LYONS FALLS — The Adirondack Community Chorus will present “Down to the River to Pray,” a Lenten concert of spirituals, traditional gospel music and Appalachian gospel favorites at 3 p.m. Sunday at the Forest Presbyterian Church.

Chorus director Peg Nuspliger has chosen a program of songs that reflect a river theme “of the transformative beauty of water.”

Accompaniment will be provided by Sylvia Fici on piano, Phyllis Pfendler on keyboard bass and Christopher Harvey on percussion. Narration will be provided by Mother Linda Logan of Trinity Episcopal Church in Boonville.

Some of the songs to be performed are “Healing River,” “River in Judea,” “Soon and Very Soon,” “Precious Memories” and “Down by the Riverside.”

A medley, “River Hymns,” arranged by Larry Nickel will be premiered on Sunday. It was commissioned as an 80th birthday tribute to Anne Ediger Martin of the Brookside Senior Living Community in Lowville, by her son, Steve Martin.

Mrs. Martin has been attending rehearsals and plans to sing with the ACC as a new member.

The soloists for the concert come from a wide geographical area: Angela Bartelotte from Port Leyden, Felicia Birgenheier from Brantingham, Carol Croniser from Alder Creek, Michael Ferris from Forestport, Margaret Haenlin from Lowville, Larry Hogan from Old Forge, Steve Kennison from Lowville, Karen Kjelgaard and Christie Lee from Boonville, Terry Marcy from Lyons Falls, Jason Matteson from Lee Center and Michelle Smith from Remsen.

A double octet, composed of eight women and eight men, will perform the song “Down to the River to Pray” as the rest of the chorus members take their places at the beginning of the concert. The double octet will harmonize in a style suggestive of a barbershop quartet, which is the way “Down to the River to Pray” was featured in the Cohen brothers’ film “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”

During the concert, images of local rivers will be projected on a screen above the chorus. This display has been coordinated and assembled by the ACC’s Eve Breen of Boonville, a member of Forest Presbyterian Church. Several photos were contributed by Angela Bartelotte, also a longtime ACC member and one of the soloists. Ms. Bartelotte keeps a visual chronicle of her kayaking adventures through some of the prettiest and most colorful regions of the Adirondacks.

Admission to the concert is free but voluntary donations will be split equally between the chorus and Forest Presbyterian Church. The church will use the funds to support the Parkinson’s unit at the Presbyterian Home, New Hartford. The chorus will use any donations to purchase new music.

Attendees who would like to donate checks to the Parkinson’s Unit should make them out to Forest Presbyterian Church and write “Parkinson’s unit” on the memo line.

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