And 50 years later the Prince George Cantata Singers choir, including two of its founding members, will be performing Handel's Messiah with the Prince George Symphony Orchestra tonight at 7:30 at Vanier Hall.
Kay Lim, soprano and soloist, and Colin Dix, bass, are the only two members who have sung with the Cantata Singers for all of the last half century.
The choir was founded in 1968 with David Lindstrom as the music director and current music director Lyn Vernon will be retiring after tonight's Messiah performance.
Vice president of the Cantata Singers board and a soprano herself, Valerie Chatterson said there are 84 members of the choir who will be singing during tonight's performance and she's excited about it.
"I'll be singing way up in the stratosphere tonight," Chatterson said of her second Prince George Messiah performance. Before that she had performed it in high school.
"It's going to be intimidating right at first but it feels good. There's exhilaration but it's hard to describe all the feelings that go into it but every time I successfully manage to hit one of those super-high notes it's like 'oh yeah!'"
This performance is a beloved Prince George tradition, featuring the PGSO's conductor Michael Hall. Tickets for this historic show are still available at www.centralinteriortickets.com.
