The public can enjoy the Jacksonville Children’s Chorus when it holds a public practice performance July 9, in preparation for a summer tour to Canterbury and London.

The open rehearsal is set for 2 to 4 p.m. in the main choral room of the chorus’s new 6,411-square-foot practice hall and office in a corner of the VyStar Credit Union’s parking garage.

This is the first time the public can attend a rehearsal at its new facility at 62 North Main St., chorus president Darren Dailey said.

“I think they are going to be wowed by it,” Dailey said. “I think VyStar has made an incredible investment in the Jacksonville Children’s Chorus, recognizing that singing is at the heart of Jacksonville. It’s a community activity that so many participate in, and the new building essentially is not only the headquarters of the Jacksonville Children’s Chorus, it’s a community arts space.”

The chorus was founded in 1995 to fill a need for a children’s music program in the area, expanding its choir programs and self-produced concerts including the annual Martin Luther King Jr. “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing” event. Chorus members have performed in concerts in Italy and elsewhere in Europe, Dailey said.

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The move to VyStar’s parking garage at Main and Forsyth streets came when the company approached Dailey with the possibility of moving into one of its ground floor retail spaces, he said. The new facility has study space for students, plus a choral room and practice hall set up for about 130 people at live performances.

The chorus also plans a Young People’s Concert at 9 a.m. Nov. 6 for third- through eighth-graders at the Providence School of Jacksonville on Hodges Boulevard. The event is open to teachers and their students for $5 per child. Register here.

For information on the chorus, go to jaxchildrenschorus.org.