"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 on the campus of Goshen College in Goshen, Indiana. It culminates in a Sunday afternoon 2 o’clock concert in the college’s critically acclaimed 900-seat Sauder Concert Hall. 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.
2021 festival dates: Practice on Saturday, February 27, 2020, (9:00 am – 4:15 pm) and concert performance on Sunday, February 28, at 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: Goshen College Music Center, Sauder Concert Hall, in Goshen, Indiana.
  • 2021 guest director:​  Brent Hyman

Guest Director

Brent Hyman, Choral Director
Having spent more than 11 years teaching public school, Brent Hyman is currently the Director of Music and Worship at First Mennonite Church in Berne, Indiana.  He is currently in his 23rd year as the conductor of the Mennonite Choral Society in Berne.  He has earned both his B.S. and M.M. degrees from Ball State University and frequently serves as a guest choral clinician throughout northern Indiana. His passion for teaching choral music has also afforded him the opportunity to conduct the Indiana Middle School All State
Honors Choir and to teach choral methods at Taylor University. This is the second time Brent has had the honor of directing the Mennonite Youth Choir Festival. It holds a special place in his heart as all three of his sons have grown up singing in the festival, and he and his wife, Chris both serve on the festival board.  We are excited to have him direct us again for our 30th annual Mennonite Youth Choir Festival!
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