Mordents, appoggiaturas, and trills are some of the tools of the trade for Callisto Ascending, a professional Baroque music ensemble. Now ask a sixth grader in the choir and you will hear what they sound like.

For two weeks, the New Amsterdam Boys and Girls Choir hosted Callisto Ascending for a residency in early November. On, Friday, November 7, both ensembles shared the spotlight in a well-attended concert of parents and supporters.

Artistic Director James Backmon conducted choir members in selections reprised from private events this fall. Callisto Ascending reprised selections that received recent praise in The New York Times. Then both ensembles joined to perform Baroque songs with accompaniment on authentic instruments.

The residency workshops were hosted at the Renaissance School of the Arts and the concert was hosted at Esperanza Preparatory Academy, both new middle schools in East Harlem with choirs trained by Mr. Backmon.