The renowned Pihcintu Multinational Chorus will perform a free concert at 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 29, at the Franco Center in Lewiston. This international choral group brings together refugee and immigrant children from around the world to share their music and stories of their homelands and the experience of being a refugee in Maine.

“Sharing music and stories is a common thread among immigrants and this includes the French Canadian immigrants and their Franco American descendants in Lewiston’s Little Canada and New Auburn Village in Auburn,” said Denise Scammon, marketing director at the Franco Center. “Music and song was one tradition that kept the Franco American community together.”

Since its inception in 2006, the Pihcintu chorus has performed before 300,000 people in live performances and hundreds of millions via broadcast and internet media including the Today Show, National Public Radio, Voice of America, Al Jazeera, Univision, UN TV and You Tube. They have appeared at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington DC; The National Cathedral, Washington, DC; and the United Nations, New York, New York; to name but a few of the venues. Over the course of time, more than 300 girls representing 40 countries have passed through the chorus with 100 percent high school graduation and 85 percent post-secondary education.

The chorus was founded and is directed by Con Fullam, award-winning producer, musician, songwriter, and Maine native, who combined his passion for music with a deep concern for the effect of world issues on children. Fullam is interested in giving Lewiston- and Auburn-area youth the opportunity to hear these stories and discover a human connection with the experiences of these young refugees.

War-torn villages, bloodshed, refugee camps, famine and political turmoil were devastating realities for many of these young singers before being embraced by the warmth, companionship and harmony that Pihcintu provides. The power of survival eases but never erases the memory of unthinkable atrocities, physical danger and personal tragedy. Portland, an ever-expanding international resettlement community, was fertile ground to bring together children from diverse backgrounds to sing as one. This unique chorus of young women from Cambodia, China, Congo, El Salvador, Egypt, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Uganda, Viet Nam, British West Indies, and Zambia, along with children whose families have been here for generations, have formed a powerful and permanent bond.

The event is free and open to the public, but tickets are still required. Call the box office for free tickets at 207-689-2000 or order online at francocenter.org/shows. The Franco Center is located in the former St. Mary’s Church at 46 Cedar St., Lewiston. Parking is available in the mill lot. The building is handicap accessible on the Lincoln St. Alley side.

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