Chimbote choir performing at St. James Basilica

The Rev. Jack Davis’ award-winning choir from Chimbote, Peru, is on tour in the United States and will perform at St. James Basilica in Jamestown Tuesday. The concert is at 7:30 p.m. following worship at 5:15 and a potluck dinner at about 6:15 in the Parish Center. The public is invited to the potluck.

Davis, a priest with the Fargo Diocese, has lived and worked in Chimbote for 34 years in the Nuestra Senora del Pepetuo Socorro parish. In 1991, a group of young men and women of the parish worked to create a choir. Their primary goal was to “encourage the parish community to celebrate through song dedicated exclusively to God.” They chose the name “JUPUSA” which means “young people united by a single friendship.” Davis encouraged and supported the choir, which is directed by Roberto Carlos Davila Carty.

After several years of work, JUPUSA won the Diocese of Chimbote Music Festival in 1998. They recorded their first CD a couple of years later and in 2000 JUPUSA was named the Best Choir in Chimbote. Eventually, they traveled to Lima to record a second and third CD.

Davis arranged for JUPUSA to accompany him on his annual spring trip to the U.S. in 2004. It was the choir’s first tour with performances in two states. The Los Amigos Peruvian Choir Tour has JUPUSA performing in eight states, including several cities in North Dakota. JUPUSA’s primary goal is to “encourage the parish community to celebrate through song dedicated exclusively to God.”

Other area communities where JUPUSA will perform are Napoleon, Edgeley, Carrington, Devils Lake and Fargo. To learn more about Davis’ work in Peru or find detailed tour information, visit www. losamigo-chimbote .org.

A freewill offering at the concert will be taken to help defray the tour’s expenses.

Tags: st james, life, religion, basilica, jamestown, chimbote, choir