Ellen McLemore, co-founder and Executive Director of Chorale Des Amis, exudes passion for teaching children the joys of choral singing. Listening to Ellen speak of her dream for building up Chorale Des Amis is reminiscent of the feeling one gets listening to Fraulein Maria and the von Trapp children make the hills come alive with the sound of music!

Chorale Des Amis is open to all students in the greater Acadiana area who love to sing. The students’ enthusiasm and love for music are nurtured in a challenging, yet safe environment. Along with improving their abilities, the children have the opportunity to make new friends and travel to make appearances with the choir.

Chorale Des Amis was formed in March 2017 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. It is supported by community donations along with students' tuition. Students are enrolled from 18 Acadiana-area schools representing five different types of school settings: public, private, charter, Montessori, and homeschooling.

The Les Petits Choir is a "get your feet wet" choir for students in 2nd through 5th grade. Les Jeunes Chanteurs Choir is open for 6th through 8th-grade girls with a focus on sightreading, blend and diction. La Chorale is comprised of singers who have demonstrated advanced vocal techniques and music reading skills and usually high school age. The newest choir is La Chorale des Garcon is an advanced men's choir that sings jazz, pop and the classics.

Interested students may audition for the upcoming season on either June 15, 9 to 11 a.m. or June 18 or 19, 5 to 7 p.m. Registration and information may be found at www.choraledesamis.com.

Camp Chorale will take place June 24 - 28, 2019 and registration is currently open for children ages 5 through 12 years of age. Age-appropriate activities and field trips to sing to the community, led by certified music instructors, are on the agenda. For more information, email [email protected].

Why support Chorale Des Amis? Let's allow Ellen to explain, as she did in this episode of Discover Lafayette: "We know that singing promotes academic work. The studies have shown that the skills that students receive from singing and from studying. focusing. and learning, the discipline of learning, follows them into their academic world. We want lifelong singers. We want our churches to have choir members that are not aging out, but love to sing." And, of course, we all want our community to offer children much-needed outlets for their creative expression!