Each chorus member sang a total 276 hours this season.

· The twelve combined sang 3,300 hours this season.

The May Festival is grateful for the joint efforts of these individuals who provide joy to others through the gift of their voices.

They are members of our community.

This year marks a collective milestone of seven decades of service from 12 chorus members (below) in five-year increments.

They are our neighbors representing the following cities in the Greater Cincinnati Region.

5 Years and 1,380 hours of singing each

Adam Shoaff, Clifton

Ann Schwentker Montgomery

Megan Weaver Pleasant Ridge

10 Years and 2,760 hours of singing each

Dana Harms Fort Wright, KY

Teri McKibben West Chester

Jeffrey Nielsen Newport, KY

Ron Schofield Clarksville, OH

Sara Takeuchi College Hill

Linda Wiley Newport, KY

15 years and 4,140 hours of singing each

Gary Wendt Okeana, OH

40 Years and 11,040 hours of singin each!

Judy LaChance Mason

Kay Luccasen Batavia

To learn more or attend a May Festival performance visit: http://www.mayfestival.com/.