THE MISSISSIPPI GIRLCHOIR AT ST. PHILIP'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH, MAY 16, 1997.

    The program opened with a prelude, "Great Is Thy Faithfulness", for 
two trumpets, very smoothly played by Abe Morris and Terence Youngblood.
The Girlchoir (Grades 7-12) and the Apprentice Choir (Grades 3-6) followed
with Emily Crocker's "When In Our Music God Is Glorified" (Tune: Sine 
Nomine). Next was music by Bach, Mendelssohn, Hirsch/Leavitt, Franck, and 
Pergolesi, sung by the Girlchoir alone. The Mendelssohn "Lift Thine Eyes",
sung a capella, was especially noteworthy. The apprentice choir followed 
with pieces by Franck, Larson, Schubert, Dolloff, Bartle, Chen/Rao, and
Hammerstein. I particularly liked Larson's "Dear Heavenly Father" and the
Schubert "Heidenroslein". The Girlchoir closed the program with works by
Puccini ("O Mio Babbino Cara" - very well done), Vaughan-Williams ("Linden
Lea" also especially well done), Agnestig, Robinson/Schmutte, and John 
Rutter. The accompaniment, provided by Judy Foster (piano), Marty Sorey 
(flute), and the two trumpets (Morris & Youngblood) was quite good,
although on a few occasions the trumpets and piano tended to overbalance 
the choir. The sanctuary at St. Philip's is quite live, and though voices 
prosper there, instruments tend to prosper even moreso!

   Founder/Conductor Lillian Lee deserves our special thanks for this
program and for developing this new resource for our community.

					     - Glenn A. Gentry