Trinity Lutheran Church's Youth Choir: A Small Group Making a Big Impact

I wanted to take the time this weekend and do a piece about some really great kids, and give them some spotlight they so truly deserve. That group is the Youth Choir over at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lisle.

This group of 14, spanning from 6th grade through high school, have come together to sing and tour this Memorial Day weekend. Beginning with a camp on Saturday that brought performances to both of Trinity's sites at Kimberly Way and Green Trails, and then heading to Milwaukee to sing at two locations on Sunday, this small group of kids with a song in their hearts are setting out to make a big impact.


Led by Music Director Jim Marriott, he refers to the musicality of this choir as "astounding" and one of the best he's worked with. You'll see that I agree as we talk about the performance they gave at Green Trails Saturday night.


I had a chance to sit down and chat with the Choir between rehearsals on Saturday and see a bit of how they work, and it was really impressive. They are positive, and really love what they're doing. I asked all of them why they were there, and the first answer out of everyone's mouths was "I love singing." How cool is that? Not, "my mom made me," but a real love for singing brought teenagers together on a holiday weekend. So right there you know something special is going on!


I also asked them where they want to see this choir in the next year, and they definitely want to go places. One member, Lillian Gross, said "We would love to be a part of a community concert and join in with other choirs."


Colton Andrews on the other hand, has even bigger aspirations for the group, "I want us to perform at Disney or Universal," he said, "That would be amazing."


And after what I saw on Saturday night over at Trinity's Green Trails site, it isn't all that far fetched. It wasn't your average recital. There were moments of true greatness in these performances.


The two part concert featured several spiritual songs, and the harmonies in this group were much more advanced than one would think given their ages and how long they had trained. Anchored by a strong group of Altos, songs like "I Am His Child" and "Seasons of Love" came through wonderfully.


However, the highlight of the performance had to be the group's rendition of "Pie Jesu" from Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Requiem." Goosebumps! The harmonizing by the soloists and the backing from the choir was simply amazing. Webber is deceptively difficult to sing, and there wasn't a missed note in the piece.


In the end, they wrapped it up with the traditional "This Little Light of Mine" and special impromptu guest conductor from Jim Marriot's son, two year old Joel -- probably the cutest thing ever.


The Trinity Youth Choir definitely has what it takes to do big things, and is always looking to grow. If you are interested in finding out more about the Trinity Youth Choir, check out Trinity's website.