Humor, food notes, marvel and occasional touches of homesickness thread the reflections by choristers among the 27 members of the (SVCC) who spent two weeks this summer in Cusco, Peru, in part to collaborate with a Peruvian children’s choir to record and film a music video for release this fall. SVCC is a program of 91����Ƶ.

“We’re not going there to show how good we are,” artistic and executive director told the choristers before the trip. “We’re going down there to experience another culture and to embrace it and to learn from it.” 

Moments

Choristers visited Machu Picchu and two Mennonite churches, performed numerous times, including in a Catholic mass, a school concert and two city squares, learned about Andean music and traditional dance, soaked up Peruvian culture, and more.

Only two days into the trip, a chorister sustained a leg injury requiring stitches. Fortunately a chaperone who is also a physician had brought along medical supplies and stitched the wound — on a kitchen table in a dining area.

On another day, wrote Emily Reichard in one of the daily by various choristers, the group “visited a local children’s school, Promesa, where we sang and read with students. I enjoyed reading a Thomas the Tank Engine book to a sweet little boy — even though he was more interested in playing Spanish Bingo with his friends.”

Skylar Wampler recalled “singing in a Spanish church service that was so beautiful I cried not once, but twice,” and “washing every white SVCC shirt by hand with three others in Mrs. Hostetter’s bathtub and hanging them to dry on a makeshift clothesline in the empty swimming pool.”

John Byrd wrote that the trip “definitely pulled me out of the perspective of a teenage boy living in Virginia. I think I owe that to the mostly cold showers and eating bread almost religiously every morning.”

Intern Ben Luna lost his glasses out an open train window. “Luckily another chorister had a pair of spare glasses with a similar prescription in one eye,” wrote MacRae Richardson. “The other eye was not the same, however. To solve the problem, Ben covered the one eye with his drink coaster. Thus, Ben looks like a pirate with girls’ glasses and an ‘Inca Rail’ eye patch.”

Machu Picchu left Afton Rhodes-Lehman in “pure shock. I was already expecting beauty but the scenery blew me away. The air was cool and fresh, and the mountains that surrounded me baffled me with their majesty and grandeur. Their peaks were hidden by fog and clouds, which made it feel like they had pierced the dome of the sky.”

More than halfway into the trip, the group divided for an afternoon of either horseback riding or shopping. “I don’t think my horse liked me because I was too big for it,” wrote Jonathan Murch. “At one point during the ride, Mr. Horse got its tail stuck in some barbed wire; so, I dismounted and detangled its tail and then Mr. Horse ran off. This was unfortunate because I paid a decent amount of money to ride him. In the end, I got him back and had a grand ole’ time.”

As the end of the trip neared, Helene Holzer said, “Peru has been one of the greatest experiences of my life,” and Josiah Ropp reflected that the choristers “have all become closer and gotten to know each other better … even if there were a few bumps in the road. I am sad to say that this trip is almost up but glad that I will be able to get up and take a shower whenever I want.”

Caroline Dean began the final post with, “Sunday was sadly our last [full] day in Cusco, but it definitely wasn’t sad!” and recounts the feeling of welcome in the church where the choir sang that day, meeting the trip’s 1,142nd dog (she reports seeing 43 more on the way back to the hostel, and one more on the way to the airport the next day), and procrastinating with roommates before packing up to leave for home.

“This was an amazing experience,” she wrote, adding that the memories are ones “that we will hold close to us for the rest of our lives.”

‘Most difficult but most satisfying’

Not everything on the trip went as planned, of course. But what did happen was reciprocity, said Hostetter, perhaps most notably with , a Peruvian children’s choir directed by Amilcar Soto.

Soto, whose passion for Peruvian culture is evident in the sound and look of his choir, wrote a song in Spanish and Quechua for Los k’ana Wawakuna and SVCC to record and sing in a music video. The video will show both choirs singing the song on a hilltop that on one side overlooks Cusco. The view from the other side, though, where the SVCC choristers begin in the video, looks like it could be the Shenandoah Valley.

“Originally we were going to have Los k’ana Wawakuna run to join the SVCC choristers, but realized that would misrepresent the idea of collaboration,” Hostetter said. “So instead, we had everyone run to the middle, to become a new choir.”

“Flexibility” became Hostetter’s mantra throughout the project: The five planned days devoted to the project ended up being reduced to one day — which then turned into three partial days. She unexpectedly needed to entertain the children of Los k’ana Wawakuna on the first night they arrived in Cusco because Soto could not come until the next day. Then, because Soto teaches his choir without written music and so had provided none to SVCC, Hostetter resorted to writing the lyrics in large handwriting on a legal pad, which she held up for the singers to read. And with the project unexpectedly in development even as it was underway, Hostetter had to figure out how to translate portions of the song into English text that would fit both rhythmically and thematically — as late as on the bus ride to the studio on the day of recording.

Then, in the studio, a chorister who felt sick came to SVCC intern Ben Luna, who at the moment was holding the legal pad of lyrics and translations. Luna and the chorister left quickly for a restroom down the street, in their hurry taking along the legal pad, unintentionally bringing the recording session to a standstill.

In short, it was more than just a couple times that Hostetter wasn’t sure the project would come together.

Even so, by the last day of collaboration she described a spirit of “total trust”: things had worked out. That final day, when the door of the bus bringing the Los k’ana Wawakuna choristers opened and released the flood of children to the filming site, “the joy was palpable,” she said, with “love and hugs.”

Los k’ana Wawakuna parents, too, showed warmth to Hostetter and the SVCC choristers at the film site. When the lady with the alpaca (the mean one, Pancho) insisted on overcharging Hostetter for its appearance in the video, those parents stepped in and admonished the lady, “No! Don’t do this to them!”

“They were looking out for us,” Hostetter said. “We were friends.”

Soto and parents of Los k’ana Wawakuna went on to invite SVCC to pray with them, which Hostetter said was a “moving” time.

The project was “by far the most difficult thing to line up, but the most satisfying,” said Hostetter’s daughter Brook, who, having lived for two years in Cusco as an Eastern Mennonite Missions and Virginia Mennonite Missions worker, facilitated the SVCC trip.

Doctoral research

For SVCC director Hostetter, the trip had an additional layer: thesis research discovering the pedagogical practices of choirs of national or international renown for her anticipated doctorate of musical arts from James Madison University.

 was the first of five choirs that Hostetter will compare and contrast, along with in the Czech Republic, in the Philippines, in South Africa, and .

Amilcar Soto’s Los k’ana Wawakuna, Hostetter thinks, is a bright spot because of its ardent preservation and presentation of Peruvian culture and ways of teaching music.

“It was very different from our traditions, but I found it so valuable,” said Hostetter, a 1987 graduate of 91����Ƶ. “Soto has kept the Peruvian culture so passionately steeped in what they do, and it begged me to ask the question, ‘How would I, as the director of the Shenandoah Valley Children’s Choir, passionately produce music of this region with the choir like he does?’ I’m not sure that I can, in part because we are not one uniform culture. We are a melting pot.”

An overcome barrier

The language barrier that SVCC faced in Peru was real, Hostetter reflects, but it didn’t keep the choristers from dubbing their hostel cooks “wonderful ladies” or stifle the enthusiasm for the clapping games played together by SVCC and Los k’ana Wawakuna choir members.

And Hostetter remembers the heartfelt thanks offered to her after SVCC sang in a church service, when a four-feet tall lady grabbed her around the neck and held tight, exclaiming again and again, “Gracias, mama! Gracias mama!”

That was an embrace.

During the evening, the groups will perform an up-tempo song of no more than four minutes. Up to five groups will advance to the ballad round, with the top two contestants advancing to perform a selection of their choosing.

The first-place group will receive a $750 prize, and the runner up, $500. The “audience favorite” of the first round will be awarded $250.

The contest “promotes artistry, excellence, camaraderie and musical community among singers in Virginia,” said SVCC Artistic Director Janet M. Hostetter.

Additionally, it will raise money for scholarships to help children participate in SVCC, a nationally acclaimed choir that provides opportunities for music education, performance, touring and recording.

The competition is also a nod to a cappella’s historic legacy, which has been practiced in the Shenandoah Valley since the late 1800s, “thanks to the singing schools and songbook publications produced by Joseph Funk and his sons in Singers Glen,” added Hostetter.

Tickets are $10 for under 18 and students with a college ID, $15 for adults, and $20 at the door. To purchase tickets, visit

Performing Groups

is an all-male chamber ensemble that was founded by James Madison University students in 2016. They perform sacred, gospel and Renaissance a cappella music, with an emphasis on sight reading.

, a men’s group based in the Shenandoah Valley, has performed at over 250 events since they were founded in 1999. The ten members make decisions by consensus, and perform everything from religious choral work, to folk, international, bluegrass, gospel and barbershop music.

is a barbershop quartet from Harrisonburg which performs traditional and modern barbershop and other a cappella works. Their repertoire spans many decades of musical styles.

, founded in 1998, is a male group from James Madison University. Their repertoire focuses on covering popular tunes. In 2013, they received a Contemporary A Cappella Recording Award for their album Boyfriend Material.

are from the University of Virginia. Their first album is currently in the works, which includes covers of the Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Nirvana and the Arctic Monkeys.

, a six-member co-ed group based in the Shenandoah Valley, was formed in 2013. They have released two albums, including a Christmas album in December 2016.

is a 25-member male barbershop chorus which formed in 2008. This chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society performs monthly throughout the Shenandoah Valley.

became James Madison University’s second co-ed a cappella group in 2000. Low Key’s members value their tradition of friendship, family and a passion for music.

is a co-ed group from James Madison University. The Overtones, founded in 1997, have released seven albums and been featured on multiple “Best of College A Cappella” compilations.

is an independent female vocal ensemble which formed in 2003 at 91����Ƶ. They have released seven albums, and contributed to recordings of the Mennonite hymnal supplements.

The Shenandoah Valley Sing-Off is sponsored by Muddy Feet Graphics, with additional sponsors Jon and Mary Ann Alger, Clay Showalter, Cherished Memories Studios and Mast Landscaping.

SVCC is a program of 91����Ƶ.

“The music of SVCC will always be with me,” she says. “The SVCC continues to change the world, one song at a time, and I couldn’t be more grateful for its impact in my life.”

From sixth grade through her senior year of high school, Maas made Monday night practices, rehearsals, concerts and tours a priority. Those years were a time of transition from visionary founder Julia White through interim director Jo-Anne van der Vat-Chromy and then current director .

“Being taught by all three of the SVCC’s head directors allowed me to learn three different styles of choral singing, perform an enormously diverse repertoire of music, and learn unique life lessons from all three wonderful women,” she said.

The choir celebrates its 25th anniversary March 31 through April 2, 2017, with three concerts and opportunities for alumni to sing, share memories and celebrate with the SVCC community. More than 25 alumni are registered to attend, including Maas, who will have the joy of singing once again with alumni and current choristers, including her younger brother. Hostetter, artistic and executive director, expects more to register in the coming weeks.

“For 25 years, the Shenandoah Valley Children’s Choir has exemplified a tradition of musical excellence in children’s choral singing here in the Shenandoah Valley,” said Hostetter. “We’re thrilled to bring our community together to share in the joy of music and the countless lives that have been transformed by this program.”

The choir currently includes more than 160 youth in , and a of seven under Hostetter’s direction. The choir was founded by White, who served as artistic director from 1991 until the spring of 2012. Van der Vat-Chromy, director of choral activities at James Madison University, served from 2012-2014 as interim director before Hostetter started in the fall of 2014.

The weekend will also celebrate “the many people who have helped this program flourish over the years,” Hostetter said.

“This program is a collaborative labor of love, from our wonderful managers and office personnel to amazing parent volunteers to our talented pianists and other instrumentalists,” said assistant director Joy Anderson, who joined the choir in 2000.

Watching choristers—including her own four children—grow and learn is one of the many pleasures of working with the choirs, Anderson says. “I get to watch our youngest choristers gain confidence, artistry and so many other musical and extra-musical attributes. Seeing our little ones dream of being in Concert Choir and eventually making it, and having the choir comprise such a large and important part of their childhoods, is gratifying and touching.”

SVCC has made 16 recordings and toured to major cities around the United States, including performances at the Pacific Rim International Children’s Choir Festival in Honolulu, Hawaii; for Archbishop Desmond Tutu at James Madison University’s Mahatma Gandhi Global Nonviolence Award ceremony; by invitation to Carnegie Hall; the White House Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony; the Tuscany International Children’s Chorus Festival in Italy, and at numerous music conferences. A 2017 tour to Peru is planned.

During the summer of 2016, SVCC and the National Park Service produced a of choristers singing Mark Patterson’s arrangement of “Shenandoah” in the mountains of Shenandoah National Park.  The video, released in September, was shared extensively on Facebook and on other media platforms.

Friday: Alumni Recital and Choir Concert, 7 p.m., Park View Mennonite Church

Registered alumni are invited to a 4:30 choir rehearsal and 5:30 dinner ($5 suggested donation) preceding the 7 p.m. concert.

Selected alumni will perform individually. They’ll be joined by the alumni choir singing Jim Papoulis’ “Can You Hear,” John Rutter’s “The Lord Bless You and Keep You,” and the South African hymn, “Siyahamba.”

A reception will follow. The concert is free, but donations are accepted.

Saturday, April 1, SVCC “Shout Out Your Joy!” Spring Concert, Lehman Auditorium, 91����Ƶ

The Preparatory, Treble and Concert Choirs will perform. Laura Farnell’s commissioned work “Shout Out Your Joy!” will be premiered along with a number of SVCC favorites. Featured works are “Song for a Pirate Child,” “We Will Sing for Joy,”  “J’entend le Moulin,” “Wir Eilen Mit Schwachen,” “Niška Banja,” and “The Lord Bless You and Keep You.”

The alumni choir will also participate.

An SVCC Hall of Fame presentation will honor the many people who have made the choir possible over the years.

Saturday, April 2, The American  Boychoir Concert, 4 p.m., Lehman Auditorium

SVCC’s Concert Choir, directed by Janet Hostetter, will open for the American Boychoir, directed by Fernando Malvar-Ruiz.

Combined choirs will then conclude the concert.

To update alumni contact information, register to sing in the alumni choir, click .

To purchase tickets, click .

For more information about auditions and program offerings, visit the SVCC website at

The video was part of the 100th anniversary celebrations of the National Park Service. On June 20, the choir, a program of 91����Ƶ, performed at the park’s Byrd Welcome Center as part of the “Sing Across America” project.

“We thought it would be fun to create a video that would showcase their work and that iconic song in the beauty of the park,” said Claire Comer, a park ranger and interpretive specialist in the media department.

Added Janet Hostetter, the choir’s artistic director, laying emphasis on the repetition: “I suggested the idea of the Shenandoah Valley Children’s Choir singing ‘S���Բ��Ի�Dz���’ in the Shenandoah National Park.” She used an arrangement by Mark Patterson of the old American folk song.

Production of the music video took place over a four-day period before the choir’s concert at the park. First, the choir—with pianist Maurita Eberly and violinist Tara Davis—made an audio recording of “Shenandoah” in a Harrisonburg studio.

The following day, the concert choir travelled to a scenic overlook along the famed Skyline Drive to record the video. Park media staff Neal Lewis and Brett Raeburn were videographers and editors.

Gary Kerlin of Gary’s Pianos in Harrisonburg donated the use of a Baldwin grand piano. “It baked in the sun for four hours and needed extensive re-turning later,” said Hostetter.

Soloist Augusta “Gussie” Nafziger and five other singers returned to the park the next day for more filming and recording.

Since the video project and the concert were organized after the concert choir’s 2015-16 calendar had been set, about one-third of the members had conflicts and were not able to participate, said Hostetter. But all the choristers and their families seem thrilled about the experience.

One parent shared the video with a friend in an airport lobby. Soon the lobby became quiet as people heard the video and began exclaiming, “How beautiful,” “Who is that?” and “They sound like angels!”

Meanwhile, back at the park, Superintendent Jim Northup viewed the video alone in his office for the first time. “It made me cry,” he admitted later. “It is magnificent!”

In addition to posting on Facebook and the Shenandoah National Park website, the video will be used for other educational and promotional purposes. “We do lots of this type of work in-house,” said Comer.

Shenandoah National Park­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­, established in 1935, consists of 200,000 acres in the Blue Ridge Mountains. It is a short drive from 91����Ƶ and 75 miles from the nation’s capital.

SVCC, founded at 91����Ƶ by Julie White in 1991, has grown to include more than 160 children in three auditioned performing choirs and two non-auditioned early elementary classes. Hostetter became artistic director two years ago. SVCC’s fall concert will be Nov. 20 at 91����Ƶ, performing alongside the Shenandoah Valley Youth Symphony Orchestra.

All three choirs will perform a variety of seasonal music and Christmas carols, followed by an audience sing-along. Among the combined selections are “And Suddenly,” by Michael Engelhardt and “The First Noel,” an English carol arranged by Dan Forrest. Other selections include French carols, several other traditional English carols, and a traditional African carol.

The Concert Choir will perform more advanced pieces, including “Susanni” and “Welcome Yule” from “Salvator Mundi: A Carol Sequence,” “What Child is This?” “Still, Still, Still,” “Gaudete!” and “Hodie, Alleluia,”

The choir is joined by several guest artists, including four professors. , of 91����Ƶ, plays the violin and is concertmaster of the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival Orchestra and the Shenandoah Symphony Orchestra. Three others come from James Madison University’s music department: , cello; , flute; and , percussion. Also joining as special guests are Gregory Childress, viola; Ethan Zook, oboe; Tara Davis, violin; and Matthew Pariejko, percussion.

The choir is directed by and assisted by Joy Anderson. Pianists are Maurita Eberly and Tracey Schimmel Reed. Professor , recently retired from 91����Ƶ and longtime SVCC supporter, will play the organ.

In its 24th year, SVCC is a choral performance program at 91����Ƶ for children ages 5-18. To schedule an appointment for an audition, call 432-4650 or email svcc@emu.edu.

Editor’s note: As of Dec. 3, the concert is sold out. To be added to a wait list, call the 91����Ƶ box office at 540-432-4582 (Monday through Friday, 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m).

The concert is 4 p.m. in 91����Ƶ’s Lehman Auditorium. A $7 donation is requested to benefit scholarship students in the .

SVCC’s Treble and Concert choirs, directed by , will present a sampling of choral works from their December 2015 “Angel’s Sing” concert. The Treble choir is comprised of students ages 9-14 with basic and intermediate knowledge. The Concert Choir is a more advanced performing choir for ages 10-18.

Repertoire choices include both traditional and non-traditional Christmas carols and a Hebrew tune. Maurita Eberly and Tracey Reed will provide piano accompaniment for both choirs.

The 45-member Youth Symphony, conducted by interim director Rhonda Stees, will perform the following works: “Royal Fireworks Overture” by Handel, the Allegretto from “Symphony No. 7” by Beethoven, March to the Scaffold from “Symphony Fantastique” by Berlioz and “Superman Returns” by John Williams.

The symphony is an auditioned ensemble of high school musicians from Page, Shenandoah, Rockingham and Augusta counties, one of whom will be the featured soloist in this concert.

Violinist Madeline Williamson will perform the “Violin Concerto in G Major” by Haydn. Madeline, daughter of Dusty and Laura Williamson of Harrisonburg, Va., has studied violin with youth symphony conductor (currently on leave) and now studies with 91����Ƶ professor . A senior home-schooled student, she takes concurrent courses at Blue Ridge Community College.

Madeline has been a member of the Shenandoah Valley Youth Symphony for four years and head chorister of the Shenandoah Valley Children’s Choir for two years. In addition, Madeline plays violin with the 91����Ƶ Orchestra.

She holds two state titles through the “Share the Fun” competition held at the Virginia 4-H Congress at Virginia Tech. She is co-president of the Plains 4-H Club and a member of the Rockingham County 4-H Young Leaders Association. Next year, Madeline plans to pursue a major in instrumental performance.

The concert will end with the Youth Symphony and SVCC choirs performing two pieces together, an arrangement of the Shaker hymn “How Can I Keep from Singing?” and Anderson’s holiday favorite, “Sleigh Ride.”

SVCC’s annual Christmas concert will also be at Lehman Auditorium Dec. 6 at 4 p.m.

Chamber Singers

The Chamber Singers, led by Kenneth J. Nafziger, will perform in Advent services at Muhlenberg Lutheran Church, 281 E. Market St., at 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. Nafziger will lead the singers in a performance of one of the Bach Advent cantatas, joined by the 91����Ƶ string ensemble.

The choir will also perform during the 5 p.m. Evensong service at Emmanuel Episcopal Church, 660 S. Main St. The Chamber Singers have sung in this series every year except one since the church began offering this service to the community, Nafziger said.

Children’s Choir

The Shenandoah Valley Children’s Choir performs “A Celtic Christmas,” its 23rd annual Christmas concert and the first with new director Janet Hostetter, in Lehman Auditorium at 4 p.m.

Several selections are specifically tailored for the Celtic theme, while Celtic dances –performed by choir members Matthew Long, Rebekah Long, Eve Manning, and Sydney Shaver, under the tutelage of JoAnn Carle –will open and close the concert.

A sampling of the afternoon’s selections by the Treble Choir includes “Taladh Chriosda” (The Christ Child’s Lullaby); “Celtic Gloria”; the Baroque piece “Alleluia! Sing! Rejoice!” based on a composition by George Frideric Handel; a Kentucky carol, “Hush, My Babe,” and two traditional French carols.

The Concert Choir will perform Henry Purcell’s “Sound the Trumpet,” John Rutter’s “Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day” with soloist Cierra Sweet, “Le Sommeil de l’Enfant Jesus” (The Sleep of the Infant Jesus) performed by the advanced musicianship class, “Christmas is Coming” a lighthearted rendition of a traditional round, “Eatnemen Vuelie” (Fairest Lord Jesus) with soloist Ben Elliott, and “Mary Had a Baby/Joyful, Joyful” with soloist Sophie Wellington.

Guest instrumentalists will include Dr. Pedro Aponte on the flute, Tara Davis on violin and Brent Holl on percussion.

The audience will be invited to join in singing traditional carols, including “Silent Night.”

Orozco, who performs internationally before enthusiastic crowds, will be appearing on the invitation of the SVCC, and Harrisonburg City Schools. “He is our gift to the community,” said SVCC artistic director , who has prepared nearly 40 students to sing with Orozco at the festival in Hillandale Park.

Orozco and SVCC share the goal of gathering children, families, and communities around a singing culture, Hostetter said. Orozco’s performances employ a singalong style, through which he engages people of all ages.

“He’s like an Hispanic Raffi!” said SVCC assistant director Joy Anderson.

SVCC begins its 2014 season with Hostetter stepping into the artistic director position; a renovated office location in an 91����Ƶ-owned house on campus; and aspirations for a new set of uniforms to replace the children’s 20-year-old outfits.

To usher in the upcoming term, SVCC held a group retreat at on Sept. 13. Choristers became acquainted with some of this season’s repertoire, while building bonds among themselves and with staff. Rehearsal time, games, dramatic sketches, s’mores, and scampering about the woods packed the 11-hour day at the camp.

Hostetter’s passion for musical education is rooted in her own experiences as a high school chorister. “I learned much about listening and connecting to the people around me in those years,” said Hostetter. “I experienced the way community can be built through the members who give, based on what is needed for the good of the group.”

As a musical instructor, she fondly remembers the transformation of in Dayton (Va.) during her years teaching there. Singing “was not cool” when she arrived, but both attendance and camaraderie burgeoned under her tutelage.

Transposing these experiences into her new position with SVCC is akin to “stepping off a plane into a beautiful flowering field.”

Hostetter is familiar with said field in her prior roles of SVCC parent and guest conductor, but now assumes full responsibility for nurturing SVCC. Studying the choirs inside and out helps her “ensure the ongoing success and continued growth of an already strong and flourishing organization.”

SVCC’s strength and prolificity are evident in their history. They have performed at the White House, Carnegie Hall, two Mahatma Gandhi Global Nonviolence Award ceremonies, and the Tuscany International Children’s Chorus Festival in Italy, among other illustrious venues.

“People are always shocked when they hear us,” said Anderson. She says it is “unheard of” to be this well known, given that SVCC is not based in a major urban area.

There are currently 157 students enrolled for the school year in and performing choir programs. Music Explorers consists of students in kindergarten through third grade, with an emphasis on basic choral education. The performing choirs, made up of the preparatory, treble, and concert choirs, are divided based on age and singing prowess. Preparatory choir eligibility begins in second grade, and students must audition for acceptance into each level. Concert choir, with students from sixth to twelfth grade, is the longest-distance touring group of SVCC.

Participants come from families of Mennonite, Jewish, other Christian, and no religious inclination. This diversity of faith tradition is key to SVCC’s character. “We want this to be a very inclusive atmosphere,” said Anderson.

“Cultivated properly,” Hostetter said, “choral ensembles can give students a place of learning and belonging.”

Other upcoming SVCC performances include:

• JMU’s production of “La Bohéme” by Giacomo Puccini, in which nine concert choir students will make up the “Ruffian’s Chorus.” Performances on Nov. 7, 8, and 9 in the Forbes Center, Harrisonburg.
• A fall concert in tandem with the , with the treble and concert choirs each having their own sets as well as two songs in conjunction with the orchestra. This is the first time the orchestras and choirs have collaborated on stage. Performance on Nov. 23, 4 p.m., in Lehman Auditorium.
• A Christmas Concert including all three performing choirs performing a collection of Celtic-themed songs. Performance on Dec. 7, 4 p.m., in Lehman Auditorium.

Monica Comparagni, assistant professor of the practice of nursing

Comparagni earned a BS in nursing from 91����Ƶ and a family nurse practitioner master’s degree from the University of Virginia. She brings experience as a local nurse practitioner and a practicing nurse in various areas. She was previously a nursing adjunct instructor at 91����Ƶ.

DeAnne Chenoweth, instructor of political science

Chenoweth earned a BA in political science from Bethany College and holds two master’s degrees – an MA in international studies from the Claremont Graduate School and an MA in political science from the University of Maryland at College Park. She has been an adjunct instructor at James Madison University for the past 10 years. She has also taught at Indiana University in Bloomington, Illinois. Her research has focused on the politics of foreign and comparative official development assistance practices.

Marcy Dean, instructor of nursing

Dean earned a BS in nursing at Shepherd University and an MS in nursing at Marshall University. She brings nursing experience in the hospital, along with specific training and certification in advanced cardiac life support and end of life and pain management. She was previously an adjunct nursing instructor at 91����Ƶ.

Janet Hostetter, assistant professor of the practice, artistic director of Shenandoah Valley Children’s Choir

Hostetter earned a BA in music education from 91����Ƶ and completed an MM in choral conducting at James Madison University. She has served as music instructor and choral conductor in a variety of settings: elementary, middle and high schools, and churches. In addition, she led 91����Ƶ’s university chorale for several years. She is the second artistic director of the acclaimed Shenandoah Valley Children’s Choir since its founding in 1992 by Julia J. White.

Carol Grace Hurst, associate professor and director of social work

Hurst earned a BA in sociology from 91����Ƶ, and an MSW and a PhD in social work from Virginia Commonwealth University. She brings many years of experience in the field and in educational settings. Most recently, she was director of continuing education and evaluation within the Corporate University of Providence, designing continuing education curriculum and teaching continuing education classes.

Ryan Keebaugh, assistant professor of music

Keebaugh earned a BA in music from Bridgewater College, an MM in composition from Shenandoah University, and a DMA in composition from the Catholic University of America. Beginning in 2008, Keebaugh taught in the Clarke County (Va.) Public School system and as an adjunct at several colleges. Keebaugh has won awards for his musical composition skills; in addition, he is an instrumentalist (euphonium, trombone and piano) and a vocalist.

Gregory Koop, assistant professor of psychology

Koop earned a BA from Goshen College with majors in psychology and history, and an MA and PhD in psychology from Miami University. He completed a post-doctoral position at Syracuse University where he worked in the memory modeling lab.

Emily Peck-McClain, instructor of Christian formation, preaching and worship

Peck-McClain earned a BA in religion from Washington and Lee University and an MDiv from Union Theological Seminary. She is finishing her ThD in Christian education and New Testament from Duke Divinity School, where she has been a teaching assistant. Peck-McClain recently received the honor of a fellowship from the American Association of University Women. During 2014-15, she will teach part time at the seminary.

Holly Scott, assistant professor of history

Scott earned a BA in English and justice, peace and conflict studies from 91����Ƶ, an MA in American Studies from Pennsylvania State University, and a PhD in history from American University. She has previously taught as an adjunct at both 91����Ƶ and American University. Her interests lie in the areas of youth, generational culture and student protest and activism.

Nancy Wise, instructor of nursing at Lancaster

Wise earned a BS in nursing from Millersville University and an MA in nursing education at Villanova University. She is currently pursuing a PhD in nursing at Villanova. Wise brings many years of nursing experience to the classroom, both in the hospital setting and as a nurse educator. She has been an adjunct nursing instructor at 91����Ƶ’s Lancaster site as well as at Alvernia University.

Janet Hostetter, a 1987 graduate of 91����Ƶ, will begin her new role in August 2014.

“We are delighted that someone from our very own community rose to the top of the stack,” said Joy Anderson, SVCC assistant director.

After majoring in at 91����Ƶ, Hostetter earned a master of music degree in choral conducting from James Madison University. In the spring of 2008, she served as SVCC Guest Director during founding director Julia White’s sabbatical.

“The SVCC, under the direction of Julia White and [Interim Director] Joanne van der Vat-Chromy, has brought a quality of music education to our community that has impacted the lives of many,” said Hostetter. “I am honored to have been chosen for the artistic director position and desire to continue the same level of musical excellence we have all come to enjoy.”

Hostetter now directs choirs and Orff classes at in Dayton, Va. During her seven years at the school, the choral program has grown from 10 participants to more than 120, and her choirs have received “superior” ratings at District Choral Assessments. At the middle school, she has also helped produce three musicals, been successful in fundraising and hosted the American Boychoir and the Maryland State Boychoir.

During her career, Hostetter has directed choirs and ensembles and taught music from the Pre-K to the university level. She also supervises practicum students and student teachers at James Madison University’s School of Music.

From 2009-13, Hostetter served as Repertoire and Standards Chair for chapter of the , during which time she worked with many nationally recognized children’s choir directors and accepted several invitations to direct honor choirs.

For eight years, Hostetter also led a music ministry at , where her duties included directing the adult choir and a children’s choir.

“She is skilled and comfortable with many of the musical and teaching tools we use in SVCC, including having learned and used solfège since she was a middle schooler herself,” said Anderson. “We know her to be not only an excellent musician, conductor, and educator, but also a person with a deep love for children and young people.”

The choir’s spring performance is Sunday, April 6 at 4 p.m. in 91����Ƶ’s Lehman Auditorium.

Accompanists are John W. Fast, organ; Julianne Burkholder, Kara Glick, Andrew Dutcher and Eric Guttormson, strings; and Annie Johnson, soprano; Matthew Garber, tenor; and Michael Dezort, baritone.

The second half of the concert will include Faure’s “Cantique” and works for smaller group ensembles, some with piano and guitar accompaniment.

Mrs. Hostetter earned a B.A. in music education from 91����Ƶ and a M.M. in choral conducting from James Madison University. She has worked as a music instructor in various educational settings for the past 15 years.

In addition to directing the for the 2004-05 school year while Anne Gross is on sabbatical, Hostetter also serves as music director at Harrisonburg Mennonite Church and as music educator at Mountain View Elementary School in Rockingham County.

Admission is free, but donations are welcomed to support the 91����Ƶ ‘s music scholarship fund.

The 27-member choir, directed by Janet Hostetter, will sing Benjamin Britten’s "Ceremony of Carols" with harpist, Ya Ting Lee. They will also perform Malcolm Dalglish’s "Star in the East" with dulcimer player, David Landes, and several Christmas carols.

Mrs. Hostetter earned a B.A. in music education from 91����Ƶ and a M.M. in choral conducting from James Madison University. She has worked as a music instructor in various educational settings for the past 15 years.

In addition to directing the 91����Ƶ Chorale for the 2004-05 school year while Anne Gross is on sabbatical, Hostetter also serves as music director at Harrisonburg Mennonite Church and as music educator at Mountain View Elementary School in Rockingham County.

Admission is free, but a $5 donation is suggested to support the ‘s music scholarship fund at 91����Ƶ.