Choir singers sought for Hagerstown utility relief concert

September 01, 2008|By DAN DEARTH

HAGERSTOWN -- The City of Hagerstown is looking for 50 people to form a choir that will perform during the second annual Utility Relief Benefit Concert in December.

Councilwoman Alesia D. Parson-McBean said concert organizers will hold auditions from 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday at The Maryland Theatre in downtown Hagerstown. If more than 50 people try out, those who are not selected will be invited back to perform in January during a concert to celebrate the birthday of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., she said.

People who are interested must be 16 or older and can audition by "just showing up," Parson-McBean said. Participants need to bring one prepared musical piece that will take about two minutes to perform.

"My personal feeling ... is that people need assistance," Parson-McBean said. "There's an impact to families when they don't have enough money to make ends meet. That includes paying for utilities."

The Utility Relief Benefit Concert is to be held at 6 p.m. Dec. 18 at The Maryland Theatre, 21 S. Potomac St. The goal of the event, which was created by Parson-McBean and Councilwoman Penny M. Nigh, is to raise money that will be disbursed to help needy Hagerstown residents pay their utility bills.

In addition to the choir, the concert will feature other local entertainment and opera singer William Clarence Marshall III, Parson-McBean said.

Nigh could not be reached for comment.

The inaugural concert last year raised about $21,000, said David Jordan, executive director of the Washington County Community Action Council, the organization that manages the proceeds. As of last month, about $18,000 of that money was still available.

To learn more, call Hagerstown City Hall at 301-739-8577, ext. 116.

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