The Rainier Youth Choirs travelled to Spokane on June 28 for a fun-filled week with other premier children choirs from Washington and Oregon.

The event, hosted by the Spokane Area Children’s Chorus, included workshops and performances with the young singers investing about 20 hours of intense rehearsal time, and growing tremendously as musicians.

The singers stayed at Gonzaga University and enjoyed Spokane’s Riverfront Park and Idaho’s Silverwood Theme Park before returning July 2.

During the event, Rainier Youth Choirs singers combined with Spokane Area Children’s Chorus and Oregon Repertory Singers under the direction of two prominent composers, Judy Herrington of the Tacoma Youth Chorus and David Brunner from the University of Central Florida.

The event culminated with a gala concert July 1 at the Bing Crosby Theater where the Festival Chorus premiered a newly commissioned work by David Brunner, “Sweet Are the Lips of All that Sing” with text by Oliver Wendell Holmes.

Rainier Youth Choirs is a nonprofit community organization that offers premier vocal and choral training at a reasonable price for boys and girls from fourth grade through college. Singers come from Kent, Auburn, Maple Valley, Federal Way, Renton and surrounding areas to practice at Cedar Heights Middle School in Covington.

Auditions by appointment will be offered for new members wishing to join prior to next season’s first September rehearsal in Covington. For more information, go to www.rainieryouthchoirs.org.