Sweet songs and sweet treats for Valentine's Day ...

CLAYTON — A wide-ranging program of choral music, a pit band of professional musicians and a silent auction will combine once again on Valentine’s Day to benefit the Select Vocal Ensemble at Thousand Islands Central High School.

This is the 15th year in a row that Kathyrn Ingerson, the district’s music director, has directed and produced the Valentine’s Day Dessert Theater and Silent Auction to benefit the high school’s Select Vocal Ensemble.

This year’s event begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the high school auditorium with catering by Lyric Coffee House and Bistro. Mrs. Ingerson said it’s a popular event for couples of all ages.

The Select Vocal Ensemble consists of 16 students in grades nine to 12. The annual concert/dessert funds the cost of traveling to competitions for the ensemble. In May, it will compete in Quebec City. The Valentines’s Day event has funded ensemble trips to such cities as Washington, D.C., New York City, Boston, Toronto, Montreal and Cleveland, where the group has consistently scored at the top or near the top at competitions. Mrs. Ingerson said the students also regularly receive “gold ratings” from the New York State School Music Association.

But for ensemble members, the group offers much more than a chance to travel and compete.

“Everyone makes a lot of friends by singing together,” said junior Alicia C. Fitzsimmons. “The music makes us get along so well and it helps bring out friendships that you wouldn’t think you would have had if you had not been singing in the group.”

Alicia said the trips funded by the dessert theater and silent auction involve more than singing at the competitions. For example, she said that last year in New York City, the ensemble attended a workshop about how Broadway musicals are produced.

Darien B. Frederick was a ninth grader last year, and the trip to New York City was her first.

“It was fun to learn about all the musical aspects and to sing for the judges who were able to tell us things we need to work on and things to make our group better for the next year,” Darien said.

Some ensemble members plan to continue singing after high school and hope to make a career out of it. Senior Natalie Reff, who played Esther Smith in last fall’s production of “Meet Me in St. Louis” presented by Watertown Lyric Theater, will study musical theater in college.

“It’s really helped me learn how to hold up my part in a group, how to blend in and to make the best sound I can possibly make,” she said. “It’s just a great program for the school in general, especially for kids who aren’t into sports. There aren’t a lot of clubs at TI. It’s another group of friends that you have.”

The choreographer for Tuesday’s performance is Eileen Hauck from Thousand Islands Dance Academy.

“It takes up some time, but when everybody locks in the dance moves together, it looks really nice and worth the difficult parts,” said junior Noelle M. Flynt.

Mrs. Ingerson said the music in Tuesday’s program will be “far-reaching.”

“Since ‘Glee’ has aired, so much diversity has popped up in the choral arranging scene,” she said, noting the popularity of the Fox network musical-drama series that premiered in 2009. Highlights will include a “Glee” medley that includes “Jump” (Van Halen); “Shout It Out Loud” (Kiss); “Like a Prayer” (Madonna); “Any Way You Want It” and “Lovin,’ Touchin’, Squeezin’” (Journey), and even a 1950s’ do-woop number: “Blue Moon.”

The pit band consists of professional musicians from the area, many of whom have been involved with the fundraiser the past 14 years.

Silent auction items include prints by artist Michael Ringer, gift certificates from local restaurants and stores, a Bose sound system, gift baskets from local hair designers and wine baskets.

There also will be raffles throughout the evening.

Members of the Select Vocal Ensemble at Thousand Islands Central High School:

Ruth Briggs, Maria Cipullo, Kyala Clegg, Amie Ferguson, Megan Ferguson, Alicia Fitzsimmons, Noelle Flynt, Darien Frederick, Guadalupe Gamez, Lucero Gamez, Erick Lange, Kevin O’Connor, Natalie Reff, Noelle Rogers, Chelsea Smith and Mariah Turner.