Established in 1986 by Robert Page and Christine Jordanoff as a joint training and performance project of the Mendelssohn Choir and the Carnegie Institute, the Junior Mendelssohn has since become the major component of the Mendelssohn Choir’s educational outreach program. Designed to complement the school vocal music curriculum, the opportunity to audition for the Choir is offered to students in every school district in the greater Pittsburgh region. Scholarships and mentoring are provided for students requiring assistance.
During the 2007-2008 season, twenty-five schools were represented by forty-eight students. Membership in the Junior Mendelssohn program is gained by audition and is offered to 8th- through 12th-grade students. Interested students apply to audition and must prepare their own voice part of two, pre-selected pieces.
Under the direction of Christine Frattare, Music Director and Conductor, the Junior Mendelssohn prepares music for their annual concert following a ten-week training session in the Fall. Students receive instruction in sight-singing, diction, voice training and performance from the staff, which includes members of the professional core of The Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh.
The Junior Mendelssohn has performed with the Pittsburgh Symphony, the Three Rivers Young Peoples Orchestra, the Plum Creek Chamber Orchestra and the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh.