Electric Youth Presents Bon Voyage Show in Advance of 14th European Concert Tour

Electric Youth (EY) 2017, the international touring ensemble of talented singer-dancers trained at the Franklin School for the Performing Arts (FSPA), presents a Bon Voyage concert at THE BLACK BOX in downtown Franklin on Saturday, June 24 at 7:30 p.m. The performance comes just days before the ensemble departs on June 28 for a 2 ½-week concert tour of England, France, Italy and Switzerland. Backed by an eight-piece band of world-class musicians, Electric Youth delivers a fun, high-energy evening of family entertainment with an extensive range of contemporary pop, classic rock, Broadway and country music for audiences all ages.

The group's 14th European tour features several concerts along the coast of Normandy, including shows in Barfleur, Cherbourg and the historic D-Day site of Sainte-Mère-Église. The itinerary also marks the group's debut in Switzerland with a concert in Zermatt. Venues in England include Wimbourne's Tivoli Theatre, along with performances in Arundel, Chichester and Hastings, where Electric Youth will collaborate with students from the Hastings Stage Studio. EY also returns to Lake Como, following performances there last summer, to deliver two lakeside shows at the Hotel Britannia.

Selected annually by audition, the group is chosen for superior musicianship, stage presence, and "triple threat" accomplishments in voice, dance, and acting. This season's ensemble of performers, ages 15-18, studies multiple dance disciplines, voice, and acting at FSPA. Electric Youth 2017 includes Julia Buccella, Brooke Collins, Aaron Frongillo, Sydney Leach, Caitlin Woodcock and Melissa Wyner of Franklin; Caroline Merten of Hopedale; Sam Evans and Colie Vancura of Medfield; Katie Gray of Milford; Naomi Fitzgerald, Mairead Nee and Griffin Wilkins of Walpole; and Susauna Wickstrom of Wrentham.

The EY singer-dancers are backed by Boston musicians who've performed, recorded and toured with music legends Tony Bennett, Aretha Franklin, Dizzy Gillespie, B.B. King, Diana Ross, The Temptations, Van Morrison and many others. Raye Lynn Mercer and Hallie Wetzell are Electric Youth's Director and Vocal Director, respectively. Choreographers include Mercer, Casey Andrade, Cheryl Madeux, Nick Paone and Kellie Stamp.

Electric Youth has released six professional albums and toured Europe 13 times, with performances at England's Arundel Festival, Disneyland Paris, professional theaters in Bristol, London and Windsor, and such renowned venues as Sanremo's Ariston Theatre and Vienna's Konzerthaus, Musikverein and Schonbrunn Palace. EY also has headlined Fourth of July shows for U.S. troops and their families stationed in Italy at Camp Ederle, Camp Darby and Aviano Air Force Base. The ensemble has performed on Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas, on Fox-TV and WBZ Radio, and at Fenway Park, Gillette Stadium, Mechanics Hall, the Smithsonian Museum Theater, the United Nations and the American Embassy in Rome. EY's music, including the 2014 album Power Chord, is available at amazon.com and iTunes.

Tickets for Electric Youth in Concert at THE BLACK BOX are $26. To purchase tickets, visit www.THEBLACKBOXonline.com, stop by the box office at 34 Main Street in Franklin, or call (508) 528-3370. THE BLACK BOX is located at 15 West Central Street in downtown Franklin. For more information about Electric Youth, visit www.electricyouth.com.