It is a stormy Monday night, and in a dreary third-floor classroom at Duquesne University, Christine Jordanoff is putting several dozen students through a vigorous workout.

	Krista Schinagl, Post-Gazette Christine Jordanoff leads the Children's Festival Chorus in exercises before rehearsal. Click photo for larger image. If you go For ticket information, contact ProArts at 412-394-3353. Tickets also are available at the door.

"Gets those knots out," she cries out as she leads the group through a series of head, neck and arm stretches.

"Hands on your hips for knees bends."

"OK, now cross your hands for demi plie."

Dance class? No.

Exercise class? Not quite.

Pilates? Not even close.

This is a standard warm-up for the Children's Festival Chorus, which is in rehearsal for its 20th Anniversary Concert that will be held at 4 p.m. today in the North Allegheny High School auditorium in Wexford.

The event not only marks a milestone birthday but also will feature a newly commissioned work, "A World of Music," by Michael Moricz, and the return of alumni from around the country.

The chorus, headed by Jordanoff, the artistic director and conductor, is comprised of 155 pre-teens and teens from eight counties and 90 schools in the region. The boys and girls, ages 8 to 15, are from a variety of backgrounds and are selected through an audition process.

The chorus performs two concerts each year, and its schedule includes numerous public appearances. It also provides the young talent often needed by the Pittsburgh Symphony, the Pittsburgh Opera, the Pittsburgh Ballet, the Mendelssohn Choir and any number of theatrical productions.

Krista Schinagl, Post-Gazette Ibby Conway, 12, and other members of the Children's Festival Chorus rehearse at Duquesne University for the group's 20th anniversary concert. Click photo for larger image.

Jordanoff, who is chair of the Music Department at Duquesne, took over the chorus in 1985, two years after it was founded to meet the Pittsburgh Symphony's need for a children's chorus.

Less than three years after its founding, the chorus found itself struggling. Jordanoff moved the chorus to Duquesne University, where it could have a permanent home.

Since then, it's grown into a world-class chorus that's produced three compact discs, performed on television and radio, and appeared in concerts around the country to critical acclaim.

One of the original members of the chorus is among those returning for the anniversary concert. Paula Macpherson Lesnick, 31, who grew up in Squirrel Hill and now is an orchestra teacher in Ponca City, Okla., jumped at the opportunity to return.

"Those of us who were in it never wanted to leave," Lesnick said. "It was our life. We stayed in five, six, sometimes seven years."

Lesnick went on to sing with the Junior Mendelssohn Choir and the Mendelssohn Choir. She subsequently earned a degree in music from Duquesne.

Much like school athletics, being part of the chorus helped young people learn discipline, respect, leadership, responsibility and accountability, Lesnick said.

Another returning alumnus will be Eric Hobbs, 24, of Chicago, who grew up in Kittanning. Hobbs, married and a new father, is studying music education at DePaul University.

Like Lesnick, Hobbs used his experience with the Children's Festival Chorus as a springboard to a broader music career. Being part of the anniversary concert is a chance to perform again and renew old acquaintances.

"I think it will be fun to see some of my friends I haven't seen for a long time."

Jordanoff said she was most surprised by the response from the alumni.

"I thought we'd get 25 or 30," she said. Instead, 95 former members are making the return home.