A special concert to benefit Filipino orphans...

A special concert to benefit Filipino orphans will be presented tonight at Resurrection Lutheran Church in Redondo Beach.

The Philippine Orphan’s Choir returns to the South Bay this year with “Never a Child,” a three-act concert featuring familiar gospel tunes and traditional Filipino songs and dances.

The 16 choir members, youngsters aged 7 to 16 whose parents have died or abandoned them, are residents of the David Livingstone Missionary Foundation Children’s Village in Cebu, the Philippines.

The foundation has worked to establish orphanages, hospitals and medical clinics and to provide food and disaster relief in 34 countries. This year the singing group will present 60 concerts throughout the United States to raise funds for such work.

The energetic, 90-minute concert is inspirational and educational, said Nancy Fisher, church spokeswoman.

“On TV you get this picture of orphans who are so sad and undernourished but (the choir members) have joy that someone has rescued them and that they have been given a chance for a good education and a good life,” Fisher said.

The program will be divided into three segments. One includes familiar Gospel classics such as “This Little Light of Mine.” Another segment, offering a look at Filipino culture, features traditional music and dance from five different regions and highlights the daring “stick dance” for the fleet of foot.

In the third act, the children don costumes from various countries and perform songs with an international flavor.

Admission to the concert is free but donations will be collected to help support the foundation. A slide show on some of the foundation’s projects will be presented at tonight’s program. In addition, a book titled “Never A Child,” which tells the story of the children’s journey, will be on sale.

The program begins at 7 p.m. at Resurrection Lutheran Church, 330 Palos Verdes Blvd., Redondo Beach. Child care can be provided with advance reservations. For more information or to register for child care call (310) 375-5382.