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

鈥淲e are delighted that someone from our very own community rose to the top of the stack,鈥� said Joy Anderson, SVCC assistant director.

After majoring in at 91短视频, 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鈥檚 sabbatical.

鈥淭he SVCC, under the direction of Julia White and [Interim Director] Joanne van der Vat-Chromy,聽has brought a quality of music education to our community that has impacted the lives of many,鈥� said Hostetter. 鈥淚 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.鈥�

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 鈥渟uperior鈥� 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鈥檚 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鈥檚 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鈥檚 choir.

鈥淪he is skilled and comfortable with many of the musical and teaching tools we use in SVCC, including having learned and used solf猫ge since she was a middle schooler herself,鈥� said Anderson. 鈥淲e 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.鈥�

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

The SVCC, celebrating its twentieth year, will sing with guest director Ruth Dwyer of the Indianapolis Children鈥檚 Choir and perform by invitation Saturday, May 26 in the city’s famed venue with four other children鈥檚 choirs.

The choir will perform nine selections on themes emphasizing the joy of singing, faith in God and delight in nature. This will include Japanese and French folk songs, a jazz number by Duke Ellington, an ancient Hebrew affirmation of faith, a new arrangement of an old spiritual, and several recent works by living composers.

The Carnegie Hall children鈥檚 choir festival is organized by MidAmerica Productions of New York, which has recently announced the participation of the Oregon Repertory Singers (Portland), Evansville Children鈥檚 Choir (IN), Dominican Academy (Manhattan, NY), and Saint Dominic鈥檚 Academy (Jersey City, NJ).

The SVCC will serve as anchor choir for the event.

The concert on Saturday evening, May 26, will also include a collegiate/high school choir festival performing Mendelssohn鈥檚 Symphony No. 2 鈥淗ymn of Praise鈥� conducted by William Wyman, and the Ensemble Spotlight Series featuring the Jackson High School Honors Wind & Percussion Ensemble from Mill Creek, Wash., under the direction of Leslie Moffat.

This is the SVCC鈥檚 third appearance at Carnegie Hall.

Under the leadership of Julia J. White, Artistic Director, The SVCC is part of the music department of 91短视频 and includes 150 children, ages 6-17.

For more information regarding the schedule and auditions May 17 and 18, contact Yvette Peake, choir manager, at 540-432-4650 or email svcc@emu.edu. More information on the SVCC can be found at svcc.org.

Choir lovers can expect a little deja vu at the 20th anniversary celebration of the Shenandoah Valley Children鈥檚 Choir this weekend.

The group will celebrate the milestone with a performance at 91短视频鈥檚 Lehman Auditorium.

The organization鈥檚 three children鈥檚 choirs 鈥� the Preparatory, Treble and Concert choirs 鈥� will perform Saturday and Sunday, with about 35 former choir members for a special presentation Saturday, Director Julia White said.

鈥淚t鈥檚 special because we鈥檝e survived 20 years,鈥� said White. 鈥淲e鈥檙e a nonprofit organization that has all-volunteer fundraising. That we鈥檝e survived 20 years is our biggest accomplishment.鈥�

The performance is expected to last about an hour and 30 minutes, and will include a variety of pieces, including classical works and folk songs from around the globe, as well as sacred and secular music, White said.

Three musicians 鈥� Bill Wellington on banjo, Natalya Kirilyuk on violin and Rick Deloney on percussion 鈥� will also perform with the choir, said White.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 kind of unusual that we鈥檇 have parents and professional musicians playing with the choir,鈥� she said.

The program will include much of the same music the group performed for an American Choral Directors Association meeting in Winston-Salem, N.C., earlier this month, which was a big success, White said.

鈥淲e were selected as one of 18 choirs out of 100 applicants to sing at that,鈥� said White. 鈥淎nd then, when we did sing, the audience leapt to their feet. So, to have the encouragement and affirmation from choral directors in 11 states in the South was very exciting. So, we鈥檙e going to be singing that same set that we sang in North Carolina on Saturday.鈥�

The performances are scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $7 for children, $10 for seniors, $12 for adults and $15 for the special reserve section, and can be obtained by calling the 91短视频 box office at 432-4582.

鈥楯ust A Great Group鈥�

Fishersville resident Ben Elliott, 14, a member of the Treble Choir, began singing in the SVCC when he was in third grade, after a change was made to his usual choir in Waynesboro. He had heard of the SVCC before and decided, along with his parents, that it was as good a time as any to try performing with the group.

鈥淚t might be one of the best groups I [will] ever sing in,鈥� said Elliott, who has had almost a decade of piano lessons. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just a great group to sing in.鈥�

The weekend concerts will be the last local performances by the children鈥檚 choir this season, he said, 鈥渟o, we want to make sure that we perform well.鈥�

Of the songs the group will perform, Elliott said a paraphrased version of Psalm 100 is his favorite.

鈥淚t uses a lot of direct quotations from Psalm 100 and it uses a lot of harmonies, a lot of interesting chord developments,鈥� said Elliott. 鈥淚t鈥檚 very fun.鈥�

In May, the choir will perform at Carnegie Hall. Tickets for that event can be purchased by calling 432-4650 or by visiting www.emu.edu/box-office. An April 23 concert is set for 8 p.m. with the James Madison University Choirs. Tickets for that event can be obtained through or by calling 568-7000.

The acclaimed children鈥檚 choir, now in its twentieth year, had applied for the honor in April 2011. “We were thrilled to get this invitation in mid-November and had almost given up on this working out,” said Julia White, Artistic Director and Founder. “We are ready to go, with repertoire, uniforms and red capes for this extraordinary invitation.”

The SVCC will sing in the East Room of the White House while visitors are passing through for Christmas Tours. Although some tours are open to the public, the SVCC鈥檚 time slot of 4 – 6:30 p.m., Dec. 21 is closed for security reasons.

“The last time we were selected we sang for Senate and Congress families but we don鈥檛 know who will be coming through while we sing this time,”聽 said Ms. White.

Performances at the White House and for presidents are familiar to the SVCC.聽 In 1997 the choir sang at the National Christmas Tree Lighting with President Clinton, opera star Placido Domingo and the U. S. Coast Guard band. They have sung for the Christmas Tours and have also sung for President Jimmy Carter at the Gandhi awards in 2009.

“I express my congratulations to the Shenandoah Valley Children’s Choir upon your selection to perform at the White House during the Christmas season,” said Bob Goodlatte, U.S. Representative for Virginia’s 6th District. “The White House’s selection of your choir above many others is a huge honor and testament to the quality of your choir.”

91短视频 the children’s choir

The SVCC has an already rigorous 2011-12 year, having sung two concerts December 3 and 4 with the Washington Symphonic Brass Quintet of Washington, DC. Upcoming invitations, in addition to spring concerts, include the American Choral Directors Association conference in March and the Carnegie Hall Children鈥檚 Choir Festival in May in New York City.

The SVCC is part of the music聽 department at 91短视频. SVCC will be holding auditions for the two younger, auditioned choirs, the Preparatory and Treble Choirs, on January 5, 2012.聽 Spring auditions will be held in May 2012.

For more information about the SVCC see or call Peake at 540-432-4650.

In celebration of the SVCC’s twentieth anniversary, the highly acclaimed Washington Symphonic Brass (WSB) Quintet from Washington, D.C., will again join the SVCC and John Fast, professor of music at 91短视频 and organist for the annual Christmas Concerts and sing-along.

The WSB Quintet, under the direction of Phil Snedecor, was the guest ensemble at three other SVCC Christmas concerts and was featured on two compact discs, “The Angel Choir and Trumpeter” and “Christmas Joy.”

鈥淲hen we come to Harrisonburg, we bring players that have combined experiences of over 100 years as professional musicians,” said trumpeter and WSB founder Phil Snedecor. “You would think that we would inspire them. However, it’s the SVCC who inspires us, as we experience their approach–to both their music and performance–with the wonder and excitement that drove us all into this profession many years ago. We are looking forward to this year’s 鈥榮hot in the arm’ of youthful energy that is the SVCC. Our hats are off to Julia White for building a first-rate program.”

91短视频 the concert

Children鈥檚 choir song favorites featuring the brass quintet will include 鈥淭he Angel Choir and Trumpeter,鈥� 鈥淒ing Dong, Merrily on High!鈥� and Celah Pence鈥檚 arrangement of 鈥淐hristmas Comin.'”聽 Other Christmas selections will include Vivaldi鈥檚 鈥淟audamus Te鈥� featuring Maria Lorcas on violin, the well-loved 鈥淐arol of the Bells鈥� and Carlisle Floyd鈥檚 contemporary arrangement of “Long, Long Ago.”

The Preparatory and Treble Choir will sing 鈥淒eck the Halls鈥� with the brass, as well as 鈥淭he Heavens Declare鈥� and “Winter Troika Ride.”聽 Additional performing musicians include assistant director Joy Anderson, principal accompanist Maurita Eberly, and John Fast, preparatory choir accompanist and organist.

Audience sing-alongs and hymns will be part of the annual Christmas event and young children will be invited to the front of the stage to ring bells on “Jingle Bells.”聽 Seasonal carols will be sung throughout the program.

Twentieth anniversary, Staunton concert

This concert will be one of many noted performances in the 20^th anniversary year, including performing by invitation for the American Choral Directors Southern Division conference in Winston-Salem, N.C., in March and at Carnegie Hall in New York City in May.

A Staunton Christmas concert will be given Monday, December 12, 2001, at 7 p.m. at the historic Trinity Episcopal Church.聽The Concert Choir and select small groups will be presenting holiday music and sing-along.聽Tickets will be sold at the door.聽For more information contact the SVCC office.

The SVCC, part of the music department at 91短视频, has recently released its fifteenth CD entitled 鈥淭wenty Years of Song.鈥� It is comprised of Christmas and general choral selections from the past two years and features soloists, instrumentalists, and all three performing choirs. CDs are in Harrisonburg area stores and can be ordered over the SVCC website.

More information

Tickets are now on sale for the SVCC/Washington Symphonic Brass Christmas concert. Call the university鈥檚 box office at 540-432-4582 or purchase tickets online at emu.edu/box-office. Pre-concert date tickets are $15 for adults; $12 for students (12-22) and seniors; $7 for children (12 and under). Tickets for special reserved sections are $20. At the door: $2 more per ticket. All seating is reserved.

For more information about the SVCC:聽 or 540-432-4650.

The 33-member youth symphony, part of , will perform George Frideric Handel鈥檚 “Music for the Royal Fireworks Overture” and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky鈥檚 Dances from “The Nutcracker.” In addition, Dance & Company will perform four of the dances.

Nicholas Gardner, oboe, will perform 鈥淐oncerto for Oboe in A minor鈥� by Antonio Vivaldi and Breton Nicholas, French horn, will perform 鈥淢orceau de Concert鈥� by Camille Saint-Saens.

The Orchestra, conducted by , a violin teacher with preparatory music, consists of high school players from Page, Shenandoah, Rockingham and Augusta counties. 91短视频 and James Madison Universitystudents will also participate in addition to several community members.

, Artistic Director and Founder, will conduct the concert choir in “Viva la Musica,” by Michael Praetorius; “Laudamus Te (Duet from Gloria),” by Vivaldi, arranged by Doreen Rao; “Blow, Blow Thou Winter Wind,” text by William Shakespeare and music by John Rutter; and “Sesere eeye,” a traditional song and dance from the Torres Straight Island, arranged by Matthew Doyle.

The Treble Choir set will include “The Heavens Declare,” from William Selby, arranged by Barbara Owen; “I Will Bring You Brooches,” text by Robert Louis Stevenson and music by Ruth Boshkoff; and “Sourwood Mountain,” a southern folk song arranged by Shirley McRae with Lorcas on violin.

The fall concert is a precursor to the SVCC Christmas Concert with the Washington Symphonic Brass Quintet 7 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 3, and 3 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 4, in Lehman Auditorium.

A suggested $5 donation at the door will benefit 91短视频鈥檚 Preparatory Music scholarship program and SVCC tuition assistance fund.

91短视频 the soloists

Breton Nicholas is an active member of both the National Honor Society and National Spanish Honor Society and HHS Tri-M music honor society. He attended the 2011 Summer Residential Governor’s School for the Humanities at Radford University and the 2009 Valley Ridge Summer Regional

Governor’s School in Environmental Science at JMU.

Nicholas co-founded the HHS Bike Club and Rocktown Racing and earned a varsity letter in swimming. He is in his fourth year as a member of the HHS Symphonic Band, playing first chair horn the last two years. Nicholas has been first chair horn in both Harrisonburg city and Rockingham County Honors band and District band last year.

In addition, he is an active member of Boy Scout Troop 40 of Harrisonburg and will have completed all requirements for the highest award, Eagle Scout, by December of 2011. Nicholas hopes to study music and science in college. He is the son of and .

Nicholas Gardner is a senior at Spotswood High School (SHS). He has played oboe in the concert and Symphonic bands at SHS since his freshman year. He is in his seventh year of private instruction and has been a member of the 91短视频 Youth Orchestra since the spring of 2010. In the spring of 2011, he was awarded the medallion and academic awards for music at SHS.

Gardner held the position of luminary chairman for the Rockingham County Relay for Life in 2011 and is a member of the National Social Studies Honor Society and the National Spanish Honor Society.

Gardner is a member of Boy Scout Troop 40 where he is finishing requirements for his Eagle Scout rank. He has held the position of senior patrol leader and was on the team teaching the Boy Scout鈥檚 National Youth Leadership Training program. He plans to study music education in college. He is the son of Nichola and Richard Gardner.

History of

The orchestra began in 1990 as a strong ensemble and in part through a grant from the . The ensemble grew to a full orchestra in its next season and is the only opportunity for instrumental students to participate in such a group this side of Charlottesville and Winchester. Students become members by audition and perform three or four public concerts per year.聽 Rising seniors may audition to play a solo with the orchestra.

This semester the Orchestra has partnered with to perform four dances from “The Nutcracker.” It is a unique opportunity for dancers to perform to live music and for musicians to have their music interpreted before a live audience. On October 23, they presented a “Musical Treats” concert in costume for about 75 area children.

is the program director. Inquiries to the Shenandoah Valley Youth Orchestra should be made to 540-432-4277 or prepmusic@emu.edu.

More on the

The SVCC is part of the music department at 91短视频.聽 The SVCC includes over 150 children in three auditioned choirs and two classes for young children, a staff of five and a rigorous performing and touring schedule.

The SVCC鈥檚 fifteenth compact disc entitled 鈥溾�� was released October 15, 2011, to mark the twentieth anniversary year.聽 A compilation of the last two years of song repertoire, the CD includes both general music and Christmas selections.聽 The Preparatory, Treble, and Concert Choirs are featured separately and guests including the Sons of the Day, Washington Symphonic Brass, and guest musicians Nick Merillat and Pedro Aponte are featured.

For more information on SVCC or to order a compact disc visit聽 , email svcc@emu.edu or call , choir manager at 540-432-4650.

SVCC was selected for the Southern Division annual conference of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) to be held in Winston-Salem, North Carolina February 29-March 3. Attendees will be ACDA members鈥攊ncluding teachers and professors鈥攆or whom choral music performance is a primary focus. Eighteen choirs were selected from one hundred community school, college, and professional choirs that applied; all choirs submitted recordings from the previous three years for a blind audition.

“The SVCC is privileged to be performing for the fourth time at this conference,” said Julia White, Artistic Director and Founder of SVCC. The SVCC has sung in past years聽 in Orlando, Fla., Charlotte, N.C., and Charleston, WVa.

In addition, the SVCC has been invited to sing at the Carnegie Hall Children鈥檚 Choir Festival, to be held in New York City in May.

Five to seven children鈥檚 choirs will rehearse May 23-26 together under the direction of Ruth Dwyer of the Indianapolis Children鈥檚 Choir with SVCC as the anchor choir.聽 聽The festival will conclude with a performance at Carnegie Hall on Saturday, May 26 at 8:30 pm.聽 聽Three days of rehearsals and a culminating performance will make the trip to New York a glorious ending to SVCC鈥檚 twentieth anniversary year.

This is the third time the SVCC has been invited to participate in the Carnegie Hall Children鈥檚 Choir Festival.

91短视频 the Shenandoah Valley Children’s Choir

The SVCC is part of the music department at 91短视频.聽 The SVCC includes over 150 children in three auditioned choirs and two classes for young children, a staff of five and a rigorous performing and touring schedule.

The SVCC鈥檚 fifteenth compact disc entitled 鈥淭wenty Years of Song鈥� was released October 15, 2011, to mark the twentieth anniversary year.聽 A compilation of the last two years of song repertoire, the CD includes both general music and Christmas selections.聽 The Preparatory, Treble, and Concert Choirs are featured separately and guests including the Sons of the Day, Washington Symphonic Brass, and guest musicians Nick Merillat and Pedro Aponte are featured.

For more information on SVCC or to order a compact disc visit聽 , email svcc@emu.edu or call Yvette Peake, Choir Manager at 540-432-4650.

Compact discs can be found at the following retail stores:

Harrisonburg:聽 Barnes & Noble, All Things Virginia, Williamson Hughes Pharmacy, 91短视频 Bookstore, Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community Main Street Store, Park View Pharmacy, Rocktown Gift Shop

Dayton:聽 Silver Lake Mill, Crafty Hands

Bridgewater:聽 Tis the Season

Staunton:聽 Turtle Lane

Woodstock:聽 Woodstock Cafe & Shoppes

Winchester: Museum of the Shenandoah Valley

Waynesboro:聽 Stone Soup Bookstore

The family-friendly concert is a first-time collaboration between the acclaimed SVCC and the award-winning JMU Percussion Ensemble. Performances are scheduled for Saturday, Apr. 9 and Sunday, Apr. 10. The performances begin at 7p.m. each night and take place in the Forbes Center Concert Hall.

SVCC director, Julia White, and JMU Percussion Ensemble director, Michael Overman, have worked collaboratively over the last 18 months in preparation for this marriage of ensembles. According to White, 鈥淲e鈥檙e excited to partner with the Forbes Center for this extraordinary event. And we can鈥檛 wait to perform in the beautiful, new venue.鈥�

The children鈥檚 choir has partnered on numerous occasions at JMU including several opera productions, the Contemporary Music Festival, and most recently at the Gandhi Awards Ceremony for President Jimmy Carter (鈥�09) and Archbishop Desmond Tutu (鈥�07). JMU flutist Beth Chandler was a special guest on SVCC spring concerts in 2011.

Repertoire for the concert will include music from classical selections to folksongs from countries around the world, including Canada, the Torres Straight Islands and Finland. It will also include newly composed works, one of which is a Mi鈥檏maw Honour Song. Overman is overseeing the arranging of the combined works for the children鈥檚 choir and percussion ensemble.

91短视频 the Children’s Choir

Founded in 1992 by artistic director Julia J. White, the SVCC has grown to include nearly 150 in two classes, three choirs and a staff of five. The group has performed at the American Choral Directors Association Southern Division conferences (鈥�00, 鈥�02, 鈥�06) and at the Virginia Music Educators Association conferences (鈥�96, 鈥�98, 鈥�04, 鈥�08); they have collaborated with the American Boychoir and the Washington Symphonic Brass Quintet. The SVCC has sung at the Carnegie Hall Children鈥檚 Choir Festival (鈥�98, 鈥�07), the Tuscany International Children鈥檚 Choir Festival (鈥�01) in Italy and the Pacific Rim Children鈥檚 Chorus Festival (鈥�05, 鈥�09) in Hawaii. They just released their 14th CD, 鈥淪ongs from the Heart鈥�. For more information on the SVCC, visit www.emu.edu/svcc.

The JMU Percussion Ensemble, directed by William C. Rice and Dr. Michael Overman, consists of nearly 30 students and has performed throughout the East Coast, including concerts at the Virginia Music Educators Association Convention and Virginia Days of Percussion. They were selected to perform a feature concert at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention in Philadelphia. Most recently the ensemble created two podcast videos featured on the VicFirth.com website, and toured Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania.

The ensemble was chosen to perform the keynote concert at the 2003 National Conference on Percussion Pedagogy at the University of North Carolina in Greensboro. In 2004, the group won the small ensemble contest at PASIC held in Nashville, Tn. In the spring of 2006, 2007 and 2009, they won the NABBA Adult Class Percussion Ensemble Contest held in Louisville, Ky. The JMU Percussion Ensemble is an 鈥渁ll Zildjian鈥� ensemble and proudly endorses Vic Firth sticks.

Venue and ticket info

The Forbes Center for the Performing Arts is comprised of the Dorothy Thomasson Estes Center for Theatre and Dance and the Shirley Hanson Roberts Center for Music Performance and houses five state-of-the-art performance venues: the Mainstage Theatre (450 seats), the Concert Hall (600 seats), the Recital Hall (196 seats), the Studio Theatre (200 seats) and the Earlynn J. Miller Dance Theatre (200 seats). It also includes classroom, rehearsal and office facilities.

Tickets are $14 for adults, $12 for seniors and JAC cardholders, and $8 for JMU students and youth 18 & under. For tickets, visit or call the Forbes Center Box Office at (540) 568-7000. Tickets go on sale Feb. 15. Contact Jen Kulju, public relations/marketing specialist at the Forbes Center, at (540) 568-4394 or by e-mail at kuljuja@jmu.edu for further information.

This is the sixth time the ABC has performed in Harrisonburg by invitation as guest of the Shenandoah Valley Children’s Choir (SVCC) part of the music department at 91短视频.

The American Boychoir, regarded as the United States’ premier concert boys’ choir

The concert will consist of a variety of advanced choral music from standard composers, folk songs, and new compositions sung by the thirty boys who make up the touring choir.

The SVCC will sing songs by themselves and with the American Boychoir, including the gospel song “Praise His Holy Name.”

Choir to total 200

New this year is an invitational Festival Choir made of up area school children’s choirs, including children from Harrisonburg City Schools, Jerrilyn MacDanel, coordinator; Grace Christian School in Staunton, Marie Masincup, director; Hunter McGuire School in Verona, Judy Bomberger, director; and Wilson Middle School Eighth Grade Choir in Fishersville, Paige Edwards, director.

The area schools will join with the ABC and SVCC to total 200 and youth in singing South African Freedom Songs “O Freedom and Siyahamba” as part of the program.

The American Boychoir will continue their stay in Harrisonburg for masterclasses with all three SVCC choirs on Monday afternoon, October 25, which are free and open to the public.

Two school performances for Rockingham County Middle Schools will take place on Tuesday, October 26 in collaboration with the SVCC event. The boys will be hosted on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday nights by SVCC families.

The SVCC connection

SVCC Founder and Artistic Director, Julia White, worked at the American Boychoir School when she was a master’s student at Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey, in the late ’80s and has enjoyed the long-standing relationship with the ABC.

“That beautiful sound has stayed with me, and the ongoing education I have received from the Boychoir School and directors has shaped my teaching and the SVCC program for many years.”

Several SVCC boys have gone on to attend the school.

91短视频 the American Boychoir

Under the leadership of Fernando Malvar-Ruiz, Litton-Lodal Music Director, The American Boychoir continues to dazzle audiences with its unique blend of musical sophistication, effervescent spirit, and ensemble virtuosity.

Boys in grades 4 through 8, reflecting the ethnic, religious, and cultural diversity of the United States, come from across the country and around the world to pursue a rigorous musical and academic curriculum at the school.

The American Boychoir School, the only non-sectarian boys’ choir school in the nation, was founded in Columbus, Ohio in 1937 and has been located in Princeton, New Jersey since 1950.

Auditions for the American Boychoir will be held after Sunday evening’s concert on the Lehman Auditorium Stage. All boys in grades 3-6 are invited to audition.

World-class collaborations and performances

Maintaining an active national and international touring schedule, the Boychoir performs with world-class ensembles including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the New York Philharmonic.

The Boychoir appears regularly as featured artists with James Levine at the Tanglewood Music Festival, and has performed with the internationally renowned soprano Jessye Norman, prominent jazz musician Wynton Marsalis, pop diva Beyonce, and at Carnegie Hall with Sir Paul McCartney.

The choir has been extensively recorded on its own label, Albemarle Records, and broadcast on radio and television, with over forty-five commercial recordings.

91短视频 the SVCC, now in its 19th year

Now in its 19th year, the acclaimed Shenandoah Valley Children’s Choir serves children and youth in public, private, and home schools, from Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley and the surrounding region.

The choir’s mission is to foster artistry and excellence through musical study and performance and includes the Concert Choir, ages 11-18; the Treble Choir, ages 9-15; and the Preparatory Choir, ages 8-11.

Early-elementary “Explorers” classes are also offered for children in Kindergarten through 3rd grade.

SVCC performance highlights

Some of SVCC’s performance highlights include:

• three Southern Division ACDA conferences (Orlando in ’00 and Charlotte in ’02, under the direction of Sir David Willcocks, and Charleston, WV in ’06)
• the Carnegie Hall Children’s Choir Festival (’98 and ’07)
• the Tuscany International Children’s Chorus Festival in Italy (’01)
• the Pacific Rim Children’s Chorus Festival in Hawaii (’05 and ’09)
• three performances with members of the Washington Symphonic Brass Quintet
• at the White House, with Opera singer, Placido Domingo.

The choir has performed for such dignitaries as President and Mrs. Bill Clinton, President and Mrs. Jimmy Carter, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

Ticket info

Tickets may be purchased through the 91短视频 box office at 432-4582 (10:30-2:30 Monday through Friday) or online.

Ticket prices are:

• Special Reserved Section: $20.00 advanced/$22.00 at the door
• Adults: $15.00 advanced/$17.00 at the door
• Students (ages 12-22) $10.00 advanced/$12.00 at the door
• Children (under 12) $5.00 advanced/$7.00 at the door.

For more information about the SVCC see www.emu.edu/svcc or call 432-4650.

More info

]]> /now/news/2010/childrens-choir-invites-auditions-for-2010-11-season/ Mon, 23 Aug 2010 04:00:00 +0000 http://www.emu.edu/blog/news/?p=2295

The acclaimed Shenandoah Valley Children’s Choir (SVCC), part of the music department at 91短视频, will hold newcomer auditions for the 2010-11 year Thursday, Aug. 26. from 3:30-5:30.

All interested children grades 3-7, regardless of their singing experience, are welcome to audition.

A short, 5-minute meeting and game time is all that is required, and no prepared solo is needed.

How to prepare

Children should be ready to sing some familiar songs such as “Happy Birthday,” “Row Your Boat” and an echo game. A parent should be present for the audition, and an appointment is required.

“Most children are surprised to find that the audition isn’t worrisome, stressful, or upsetting,” said Julia J. White, SVCC director. “It is helpful, but not required, to have attended a rehearsal or performance, and to have a teacher recommendation.”

Appointment and tuition info

To schedule an appointment, contact Yvette Peak, SVCC choir manager, at 540-432-4650 and visit the website at www.emu.edu/svcc for detailed information about the program.

Tuition assistance is available to deserving children. A newly-created Judy Leaman Tuition Assistance Fund, honoring the former Choir Manager, will help serve additional children who wish to participate in the community-based children’s choir.

91短视频 the choir

The SVCC, now in its 19th year, includes three auditioned choirs, two young children’s classes, nearly 200 children, and a staff of five.

Invitational performances include the American Choral Directors Southern Division Conference (’00, ’02, ’06), the Virginia Music Educators Conferences (’96, ’98, ’04, ’08) the American Kodaly Educators National Conference (’01, ’09) and Children In Harmony Festival (’04).

Collaborations include performances with the American Boychoir (5 times), The Washington Symphonic Brass (3 times), Placido Domingo, and at the White House. The SVCC has sung with the Carnegie Hall Children’s Choir Festival (’98, ’07), the Tuscany International Children’s Choir Festival (’01) in Italy and the Pacific Rim Children’s Chorus Festival (’05, ’09) in Hawaii.

Most recently, the SVCC were guest performers for the Gandhi Awards ceremony at James Madison University for Archbishop Desmond Tutu (2007) and President Jimmy and Mrs. Rosalyn Carter (2009) for audiences of 7,000. Their fourteenth CD, “Songs from the Heart,” will be released this fall, a collection of music from the past two seasons.

In April the SVCC performed for nearly 1,800 area school children at JMU’s Memorial Hall in three 45-minute concerts. Children from Harrisonburg, Rockingham County, Augusta County, Page County and as fall away as Edinburg, Waynesboro and West Virginia participated in the event.

In addition to singing 30 minutes of music the choir presented educational components that included conducting, the boys’ changing voice and an introduction to solfege/sight singing, a mock audition, instruction on how to bow on stage and a sing-along.

Guest musicians Dr. Beth Chandler from JMU played flute and nationally-known folk musician Bill Wellington played the banjo.

Upcoming performances

Upcoming performances for the 2010-11 year include concerts and masterclasses with the American Boychoir School from Princeton, N.J., in October, joint Christmas concerts with the male a acapella group Sons of the Day and spring performances with the JMU Percussion Ensemble at the new Forbes Center for the Performing Arts at James Madison University.

More info

• SVCC website

Double your musical intake, double your delight with a joint fall concert by the Shenandoah Valley Youth Symphony Orchestra and the Shenandoah Valley Children’s Choir (SVCC) 7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 22, in Lehman Auditorium.

The youth symphony orchestra, part of 91短视频’s Preparatory Music Program, has 38 members from Rockingham, Augusta, Shenandoah and Page counties as well as West Virginia.

The auditioned group will perform the “First Symphony” (1st movement) by Beethoven, “In the Steppes of Central Asia” by Borodin and “Bacchanale” from “Samson & Delilah” by Saint-Saens. The ensemble is conducted by Maria Lorcas, violin teacher in the Preparatory Music program.

The SVCC’s intermediate choir, the Treble Choir (ages 10-14), will sing Pergolesi’s “Glory to God,” the Swahili lullaby “Allunde, Alluia” with percussion and the Australian folksong “Kookaburra.”

The Concert Choir (ages 11-17), will perform the medieval processional “Gaudete” with soloists, and “Midwinter,” a Christmas song by Bob Chilcott. They will also sing two songs they presented for former President Jimmy Carter at JMU’s Gandhi award ceremony Sept. 21, including “Celebration Medley” a three-song medley quoting the spirituals “Walk Together Children,” “Every Time I Feel the Spirit” and the African song “Yesu asali awa,” arranged by local composer Celah Pence. They will also sing President Carter’s favorite hymn, “Amazing Grace.”

The Concert Choir will sing two songs they learned for the Pacific Rim Children’s Chorus Festival in Hawaii last summer: “Reel a Bouche,” a Canadian mouth-music song and “Sesere Eeye,” an a capella folksong from the Torres Straight Islands with the Treble Choir joining in.

Guest instrumentalists will include percussionist Andrew Richardson, clarinetist Les Nicholas and chorister percussionists. Soloists will include Ben Elliott, 11, from Waynesboro, and Sophie Wellington, 13, from Staunton.

Artistic Director Julia White will lead the choirs, and Principal Accompanist Maurita Eberly will play piano.

A five-dollar donation is requested at the door to benefit the 91短视频 Preparatory Music Program and the SVCC tuition assistance funds.

The highly-acclaimed Shenandoah Valley Children’s Choir will sing at the Sept. 21 ceremony at James Madison University when former president Jimmy Carter receives the Global Nonviolence Award from the Mahatma Gandhi Center at JMU.

The Concert Choir of SVCC, a program of 91短视频, will sing for Nobel Peace laureate Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter at JMU, Monday, Sept. 21. The honor follows the invitation to sing for Archbishop Desmond Tutu at the first award ceremony put on by the Center in Harrisonburg, Va., in fall 2007.

“Having been selected before to sing for a president, we know it is a great honor to have been chosen as the choir for this event,” notes artistic director Julia White.

In 1997 the choir sang at the National Tree Lighting in Washington D.C., with opera star Placido Domingo, Motown singer Martha Reeves and country name Lori Morgan. Actor Gregory Peck hosted that event which was co-led by then-President Bill Clinton and his wife, Hillary Clinton. “It was a huge honor to sing with the U.S. Coast Guard band and brass quintet,” recalls White.

The SVCC Concert Choir (65 children ages 11-17) will be augmented by 13 alumni to make the large chorus of 78 for the award ceremony Sept. 21. The choir will sing “Celebration Medley”, during the academic processional. The medley, a combination of the spirituals “Walk Together Children”, “Every Time” and “Yesu asali awa” was arranged for this event by Celah Pence, a graduate of both 91短视频 and JMU.

In addition, they will sing an arrangement by John Coates, Jr., of President Carter’s favorite hymn, “Amazing Grace.” Accompanist Maurita Eberly will play on “Amazing Grace”. Andrew Richardson, percussionist, will accompany on both selections.

Six months in the making

White and Pence worked for nearly six months preparing for the project. “I wanted it to be celebratory, exciting, and inspiring,” said White. “The final measures of the African folksong are ‘There’s a great camp meeting in the promised land!,’ and it will be a thrill with the high 6-part chord in A Major,” she said.

White recorded this challenging piece with several choristers in early July before the SVCC left for Hawaii where they participated in the 2009 Pacific Rim Children’s Chorus Festival. SVCC staff mailed CDs in early August to the choristers so that they could prepare ahead, having only four rehearsals before the event. Read more about their trip to the Pacific Rim festival…

Choristers come to 91短视频 campus for rehearsal each week from as far away as Page County, Waynesboro and West Virginia. They represent public, private and homeschool settings.

“We are honored to sing for President Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter and hope that our musical offerings will add a special excitement to the ceremony,” concludes White. “We are humbled by the task at hand and hope the ceremony is enhanced by the children’s beautiful voices.”

Forty-eight members of the celebrated Shenandoah Valley Children’s Choir (SVCC), their director, Julia White and 36 adult chaperones and companion travelers will participate in the Pacific Rim Children’s Chorus Festival being held July 13-23 in Honolulu, Hawaii.

The Pacific Rim Festival is designed to provide treble children’s choirs, grades 6 through 12, an opportunity to experience the cultures of the Pacific Rim countries through their choral music repertoire in an interactive, non-competitive, creative environment.

Choristers (l. to r.) Ellie Weaver, Stephanie Kozel, Emma Potter, and Kelsey Landes enjoy the SVCC’s 2005 trip to the Pacific Rim Festival.

The SVCC has held six practices this spring and will rehearse again nightly July 7-10 before leaving for the trip July 13. They will sing selections from many countries, including Japan, Philippines, Korea, Canada, Colombia, China, Samoa, New Zealand, Mexico, and the US, including Hawaii.

“Many choir members have worked really hard, doing jobs and saving money to go,” Ms. White said. “Some have never flown before, so that will be an adventure in itself, and singing 14 songs from memory in nine different languages is no small feat.”

In addition to performing at two major Hawaii concert venues with 12 children’s choirs (around 400 choristers) from the US and Canada, SVCC members will learn Polynesian dances with native instructors, practice text and language with native speakers, observe ethnic music and dance performances of Pacific Rim culture, and make indigenous instruments at the Polynesian Culture Center.

“This is such a stretching experience for our children, and friendship and cooperation are at the center of all of the activities,” White said. “We look forward to sharing our music and what we have learned with our home audience in August.”

The SVCC will present a concert 7 p.m. Aug. 14 in 91短视频’s Lehman Auditorium featuring the songs and dances in costume that they perform at the festival. Hawaiian decorations will grace the stage, and a reception will follow. The program is open to the community and tickets will be available at the door – adults $12, seniors and students $10, children 12 and under $7.

The Shenandoah Valley Children’s Choir spring concerts, featuring all three performing choirs and guest performers, will be held 5 p.m. Saturday, Mar. 28 and 3 p.m. Sunday, Mar. 29, 3 p.m. at Harrisonburg High School.

New this year is the spring finale dinner following the Saturday concert. The dinner will begin at 6:45 pm. and will be catered by Hank’s Smokehouse, with a live auction following.

A collection of SVCC related items and theme gift baskets will also be available through a silent auction before the concert. Dinner/auction tickets are $50 and must be reserved by Wednesday, Mar. 18, through the SVCC office at 540-432-4667.

Concert tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and students and $7 children 12 and younger. All seats are general admission, and doors will open 30 minutes before the concert. Tickets may be purchased by calling Yvette Peake at 540-432-4667 and will also be available at the door.

The Concert Choir will be presenting music they performed at the Organization of American Kodaly Educators national conference in Washington, D.C., on Mar. 14 and with the Taiwanese Glorystar Children’s Chorus of Maryland.

Selections will include Bach’s “Wir eilen mit schwachen, doch emsigen Schritten,” the Finnish folk song “Who Can Sail,” the indigenous work songs from the Brazilian rainforest “Tres Cantos,” the jazz arrangement of “My Favorite Things” featuring 11-year-old Sophie Wellington, and the gospel song, “Praise His Holy Name.” Andrew Richardson and SVCC member Dorrall Price will accompany the choir on percussion, with violinist Joan Griffing and bass player Lew Morrison assisting.

The Treble Choir will sing a Renaissance song, “The Cricket” (El Grillo) with soloists in addition to “Gloria Tibi” by Leonard Bernstein. “Dance of the Willow,” a new composition will be featured. The Preparatory Choir will join the intermediate Treble Choir in singing “Dakota Dances” with dances by the children. “The Swing” and “Where Go the Boats” with text by Robert Louis Stevenson and music by Paul Bouman, friend of the SVCC, will also be performed.

The Preparatory Choir, directed by Joy Anderson, will sing “Boots and Saddles” and the Bach/Hopson arrangement of “All the Earth Sing Forth.” They will also sing the Hebrew round arrangement, “Lo Yissa Goy.”

All three choirs will join together for a final selection, “Old Dan Tucker,” featuring Bill Wellington, folk musician, on the banjo.

The Spring Finale Dinner and Auction, created to help provide for the financial needs of the SVCC, is new this year. The live auction includes two delightful travel packages: an Alaskan cruise tour (minimum bid of $4,500 for two people–airfare not included), and a trip to Montego Bay, Jamaica for a week’s stay in a private villa (5 bedrooms) with butler and chef. Minimum bid is $6,000, or $1,500 per couple (airfare not included).

The spring finale dinner menu will feature grilled London broil, boneless chicken breast, herbed new potatoes, green beans, mixed green salad, homemade bread, fresh fruit cobbler or warm fudgy brownie with ice cream. A tentative kids’ menu for ages 8-12 is chicken nuggets, macaroni and cheese, carrot sticks, brownies and drink.

For more information, contact Judy Leaman, manager, at 432-4650 or www.emu.edu/svcc/gala

Artistic Director Julia White

Artistic Director Julia White, on sabbatical from the SVCC the past semester, couldn’t decline invitations to direct two prestigious honors choirs during her scheduled break. She was guest director at the American Choral Directors Western Division Honors Children’s Choir in Anaheim, Calif., late February.

One hundred and thirty children grades 5-8 from eight states attended the four-day conference that featured guest choirs, clinics on choir directing and children’s, middle school and high school honors choirs with veteran directors from across the country. Joe Miller of Westminster Choir College directed the high school choir, and Judith Herrington of the Tacoma Youth Chorus directed the junior high choir.

In addition, White was invited to direct the Organization of Kodaly Educators Honors Children’s Choir in Denver, Colo., the end of March. One hundred and sixty fourth and fifth grade children from across the country – all Kodaly trained students – were selected to be led under White’s directorship for three days and in a final concert at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House in Denver. The four-day national conference included performances and education sessions on the Kodaly methodology of music education.

“I was thrilled to be invited to direct both of these choirs, and it was truly an honor to work with such prestigious organizations,” said Ms. White. For both venues, White selected a program of age-appropriate music literature including secular, sacred and folk songs from many countries.

She also selected two of her favorite accompanists for the grueling schedule of rehearsals and performances. Martin Ellis, known for his work internationally with the Indianapolis Children’s Choir, joined her in California, while Michael Yanette, accompanist of the BAK School of the Arts in West Palm Beach, Fla., accompanied her in Denver.

The Kodaly approach is named for Hungarian composer and ethnomusicologist, Zoltan Kodaly, who, after visiting conservatories in Hungary and disappointed in the level of musicianship there, committed himself to improving the quality of music education in his country. Kodaly believed that music was for everyone and that all people should sing, play and read music.

A Kodaly music education course consists of classes in sight-reading, ear training, teaching methodology, song and materials collection, conducting, and other topics. In order to be Kodaly certified a music teacher must participate in three summers of classes (2-3 weeks each) and complete several projects.

SVCC assistant director Joy Anderson

Joy Anderson, SVCC assistant director, was invited to teach in New Mexico and Virginia as part of the Kodaly music education courses for music educators. Ms. Anderson taught Kodaly pedagogy, a Kodaly sampler course, and several special topics at the University of New Mexico, June 7-20, the only Kodaly course in the state. Teachers from two large school systems were required to take the course, with school systems covering the cost.

Anderson, a Kodaly master teacher who has studied in Kecskemet, Hungary. also taught level I pedagogy at the Kodaly course offered at James Madison University, July 13-26, one of only 24 in the country endorsed by the national Kodaly organization. For several years she has taught the young children’s program as part of the camp and served as organizer for the two-week conference for music educators. In addition, she has directed children’s honor choirs in Virginia.

The Shenandoah Valley Children’s Choir, part of the music department at 91短视频, uses Kodaly-inspired methodology as part of its curriculum. Children from six years old and up through the most advanced Concert Choir are learning to sight-sing music through the program that includes weekly instruction, a practice CD to enhance aural skills and memorization assignments.

“While excellent music education is a crucially important goal in itself, Kodaly music education in particular has also been linked in several studies to significant improvement in math scores — even when extra instructional time in music has been taken from instructional time in math,” Mrs. Anderson said.

The Shenandoah Valley Children’s Choir will begin its 17th season this fall. Plans for the upcoming year include singing concerts for local Rockingham County School children, singing local Christmas and spring concerts and participating in the Pacific Rim International Children’s Choir Festival in Honolulu, Hawaii, under the direction of Henry Leck in July, 2009. The choir has also been invited to perform at the Organization of Kodaly Educators National Conference in Washington D.C. in March 2009.

The choir’s past performances include singing for Archbishop Desmond Tutu last fall at JMU, twice at Carnegie Hall, the national Christmas Tree Lighting, at the Tuscany International Children’s Chorus Festival in Italy and at numerous music conferences.

Although main auditions for the choirs took place in May, another round of auditions will be held Tuesday, Aug. 19, for children in grades 3 through 8.

In addition, the SVCC office is taking registration now for Explorers classes, taught by Joy Anderson, for children in first through third grade. For more information about the Explorers classes and auditions, call Judy Leaman at 540-432-4650. For more information on the SVCC, see www.emu.edu/svcc.