If choral music is among your interests, then you may want to plan to attend a performance of the award-winning Pinecrest Choir this weekend.

On Sunday, both the Pinecrest chamber ensemble and the Bella Voce choirs of Pinecrest High School will perform at The Village Chapel in Pinehurst. The free concert begins at 4 p.m. and is expected to last about an hour, according to Pinecrest director of choirs Erin E. Plisco.

"The chamber ensemble will play six pieces of music encompassing a variety of styles from Renaissance to contemporary," Plisco said. "The newly named Bella Voce, changed from their former name of Sotto Voce, will perform five pieces, also highlighting a diversity of styles."

Students Graham Leonard, Rachel Skora and Rebekah Shamberger will also make solo performances.

Plisco said that the concert is partly in preparation for another chamber ensemble performance planned for November.

"On Nov. 12, the chamber ensemble will perform as part of the North Carolina Music Educators Associ-ation state conference in Winston-Salem," Plisco said. "This conference occurs every year, and is attended by music educators of all levels from across the state. Concerts, both choral and instrumental, are given as part of this conference every year, and being invited to perform is a huge honor."

Plisco said that "only the best" choirs in the state are asked to participate.

The chamber ensemble will perform a 25-minute program at this conference, which will be held in the Stevens Center for the Performing Arts.

There are three other high school choirs performing from various parts of the state. Their performance that Monday will begin around 2:50 p.m. The event is free, and the public is invited."

Pinecrest Choral Boosters Club President Bob Boone hopes everyone will attend both upcoming events.

"Come out and hear these nationally recognized choirs as they prepare to share their musical talents with the music educators of North Carolina," Boone said.

The choirs have been invited to be featured performers at the Heritage Festival of Gold, to be held in Chicago from March 21-26.

"We were very honored to be asked to participate in the invitation-only Heritage Festival next spring," Plisco said. "It's nice to have these opportunities to perform. We're busy, but we wouldn't have it any other way."

This past April, the Pinecrest chamber ensemble and Sotto Voce choirs came home with gold following performances at the Worldstrides Heritage Performance Festival in Washington, D.C.

"Both choirs received gold awards recognizing their high level of performance, with the chamber ensemble receiving two nearly perfect scores," said Boone. "They literally blew away the competition."

The Village Chapel is at 10 Azalea Road in Pinehurst.

Contact John Lentz at (910) 693-2479 or jlentz@the pilot.com.