Ledyard — The first concert featuring all of the town's high school music groups will take place Thursday and feature Americana music going back all the way to the Civil War.

"Meet the Choirs," held near the beginning of each school year, includes the Women's, Men's, Concert, Select Singers and Chamber Choir classes as well as the after-school groups Premier, Final Cut and Acabellas.

The concert is intended to show off the skills that many of the groups are working on, such as tone and musical literacy, according to vocal music teacher Russell Hammond. The school classes pratice every other school day, and the after-school groups practice once a week. 

"We try and show in the first concert there's skill involved, there's craft involved in being a good musician," he said.

Songs include "Red River Valley," "He's Gone Away" and "I'm Going Home on a Cloud."

The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. in the high school auditorium. Advanced seating tickets are available during school and are $5 for reserved seating, with a family rate of 4 seats for $15.