"SING AND MAKE MUSIC IN YOUR HEART TO THE LORD."  Ephesians 5:19

The Festival

​IT’S TWO DAYS OF GREAT MUSIC AND FUN! A Saturday practice and a Sunday afternoon worship concert under the baton of a distinguished guest director. Participants will taste the richness of sacred choral music in a fun setting with other children and young people who love to sing.
Open to all students in grades 3 through 9 from any faith community, the festival is held at First Mennonite Church in Berne, Indiana. It culminates in a Sunday afternoon 2 o’clock concert. The children prepare for the festival by listening to music and learning the sheet music sent to them. In some geographic areas where enough children have registered for the event, group practices are also held in the weeks leading up to the festival.
2025 Festival: 
Practice on Saturday, March 1, 2025 (9:00 am – 4:15 pm)
Concert performance on Sunday, March 2 @ 2 p.m.(free and open to the public)
  • Who: Children from Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Michigan and beyond who love to sing—grades 3 through 9.
  • Cost per child: $35 for registration
  • Location: First Mennonite Church, Berne, Indiana
  • 2025​ guest director:​  Sharon Basinger Lehman

Guest Director Sharon Basinger Lehman

​Sharon Basinger Lehman holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education from Bluffton University and a Master of Music in Choral Conducting from Ball State University. As the Choral Director at Manchester Community Schools, she leads choirs ranging from grades 3-12 and teaches general music to fourth-grade students. Sharon's experience includes two decades with the Community Choirs of Huntington County, where she served in numerous capacities including accompanist, treble choir director, concert choir director, early childhood music teacher, and Artistic Director. She also founded and directed CopperSound, a high school a cappella ensemble under CCHC. Sharon has been a guest director for festivals such as Circle the State with Song and the Mennonite Youth Choir Festival. She is an active member of the National Association for Music Education and the American Choral Directors Association, and she currently serves as the Area 4A Chair for the Indiana All-State Honor Choir.
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The Mission of MYCF

Your Child,
One Weekend,
​Loving Sacred Music

Each March, the Mennonite Youth Choir Festival brings children and youth together from various faith communities.  During the two-day festival, participants put the finishing touches on sacred music they have been learning over the past two months in their area rehearsals, culminating in a Sunday afternoon worship concert.
The Mennonite Youth Choir Festival was formed in 1992 with a vision for continuing and strengthening the Church’s tradition of singing in worship. At the festival and in the weeks leading up to it, children gain musical skills and an appreciation for a broad range of sacred music. Singing under the direction of gifted guest conductors, participants lead the assembly in worship.
Our children are the future of the church. Experiences like the annual Youth Choir Festival help ensure that it will be a future full of praise and music.
The mission of the Mennonite Youth Choir Festival is:
  • To assist the church with the responsibility of nurturing our children in music by training young voices to sing and appreciate the music of the church.
  • To bring together young people from Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Illinois for a quality festival experience.
  • To introduce them to professional musicians who model a love for the Lord and a profound desire to nurture young people in music of the church.
Check out this YouTube video from Sharon Lehman.
 FESTIVAL REGISTRATION FEE
$35 per singer before November 15
$45 per singer after November 15
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