Georgina L. Todd says the U.S. Navy's "Sea Chanters" chorus has a definite strategy in its singing.

"We want to give the audience a little of what it wanted, a little of what it don't expect and then some music it didn't know it wanted but is glad it got," says the leader of the chorus that has been around since 1956.

The group, which began as an all-male chorus and added women in 1980, will perform Sunday in a free concert that has been sold out since mid-February. It is the first show in the group's 21-day tour that will have 19 shows on its way to Denver.

Senior Chief Musician Todd, who has been with the group for 18 1/2 years, says sellouts happen often, but ticket-holders sometimes do not show up. Unclaimed seats are turned over 15 minutes before the show, she says.

Todd, like the other members of the group, is a full-time member of the military. She was recruited to sing, rather than being a member of the service who tried out for musician duty. It is rare for the latter to happen, she says, because the Navy seeks to "provide a level of excellence."

That quality has made her time in the band something she "wouldn't trade for anything," she says.

Besides doing patriotic songs and the sea chanteys after which the group is named, the singers also break down into small groups that do songs from opera, jazz and musical theater. This year's show features a "Jersey Boys" segment.

But the element most audiences don't know they want, she says, is this show-closing tribute to veterans of every service branch.

The singers have performed at inaugurations and at such somber ceremonies as a presidential wreath-laying at the Flight 93 crash site in Somerset County. They also have appeared on network television and with symphony orchestras in Boston, Cincinnati and Baltimore.

The touring is part of a dedication the Navy has to providing music, she says.

"There is a great seriousness and sense of camaraderie here," she says. "It is very fulfilling to be part of this team."

Additional Information:

U.S. Navy Sea Chanters

When: 7 p.m. Sunday

Admission: Sold out, but turnbacks are possible for the free concert.

Where: Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum

Details: 412-621-4253 or website

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