The Director
Christy Elsner is founder and director of the energetic Allegro Community Children's Choir. She graduated with honors from KU in 1992 with a degree in Music Education and received the Marcus E. Hahn Award for Outstanding Senior Music Education Student. In 1995, she was the recipient of the Kansas Choral Directors Association's Award for Outstanding Young Conductor. She serves on the Southwest American Choral Directors Association's Board as the Repertoire & Standards for children's choirs.
She has taught elementary and middle school vocal music in the Wichita Public Schools as well as middle school vocal music in the Blue Valley Schools. She has directed children's and youth choirs at churches in Wichita, Leawood, and Overland Park.
Mrs. Elsner is an active clinician for children's and youth choirs and continues to give workshops on her innovative rehearsals and unusual teaching tools. She is a member of MENC, Chorister's Guild, and the American Choral Directors Association. Christy and her husband Sean have three children: Chandler, Chase and Carlee.
Changing lives with song
Allegro Community Children's Choir was formed to enrich, inspire and transform the lives of children by learning, sharing and performing beautiful music.
Since its creation in 2000, the organization has grown from one choir of 38 to three choirs with over 150 singers. Allegro represents many schools from the entire Kansas City Metro area and rehearses weekly during the school year.
Allegro instills enduring and beneficial qualities such as cooperation, community service, commitment, positive work ethic, intrinsic motivation, responsibility, and teamwork in its participants. ACCC aspires to teach a life-long appreciation for the arts to its members and their families, increase the quality of choral singing in schools and connect the hearts and minds of members with the audience.
The non-profit organization offers concerts to the community three times a year and performs regularly at nursing homes and retirement centers as community outreach. In 2006, Allegro Brio was selected to perform for the SWACDA convention in St. Louis.
The Choirs
Allegro Community Children's Choirs offers a comprehensive choral program for treble voices grades 3 through 12. Because all choirs build upon and enrich existing music education programs in the public and private schools, singers are expected to participate in their school music programs. The choirs rehearse on Monday nights during the school year.
Allegro con Brio (Allegro with Zest) offers advanced choral training, vocal development, and musical fellowship for grades 8-12. The choir was created for those ready for a singing challenge. Singers will learn difficult music at an intense pace, and the smaller number in the choir will allow for personalized vocal instruction. The choir serves as our touring choir alternating between regional, national and international tours.
Allegro con Moto (Allegro with Motion) for treble singers in grades 6 and up, seeks students who have a love for singing and a desire to excel to a higher performance level. The innovative, fast-paced rehearsals resemble a "mini voice lesson" in age-appropriate literature and pedagogy.
Poco Allegro (Little Allegro) is a beginning level choir for grades 3-6, formed to provide vocal training with a focus on reading skills, pitch matching, performance techniques, and vocal independence. The fundamentals of choral singing are presented in an energetic and nurturing atmosphere.