A Cappella Group and Pop Singer to Spark Community Interest in Lifelong Love of Singing with Electrify The Night Concert on April 8th

Schenectady's Electric City Chorus continues the tradition of a cappella after 73 years - harmonizing into the future

SCHENECTADY, NY - March 16, 2017 - On Saturday, April 8th, The Electric City Chorus and Pop singer/songwriter Kristina Lachaga will unite the musical stylings of a cappella and pop music to present Electrify The Night: A Concert to Spark Harmony in Your Heart. The concert, which aims to reach a broad audience of music lovers and inspire a lifelong love of singing will kickoff at 7pm at Schalmont High School, 1 Sabre Dr, Schenectady.

The two acts met in January 2016 after performing at the Ronald McDonald House of Albany's Radiothon at Crossgates Mall. The Electric City Chorus reached out to Lachaga to join forces in an effort to bring an awareness and appreciation of a cappella to a younger audience in hopes of inspiring a new generation to continue the tradition of a cappella singing.

The Electric City Chorus (ECC), an a cappella vocal music group singing in the Barbershop Style, has been entertaining and enriching the lives of others singing for community events, fundraisers and seniors throughout the Capital District for seventy-three years. The chorus was formed in 1944 as the Schenectady, NY chapter of what was then called the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America. The Electric City Chorus is still going strong as a chapter under the society's new name -- The International Barbershop Harmony Society. What are the hopes for the future of ECC? According to board member and chairman for the concert, Dave Iovinella, "We'd like to grow our membership, to expose our craft to more and more people including the younger generations, and continue to spread positivity to the community."

When the Electric City Chorus invited Lachaga to perform with them as the Special Guest at an upcoming concert it sparked Lachaga's idea for "Electrify The Night." "I wanted to help the chorus create a concert relatable to both an older and younger audience, exposing them to different styles of music. And I've even incorporated the idea of 'Electric City' for Schenectady into the show."

Known as "The Girl With The Big Pink Heart" by her fans, Lachaga is no stranger to the Capital District performing at the 2016 Schenectady County SummerNight, the Albany Back To School Expo two years in a row, and last June singing the National Anthem at the Tri-City ValleyCats' Education Day before sharing her 'Sticks and Stones' Anti-Bullying message with over 4000 local students.

Most recently, Lachaga performed her newest single "R.S.V.P." in Charlotte, NC's Novant Health Thanksgiving Day Parade broadcast on CBS/WBTV. She just released her 1st music video for the catchy, upbeat single, which is inspired by the Simon & Schuster/Aladdin MIX You're Invited book series. The 22-year-old pop songstress has shared the stage with many artists on the scene, including Olivia Holt, Skylar Stecker, Heffron Drive (feat. Kendall Schmidt of Big Time Rush), Shawn Hook, X Factor's Bea Miller, and stars from Disney and Nickelodeon at concerts and events up and down the East Coast. Other events include iHeartRadio's Z104.3 & Girls' Life magazine's Shawn Mendes and One Direction Concert Pre-Parties, State Fair Meadowlands, the New York State Fair, Erie County Fair, The Fillmore Charlotte, SNHU Arena, and more. Prior to her transition to pop music, Lachaga also made a stop at Proctors in Schenectady when she traveled to 48 states and Canada playing Baby Louise in the 2007-2008 National Tour of the Broadway Musical "Gypsy."

In January, ECC and Lachaga visited Schalmont Middle School in Schenectady to perform for the students and encourage a lifelong love of singing and music. Singing from the heart is not the only thing that the Electric City Chorus and Lachaga have in common. Their love of sharing music across generations and giving back to the community is what inspired them to partner on this year's spring concert benefitting Habitat for Humanity of Schenectady County and the Electric City Chorus' Music Scholarship Fund, which underwrites music scholarships for students, furthering their commitment to the community and youth music education.

ECC's Music Scholarship Fund has helped send many students like Mohonasen High School junior, Nate Finke, to the Barbershop Harmony Society's Harmony Explosion Camp. The youth camp takes place in August at Worcester State University in Worcester, MA and has helped Finke, a 2 year member of the Electric City Chorus, find his voice. "Harmony Explosion Camp is an amazing and unique experience geared towards barbershop singing. If you don't already sing barbershop, this camp is a great place to start and to be welcomed into the community, and if you do sing barbershop already, you'll have a blast singing tags and making new friends all weekend long with people who share your passion. My first year at Harmony Explosion Camp was the best singing experience I had had in my life and really got me excited to keep singing!"

Lachaga believes the show will be memorable for all who attend, remarking that, "The concert will have something for everyone - from kids and teens to adults and seniors!"

Headlining the Electrify The Night concert will be Schenectady's own Electric City Chorus and Special Guest Kristina Lachaga, "The Girl With The Big Pink Heart." Electrify The Night will also feature The Four Notes (quartet of students from College of St. Rose, including ECC's Assistant Director Daniel Hoke), Our Secret Love Society (Tom Simek and Andi Thatcher make up this duo from Johnstown), and Too Much Intonation (aka TMI, the quintet features ECC member Nate Finke and 4 other juniors from Mohonasen High School).

Tickets prices: VIP (1st two rows) $20, General Admission $15, and Under 18 and Seniors $10. To purchase tickets to the Electrify The Night concert, contact (518) 233-1366 or jmalone46@nycap.rr.com. For more info and to RSVP, visit: www.Facebook.com/ElectrifyTheNight.

Men of all ages in the New York State Capital District are invited to join the Electric City Chorus which rehearses in Schenectady. Visit www.ElectricCityChorus.org for more information.

To learn more about Kristina Lachaga, "The Girl With The Big Pink Heart," visit www.KristinaLachaga.com and follow @KristinaLachaga on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

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