Generations come together to refresh a century-long legacy

By Jude Mead

Music from singers young and old filled Battell Chapel on May 22 as the Litchfield County Choral Union (LCCU) joined the Torrington High School choir for a collaborative concert aimed at connecting generations of choral musicians. Organizers hope the successful event will become an annual tradition.

The inaugural Annual Youth Choral Festival was organized by Felix Graham-Jones, president of the Litchfield County Choral Union; Dr. Gabriel Lofvall, the chorus’s music director and Connor Sullivan, choral music director at Torrington High School. Together, they launched the LCCU’s first major outreach effort focused on bringing younger singers into performance alongside the long-standing community chorus. “This is the first time I am aware of that the LCCU has actively reached out to young singers in an intentional way, and it was an event I hope to see become an annual tradition,” Graham-Jones said following the concert.

The collaboration grew from conversations several years ago between LCCU Secretary Rich Browner and other chorus leaders about the organization’s longterm future and the need to attract younger members. “We were —and remain—anxious to see the LCCU recruit younger singers, so the chorus has a viable future,” Graham-Jones said. “It has survived 127 years, moving through the eras of the steam locomotive and the telegraph, the automobile and the land line telephone. We need to prepare it to thrive in the era of the selfdriving Tesla and Google Glass.”

The vision gained momentum when Lofvall joined the organization as music director and began working with regional music educators to create a collaborative concert model pairing students with veteran singers. This year, those efforts culminated in a partnership with Sullivan, who incorporated the performance into Torrington High School’s demanding concert schedule. The program featured selections by both choruses as well as performances by select singers. The evening concluded with Paul Halley’s “Freedom Trilogy,” rehearsed jointly earlier that afternoon under Lofvall’s direction. Accompanists Elizabeth “Liz” Allyn and Andrew Thomson were also credited for their contributions to the performance.

Audience members responded enthusiastically to what organizers described as a “fresh, vibrant and energized” concert. Following the success of the inaugural festival, organizers said they hope to expand the program in future years by inviting additional schools from across the region. If the enthusiasm inside Battell Chapel was any indication, the effort may have accomplished more than a memorable evening of music — it may also have helped secure future singers and audiences for a 127-year-old choral tradition.