LA GRANDE — The Grande Ronde Symphony Association will present the first of its 2023 Chamber Series concert on Wednesday, March 22.

Titled “Choir Rendezvous,” this large collaboration is with members of the Grande Ronde Symphony as they perform and accompany the choirs from Baker High School and La Grande High School.

The concert starts at 7 p.m. at the La Grande High School auditorium.

Tickets are $10 adults and $1 for students. Purchase tickets online at granderondesymphony.org/box-office, or at Direct Music Source in La Grande and Betty’s Books in Baker City.

Special pricing is available for families and groups — inquire about “Grace Notes” by emailing grsymphony2@gmail.com.

The concert

Kevin Durfee, director of the La Grande High School choir, and Tanner Denne, choir director for Baker High School, said this is the first time the two schools have performed together in a non-competitive environment, and the opportunity to sing with orchestral instrument accompaniment will be a new experience.

In addition to each choir performing, two small ensembles made up of Grande Ronde Symphony members will round out the evening presentation. These include a brass/wind/string quintet that will play the ragtime piece “The Entertainer” by Scott Joplin and the fun Latin rhythms of composer Zequinha De Abreu with “Tico Tico no Fuba.”

A string quartet will join in the rendezvous performing pieces from the movie, “Legends of the Fall” and the lyrical “The Prayer” from The Quest of Camelot.

The Grande Ronde Symphony Association began offering a Chamber-type series of concerts over 10 years ago. These gatherings typically took place in the homes of patrons and presented an intimate opportunity to listen to regional musicians and vocalists.

During the pandemic, these types of concerts simply were not advisable and yet the symphony association wanted to showcase the region’s excellent artists.

“We have pivoted these past few years to offer our Chamber Series concerts in larger, often historic venues, and continued to present a variety of musical groups to perform in a myriad of facilities,” said Alice Trindle, president of the Grande Ronde Symphony Association. “This collaboration with the Baker and La Grande High School choirs is the epitome of our goals to extend the reach of the joy of making and hearing music to a broad audience.”

The choirs from Baker High School and La Grande High School will join the Grande Ronde Symphony in concert on Wednesday, March 22. The music starts at 7 p.m. at La Grande High School’s auditorium.

Tickets are $10 adults, $1 students and available at granderondesymphony.org, Direct Music Source in La Grande or Betty’s Books in Baker City.