MT. PLEASANT-- The 23rd annual Musical Easter Offering, sponsored by the Mt. Pleasant South Stake, will be held Sunday, March 16, at 7 p.m., at 295 South State Street. The choir is comprised of many talented vocalists from the North Sanpete area.

Dr. Roy Ellefsen will again conduct the choir in music by great composers, honoring the Savior and celebrating the message of Easter. Dr. Ellefsen teaches college English, humanities, french and concert choir at North Sanpete High School.

The choir has won many superior plaques at the state choir festival. Anna Aagard will accompany on the piano. She is a retired business teacher and accompanies the North Sanpete Concert Choir and the yearly musical at North Sanpete High School.

Dr. Doreen Kurr Brugger, organist, is the past Manti LDS Temple Matron and has taught piano, voice and organ lessons for many years in the area. Narration will be provided by Dr. Bruce Harless, a retired physician. He currently serves as Manti LDS Temple President.

Featured soloists are Tenor Luiz Meneghin accompanied by Monta Lou Frazier; violinist Mayu Greenhalgh, accompanied by Neil Olson; Eileen P. Cox, organist; and Brigham Blackham and Allison Phillips performing a vocal duet.

Meneghin

Meneghin was born in Brazil where he joined the LDS Church and served a mission. He came to the U.S. in 1992 and received a bachelor s degree from BYU in nursing. He started singing in 1998 and discovered his Italian roots as a tenor. He is currently studying voice at BYU and hopes to be able to make a living singing some day.

His accompanist, Monta Lou Frazier studied piano at Brigham Young University and is an accomplished pianist. She has taught piano lessons for 32 years.

Greenhalgh

Greenhalgh is a junior at Manti High School where she is concert mistress of the orchestra as well as show choir accompanist. She also enjoys playing with the Snow College Symphony Orchestra in Ephraim. She has been playing the violin and piano for nine years.

She has soloed with the Utah Valley Symphony. She also won third place in the Utah State Fair Music Competition. She currently studies in Orem and hopes to continue with music through BYUs Music School.

Cox

Cox received a bachelor of BS from BYU in home economics education. She and her husband, Ross, are the parents of four children and have lived in Fairview for 31 years, where she has been active in using her piano, organ, and conducting skills in the church and community and has taught piano lessons. She studied organ with Nadine Dreskell at Arizona State University.

Phillips

Phillips has been in school choirs since childhood. She won a 4-H talent contest with a vocal performance. She has received Excellent ratings singing in region and state Solo and Ensemble and has had roles in the musicals at North Sanpete High.

Blackham

Brigham Sky Blackham is this year s Speech and Drama Sterling scholar at North Sanpete High. He s had leading roles in the high school musicals, received excellent ratings at Solo and Ensemble and was the winner of Fairview Idol 2006. He takes voice lessons from Rebecca McGarry.

The Musical Easter Offering is an important cultural tradition in the area and is non-denominational. The public is encouraged to attend.