FARMINGTON – The Mt. Blue Voices a cappella vocal ensemble from Mt. Blue High School began its 2004-2005 performance year with an appearance at the Maine Music Society’s Battles of the Blends XI concert on Nov. 6 in Lewiston.

Under the direction of Dennis Hayes the 15 student members sang a set of four selections while sharing the program with professional and collegiate groups from Maine and the Boston area.

Hayes said the high school students in The Voices performed an outstanding show and seemed to be a crowd favorite. “The standing ovation was instantaneous after the Mt. Blue kids sang their last note,” said Hayes.

The Mt. Blue Voices were formed in 1996 and have become one of Maine’s premiere high school choral ensembles. During the group’s history they have traveled to Walt Disney World in Florida on three occasions.

They have performed a weeklong concert tour of Quebec Province, annually opened a session of the state legislature in Augusta with a concert and the singing or the National Anthem and they have sung “The Star Spangled Banner” for the Portland Pirates hockey team. During the school year The Voices give up to 30 performances at school and various community events.

Singing in this year’s Mt. Blue Voices are sopranos Charity Allen, Rylee Doiron, Julia Allen, Jen Wallace and Michelle Scribner; altos Rachel Church, Angie Richards, Sara Gilbert, Kaija Fellman and Elisabeth Stancioff; tenors Lee Fellman, Jake Smith and Dan Hayden; and basses Devon Robinson and Hal Robbins.

The group sings a wide variety of music, including pop classics, seasonal songs, show tunes, jazz, spirituals, doo-wop and madrigals.

The next two public performances will be at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 10, at Franklin Memorial Hospital’s Festival of Music in the Bass Room and at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 11, during the Old South Church community lunch.

The Mt. Blue Voices are accepting requests for performance opportunities throughout the school year. The group does not charge a fee for performances, but accepts voluntary donations. Interested organizations may contact Mt. Blue High School at 778-3561.

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