Singer Rita Hosking and the Grass Valley Male Voice Choir will headline a luncheon concert in honor of Eleanor Kenitzer’s retirement as director of the Grass Valley Cornish Carol Choir on St. Piran’s Day, Saturday, March 7, noon, at the United Methodist Church.
Adding her voice to the celebration will be singer-songwriter Anna Anise, who flies in from Cornwall especially for the concert.
Eleanor revived the Christmas choir in 1990 after it had gone quiet in the 1970s and ‘80s. She directed the choir for 36 years and conducted its definitive recordings.
For 150 years the carol choir, once comprised entirely of miners and their sons, has been the voice of Grass Valley. In the mid-20th century, the choir performed across the region and even across the world on NBC, CBS, BBC and Armed Forces radio networks.
The Cornish Carol Choir performs every season and especially at downtown Grass Valley’s Cornish Christmas celebrations. The GV Male Voice Choir, founded by Eleanor in 1997, performs throughout the year under the direction of George Husaruk.
Eleanor brought the carol choir and Grass Valley to prominence when she led the carols on Huell Howser’s “California Gold” television show and on tours to Cornwall, England. Eleanor’s work has prompted a revival of Cornish carols in other communities where the Cornish settled as far away as Australia and even in Cornwall itself.
The luncheon will add to Grass Valley’s St. Piran’s Day festivities which begin earlier in the morning.
Mayor Hilary Hodge will recognize Eleanor on behalf of the city, pastys will be served and then the concert will begin. At the end, all past and present members of the Cornish Carol Choir will be invited to join in singing “Diadem” a last time under Eleanor’s direction.
Tickets are $15 for lunch and the concert and are available from the Greater Grass Valley Chamber of Commerce at 530-273-4667. Order tickets in advance to assure a seat.
The St. Piran’s Day motto is “Everyone’s Cornish today!”