About Us
The Lancaster Fairfield Youth Choir (“LFYC”), now in its 17th season operates under the auspices of the Lancaster Chorale, whose purpose is to operate a children’s choral program which can provide any interested child, regardless of previous musical experience, with a high-quality performance-based music education, while also serving as a model of training and performance in the children’s choral field.
LFYC is open to singers with treble voices, in grades 4 through 12, who live or attend school in central Ohio.
LFYC has appeared at many choral festivals throughout the United States. They have appeared with the Lancaster Chorale, one of a very limited number of professional adult choirs in the nation, and have appeared repeatedly at the annual Lancaster Festival. They have been a guest ensemble at the Ohio Music Educators’ Association annual Conference, and twice at the Ohio Association of Elementary School Administrators Annual Convention. They were a featured guest ensemble at the 1999 Annual National Convention of the Organization of American Kodaly Educators in Columbus, Ohio. In 2003 the choir was awarded the rating of Superior and First Place at the Music in the Parks competition at Cedar Point. In 2006 the choir was featured with the Lancaster Chorale at the Southern Theater in Columbus and was the feature guest ensemble for the Tri City Kodaly Educator's choral festival. In 2008 the choir toured New York City and performed at the cathedral of St. John the Divine.
LFYC made it's international debut in June, 1998, when they traveled to Belgium and the Netherlands, and performed with two prestigious European children’s choirs. In July of 2006 the choir traveled beyond our borders once again traveling to Canada and participating in the Niagara International Music Festival under the direction of Francisco Nunez.
LFYC STAFF
Andrew Brown, artistic director of the Lancaster-Fairfield Youth Choir and singer in the Lancaster Chorale, is a music educator at Wyandot Run Elementary in the Olentangy Schools where he teaches K-2 general music and 4th & 5th grade orchestra. He completed his Bachelor of Music in Education and Master of Music Education degrees at Capital University and holds a Kodály certificate from the Kodály institute at Capital University He has also studied internationally at the Hochschule für Musik in Dresden, Germany, and at the Kodály Institute in Kesckemet, Hungary. In 1995 he performed as a part of the Ohio Youth Chorale at Carnegie Hall and toured Europe with the Ohio Honors Chorale. In addition he has performed with the Chapel Choir and Choral Union at Capital University and with the Dresden Philharmonic Chamber Choir. In 2003 he prepared the children’s chorus for the Lancaster Festival’s performance of Turandot. In November 2009 he will be guest director for the OMEA district 16 children's honor choir. He is chapter president of the Tri City Kodaly Educators and serves on the board of the Midwest Kodaly Music Educators Association. Mr .Brown also serves as Children's music director for First United Methodist Church in Lancaster. This is his seventh season directing LFYC.
Catherine A. Brown, Accompanist of the Lancaster-Fairfield Youth Choir, has been teaching vocal music at General Sherman Junior High in the Lancaster City School System since 1990. Prior to moving to the Lancaster area, Mrs. Brown taught in Oklahoma and Bucyrus, Ohio. Mrs. Brown received her Bachelor of Music degree from Ohio University and her Masters of Music degree from Capital University. In addition, she holds Kodály Certifications from The University of Oklahoma and Capital University. Mrs. Brown founded the Lancaster-Fairfield Youth Choir in 1992 and was the Director until 1999. In addition to accompanying the Youth Choir, she also accompanies for a Pickerington area Suzuki violin studio.
