By Sanjeev Selvarajah

This year, Somerville’s Sunsetters have an unbelievable edge cascading around their youthful spirit. However, the repertoire that the administrators have arranged for the ensemble isn’t as hardened as possessing an edge entails. Imagine the fun Somerville’s older generations will have as the youngsters present some of the songs the director of the group has chosen: All That Jazz, Build Me Up Buttercup, and Rock and Roll All Night. The kids are all right; they aren’t mocking you by any means—this is simply their cover of years gone by.

To facilitate the pursuit of honoring classics of previous generations, the group, led by director Jimmy Del Ponte, held auditions to fetch newcomers. It all went down this week, and if you would like to see how this turnout added to the strength of the long-running ensemble then enlist them for a performance in your neighborhood.

As new performers come in some of the older kids will acquire administrative positions, said a serious force behind Somerville, Jackie Rosetti. She’s the person to ask for when you call the City of Somerville’s phone number; she is the primary source on the operations for the group: she plays the numbers game, funding.

There is no scouting for neighborhoods other than the usual projects outlined below. Jimmy Del Ponte, as the director, is the artistic drive behind Sunsetters. But, as  Rosetti pointed out, he also picks the songs and runs the auditions. They’ll be training for a few weeks and then they’ll hit the town, paint it red, and sing some more. One Short Day, from the Broadway musical Wicked was the audition song. You can enjoy it on their Web site: http://www.somervillema.gov/sunsetters.

A new feature of the collective is an increase in the age bracket. In recent years the group has gone beyond teenagers and permitted junior high students to join.  Del Ponte highlighted the stature of the youngsters with an ambitious plan for the youths, “Citizens of Somerville request performances on their streets. Aldermen and school committee members invite us to certain places. We perform at the annual Fireworks Celebration,  the Senior Picnic, Artbeat  and several Senior Living facilities.”

Bravo.