The Vienna Choir Boys and the American Boys Choir have thrilled large audiences at the Claudia Crosby Theater in Troy over the years. The Spivey Hall Tour Choir, the advanced counterpart of the Spivey Hall Children’s Choir Program, is coming to town and is expected to be just as popular among music lovers.

Bill Denison, president of the sponsoring Troy Arts Council, said the popularity of the boys’ choirs prompted the TAC to bring the Spivey Hall Tour Choir to Troy.

The Spivey Hall Tour Choir will be in concert at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 20, at the Claudia Crosby Theater on the campus of Troy University. Tickets for the performance are $20 for adults and $5 for children under 12 years of age. Tickets will be available at the door.

“Fifty students, ages 12 to 18, make up the Spivey Hall Tour Choir,” Denison said.

“These talented young vocalists sing all kinds of music. We’ll hear classical selections, folk music, Broadway show tunes and some pop tunes – a wide variety that will appeal to a lot of folks. It will be an outstanding program.”

As cultural ambassadors of the State of Georgia, the Tour Choir has performed to acclaim throughout the United States, as well as in Canada, Sweden, Norway, England, Austria, the Czech Republic and China.

The Spivey Hall Children’s Choir Program was founded in 1994 under the direction of Dr. Martha Shaw. The program now consists of three choirs and draws from 17 metro-Atlanta counties. Membership and placement in the choirs is by audition, based on artistic merit and teacher recommendations.

The Spivey Hall Children’s Choir is the largest ensemble of the program, featuring some 120 singers ages 10 to 18, including the most advanced group of singers, the 50-member Spivey Hall Tour Choir. The Spivey Hall Children’s Choir program has a two-fold purpose, Denison said. Members receive professional-quality instruction in all aspects of vocal production, musicianship and choral performance. Involvement also enhances young people’s lives, helping them to develop self-reliance, personal integrity, responsibility, compassion, teamwork and confidence in their abilities.