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Steamboat Springs — Yampa Valley Singers director Marie Carmichael was going for contrast when she picked the program for a Tuesday choral concert.

Randall Thompson’s “Fros­tiana” is a slice of Americana, with folk-feeling music Car­michael described as “very beautiful, very soft” and “pastoral and quiet” set behind the text of four Robert Frost poems: “The Road Not Taken,” “Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening,” “A Girl’s Garden” and “Choose Something Like a Star.”

John Rutter’s “Gloria” is full of time changes and unexpected shifts, is bold and backed by an eight-piece brass orchestra, a percussionist and a pianist. It’s written in three movements, and follows sacred text.

The break between the two pieces follows a theme Carmichael has been building for the Yampa Valley Singers, a group that has grown out of a long-standing chorus tradition in the valley to become an ensemble that presents accessible and challenging work.

“There’s a history with the Columbine Singers, and the direction Marie is going with it is she wants to do more things like the ‘Gloria,’” tenor singer Joe Becker said, as the chorus warmed up for a rehearsal Sunday afternoon at United Methodist Church.

“Gloria” is one of the most difficult pieces the group has tackled, said tenor singer Russ Fasolino. In the past year, the Yampa Valley Singers — who meet as a for-credit class registered through the Colorado Mountain College Alpine Campus — have taken on the difficult Easter portion of Handel’s “Messiah,” and Carl Orff’s epic cantata “Carmina Burana.”

Tuesday’s concert features 36 chorus members, a brass orchestra, percussion, piano and organ. The three-piece program — Thompson’s “Alleluia” starts the night — is about an hour long. The show is at 6 p.m. at United Methodist Church. Tickets cost $10, or $6 for those 16 and younger, and are available at the door.