PORT TOWNSEND — Founded in 2000, the Fort Worden Children’s Choir Festival brings together some of the top children’s choirs from throughout the U.S. for a two-day event each Memorial Day weekend.
The culminating festival concert at 3 p.m. Saturday will feature internationally acclaimed children’s choir director and composer Rollo Dilworth from Temple University’s Boyer College of Music in Philadelphia.
Tickets available
Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 students and seniors in festival seating at McCurdy Pavilion on Eisenhower Avenue at Fort Worden State Park.
Tickets are available online at https://tinyurl.com/PDNfest, by calling 253-265-5167 or at the door of the concert. Ticket booth will open one hour before the concert.
Parking is now free. A Discover pass is not required when attending concerts, as long as attendees park on the upper level campus of Fort Worden State Park.
Participating choirs
This year’s Fort Worden Festival participating choirs are:
• Spectrum Choral Academy — Youth Chorus and Children’s Chorus, Gig Harbor.
• Northwest Girlchoir — Fresca, Seattle.
• Port Townsend Youth Chorus, Port Townsend.
• Rainier Youth Chorus — Bella Voce Choir, Kent.
• Arizona Girlchoir, Phoenix.
• Bellevue Girlchoir — Premier & Concert Choirs, Bellevue.
• Olympia Youth Chorus — Bel Canto, Olympia.
Each choir works throughout the year on selected festival music and well as preparing songs that they will present individually during the concert.
Today and Saturday are filled with joint rehearsals, shared meals and social activities including a dress-up themed dance.
Rehearsals set
Rehearsals prepare the singers for the Festival Concert taking place on Saturday.
The concert will feature each choir performing individually before taking the stage together under the baton of the guest conductor, Rollo Dilworth, for the final six combined songs.
Julie Cole Mandery, festival accompanist from Port Orchard, will accompany the combined choirs.
