Grailville Retreat and Program Center in Loveland Ohio invites you to attend Contemplating God: Images in the Liturgy, a benefit concert by the Ann Arbor Grail Singers on Friday, April 18 at 8 pm. Project Support for this concert has been provided by a grant from the Fine Arts Fund. Singers and lovers of chant are also invited to attend a workshop on The Unifying Power of Chant on, Saturday April 19, from 10-noon led by Roberta Schultz of Raison D’etre.

A feature of the Michigan musical scene since 1995, the Ann Arbor Grail Singers are a 16-voice women’s choir with an outstanding reputation in Gregorian Chant and Early Music repertoire. They have been lauded for the beauty of their sound, and "their musicality, precision, balance, and intonation" (Current Magazine). Founded by the late Lynn Malley of Grailville, and directed by her until her death, the Ann Arbor Grail Singers are now led by Deborah Friauff, who holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts from the University of Michigan.  Dr. Friauff was awarded the “Premier Prix d’Orgue, Médaille d’Or” by the Conservatoire National de Région, Rueil-Malmaison, France.

The Ann Arbor Grail Singers have performed in the Detroit Institute of Arts Brunch with Bach Series, at the Toledo Art Museum, and at the University of Michigan Museum of Art. They have released three CDs, including "Sounds of the Spirit" praised for the choir’s ability to "communicate intensity and deeply-felt emotion while maintaining the flowing lines of chant and early polyphony" (Clarence R. J. Rivers, PhD.; President, Stimuli, Inc.).

The Ann Arbor Grail Singers’ last performance at Grailville was in 2004 while still under Lynn Malley’s leadership. They are donating this 2008 concert as a benefit to Grailville in honor of Lynn’s abiding legacy.  Please join us for this event on Friday, April 18, 2008 at 8 pm in Grailville’s award-winning Oratory. Grailville is located at 932 O’Bannonville Road, Loveland OH. Limited seating is also available for an after-concert reception featuring the Grailvillage Choir, founded by Lynn Malley and directed by Fran Martin since 1995. Tickets for the concert plus reception are $30; tickets for the concert only are $15. Tuition for the Unifying Power of Chant Workshop is $30. Reservations are recommended. Contact 513-683-2340 or www.grailville.org for more information.

Grailville is a center of The Grail, an international movement of women committed to spiritual search, social actions, ecological sustainability and the release of women’s creative energy throughout the world. Located on 300 acres of woodlands, pastures and organic gardens, Grailville is a diverse community offering spiritual, cultural and educational opportunities for the public, as well as providing guest facilities for meetings, lodging and dining.