photo by: Ashley Hocking

Steve Eubank directs the Lawrence Civic Choir at Lawrence Free Methodist Church on Friday, May 3, 2019. The choir will perform in Carnegie Hall in New York on June 9.

Fans of the Lawrence Civic Choir can attend a local performance Saturday or wait until June 9 and catch the choir on stage at New York City’s Carnegie Hall.

Attending “A Spring Bouquet of Songs,” at 7:30 p.m. at the Lawrence Free Methodist Church, 3001 Lawrence Ave., will be more convenient and cheaper. However, watching 20 members of the Lawrence group sing in a 200-member choir at Carnegie Hall could leave a more dramatic impression.

The Lawrence choir members have been invited along with choirs from Hungary, Switzerland, France, Canada and Trinidad by Distinguished Concerts International New York, to perform at 2 p.m. June 9 in Carnegie Hall, said Steve Eubank, the Lawrence choir’s artistic director.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity,” Eubank said.

photo by: Ashley Hocking

Steve Eubank directs the Lawrence Civic Choir at Lawrence Free Methodist Church on Friday, May 3, 2019. The choir will perform in Carnegie Hall in New York on June 9.

The choir sang at Carnegie Hall about 10 years ago, with a similar promotional company. It’s one of the ways that Carnegie Hall has remained open, Eubank said. Private companies organize these concerts in the hall and people from all over the world love to come and sing at the storied venue.

“Carnegie Hall has such an amazing history and to stand on the stage where (Arturo) Toscanini, Leonard Bernstein, George Gershwin and Glenn Miller shared that space, it’s just awe-inspiring,” Eubank said.

The concert “Calling All Dawns” will feature the music from composer Christopher Tin, Robert Ray’s “Gospel Mass,” and the Swiss Gospel Singers in Carnegie Hall’s Isaac Stern Auditorium. The conductor will be DCINY artistic director Jonathan Griffith.

“It is quite an honor just to be invited to perform in New York,” Griffith said. “These wonderful musicians not only represent a high quality of music education, but they also become ambassadors of the entire community.”

Since its founding in 1975, the Lawrence Civic Choir has never asked participants to audition, but usually they can carry a tune. Currently, there are about 74 members.

David and Diana Ice joined the choir in 1979. Even after they moved away in 1986, they would still go on choir tours to Europe with the group. Then when they moved back to Lawrence in 2000 they were once again faithful members.

photo by: Ashley Hocking

Diana Ice sings during a rehearsal of the Lawrence Civic Choir at Lawrence Free Methodist Church on Friday, May 3, 2019. The choir will be performing in Carnegie Hall in New York on June 9.

David Ice thinks the choir was selected by the DCINY promoters for this event because it had performed the “Gospel Mass” during last year’s spring concert.

“Vanessa Thomas was the soloist, and she performed all the male and female parts, which saved us from hiring bass and tenor parts,” David Ice said.

He doesn’t think there would be time for any of the choirs to learn the piece if they were not familiar with the music. When they arrive in New York they will have only two rehearsals prior to the June 9 performance.

“We pay a hefty fee to participate,” David Ice said. Not only is there an entry fee, but choir members also must pay for their transportation and hotel rooms while in New York City. However, the experience is well worth it, he said, because they get to meet music enthusiasts from around the globe and sing on a world-renowned stage.

Tickets for Saturday’s concert are $15 and can be purchased at the door. The concert will include an eclectic set of choral music to celebrate spring.

The tickets for the Carnegie performance start at $20. More information is available at carnegiehall.org.

To learn more about the choir go to https://www.lawrencecivicchoir.org/

photo by: Ashley Hocking

James Smith sings during a Lawrence Civic Choir rehearsal at Lawrence Free Methodist Church on Friday, May 3, 2019. The choir will perform in Carnegie Hall in New York on June 9.

photo by: Ashley Hocking

Kate Campbell (left) and Judy Hathaway rehearse with the Lawrence Civic Choir at Lawrence Free Methodist Church on Friday, May 3, 2019. The choir will perform in Carnegie Hall in New York on June 9.

photo by: Ashley Hocking

Jeremy Fries sings during a Lawrence Civic Choir rehearsal at Lawrence Free Methodist Church on Friday, May 3, 2019. The choir will perform in Carnegie Hall in New York on June 9.

photo by: Ashley Hocking

Steve Eubank directs the Lawrence Civic Choir at Lawrence Free Methodist Church on Friday, May 3, 2019. The choir will perform in Carnegie Hall in New York on June 9.

photo by: Ashley Hocking

Diana Goscha sings during a Lawrence Civic Choir rehearsal at Lawrence Free Methodist Church on Friday, May 3, 2019. The choir will perform in Carnegie Hall in New York on June 9.