The OperaDelaware and The Wilmington Children's Chorus Teamed Up for the Neighborhood Choir Program

Students at Warner Elementary School in Wilmington celebrate the end of a successful May concert in the Neighborhood Choir program, a collaboration between The OperaDelaware and The Wilmington Children's Chorus The project, funded in part by the Delaware Division of the Arts and the Arsht-Cannon Fund, was launched in 2014 at Warner and added 3 new choirs this spring in conjunction with the Latin American Community Center After-School programs at Wilmington's Lewis Elementary, The LACC Building, and Oberle Elementary School in Bear. The Neighborhood Choir Initiative serves children in grades K-5 by bringing the choir to the child in the after school hours, so that no student needs to travel to rehearsals. More than 150 children participated in the program. Pictured with the Warner participants is intern Alana Walker of the Wilmington Children's Chorus.

Choral instructor Nicolette Fernandez leads children at Oberle Elementary School in Bear in learning a Native American song featured at a May concert for the Neighborhood Choir program, a joint project between OperaDelaware and The Wilmington Children's Chorus. The project reached 51 students at Oberle during its first year, and ran for 14 weeks. Rehearsals culminated in a concert performance for parents and friends, and will resume in Sept. The Neighborhood Choir program also serves students at Wilmington's Latin American Community Center, Lewis Elementary School, and Warner Elementary School, and is funded in part by the Delaware Division of the Arts and the Arsht-Cannon Fund. The total number of students reached through the Neighborhood Choir Initiative is 150.

Students at Oberle Elementary School in Bear take one final picture with choral instructor Nicolette Fernandez, as the school's Neighborhood Choir program wraps up after a successful 14-week round of rehearsals and performances. 51 Oberle students in grades K-5 learned a wide variety of multicultural songs during the program, a joint project between OperaDelaware and The Wilmington Children's Chorus. The Neighborhood Choirs Initiative is funded in part through grants from the Delaware Division of the Arts and the Arsht-Cannon Fund. The program brings music training to underserved communities in New Castle County. In addition to Oberle, neighborhood choirs have been established at Warner Elementary, Lewis Elementary, and at the Latin Community Center in Wilmington. The choirs bring music to satellite sites so that children do not have to travel to rehearsals. This year, 150 children were reached by the Neighborhood Choir Initiative.

Photo Credit: Kimberly Doucette