Ms. Zehr’s program will take a musical journey through the church calendar – Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent and Easter. Her repertoire includes selections by Dieterich Buxtehude, J.S. Bach, Paul Manz, Robert
Hobby and Michael Burkhardt, concluding with an Easter anthem, “Sing Praise to God” by Paul Laubengayer.

During her time at 91短视频, Zehr has been a member of the 91短视频 Wind Ensemble, served as president of the Student Education Association (SEA), directed the preschool choir at Harrisonburg Mennonite Church and served as a pastoral assistant with Campus Ministries.

Admission to the recital is free.

Choirs, brass and organ

The Shenandoah Valley Children’s Choir is gearing up for their annual Christmas concerts featuring the Washington Symphonic Brass Quintet from Washington, D.C. – a third time for the amazing players to come to Harrisonburg to perform with the SVCC.

Concert dates are 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5 and 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6 in Lehman Auditorium at 91短视频. Tickets are expected to sell out for both performances.

Having collaborated twice before with Phil Snedecor and the Washington Symphonic Brass Quintet, choirs and audiences know what to expect from this ensemble – thrilling, note-perfect brass music as well as stellar musicianship. The members are all professional performers and play with ensembles including symphonies and military bands in the metropolitan area. The WSB came in 2003 and 2006 and look forward to their third time in the Valley and working with organist John W. Fast.

“It’s always a thrill working with Julia and the SVCC,” said Snedecor. “The standard Julia has set for the kids is inspiring and always makes this an exciting event for us. I can’t tell you how many great comments we receive every year about the two CDs we’ve made together. We can’t wait for the third!” (The SVCC produced “The Angel Choir and the Trumpeter” in 2004 and “Christmas Joy” in 2007.)

91短视频 the choir

The three performing choirs – Concert, Treble, and Preparatory – will perform separately as well as together at the Christmas concerts and will also have a chance to work with the trumpets, horn, trombone, tuba (and percussionist) that make up the group. Favorite choral/brass selections will include Carol of the Dance, which Phil Snedecor arranged for our concert in 2006. Christmas sing-alongs and hymns are also part of the program.

Other choral favorites performed by the Concert Choir will include Bob Chilcott’s Midwinter, Britten’s This Little Babe from A Ceremony of Carols, and The Angel Choir and the Trumpeter. The Treble and Preparatory choirs will sing Deck The Halls! and Sans Day Carol as well as other Christmas favorites.

Ticket information

Concert dates are Saturday, Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 6 at 3 p.m. All seating is reserved and tickets may be purchased through the 91短视频 box office at (540) 432-4582 or online at www.emu.edu/boxoffice. Presale tickets in a special reserved section are $20, regular tickets for adults $15, students & seniors (65 and older) $12, children 12 and under $7. Tickets at the door are $2 more/ticket.

The Preparatory Choir, ages 8-11, the Treble Choir, ages 10-15, and the Concert Choir, ages 11-17, will present holiday and winter selections of many styles and periods.

The Shenandoah Valley Children’s Choir welcomes the holiday season with their shimmering seasonal sounds in concerts on Dec. 6 and 7.

John W. Fast, long-time friend and organist of the SVCC, will be featured instrumentalist this year, presenting several works for solo pipe organ. Mr. Fast was the original accompanist for the SVCC for eight years and has continued to play the organ for holiday concerts. He and director Julia White will dialog during the concert about the pipe organ as an educational component of the concerts. Fast will also accompany the combined choirs.

The Preparatory Choir, directed by Joy Anderson, will present Purcell’s “Come Celebrate This Happy, Holy Day” with Carol Warner, flutist, and “Christmas Comin'” by local arranger and composer, Celah Pence. The combined Treble and Preparatory Choirs, under the direction of Julia White. will present “Hine Ma Tov” and “The Angel Gabriel,” featuring child soloists Leah Wenger/Alton Hipps and Lizzie Doughty.

The Treble Choir alone will present the jazz number, “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town” and a Spanish carol, “Arruru.” Andrew Richardson, professional percussionist, will accompany the choirs. The two younger choirs appeared by invitation at the Virginia Music Educators Association state conference Nov. 21 at the Homestead.

The Concert Choir will open their set with the well-loved processional, “Cuncti Simus,” a medieval Spanish Christmas with soloists Ben Elliot and Natalie Doughty, violinist Rebecca Bauer, flutist Carol Warner and Andrew Richardson, percussion.

New carols to the SVCC include John Rutter’s “Carol of the Children,” “Come Colours Rise,” a song dedicated to Desmond Tutu, and “Sunny Bank,” with the text of “I Saw Three Ships.” Favorite SVCC selections will include Bach’s “Wir eilen, mit schwachen doch emsigen Schritten,” “Carol of The Bells” and “On this Day, Earth Shall Ring” with combined choirs and pipe organ.

Children ages 2-8 will be invited to ring bells at the front of the auditorium during the sing-along section of the concert featuring familiar Christmas songs. Jingle bells are provided, and parents are welcome to accompany small children to the front of the auditorium.

Tickets for the concerts are reserved and can be obtained by calling the 91短视频 Box Office at 540-432-4582 between 10:30-2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Online ticket sales: www.emu.edu/boxoffice.

Ticket prices:

The SVCC’s Concert Choir will present additional Christmas concerts on Saturday, Dec. 13 in Luray, Va. Tickets can be obtained at

For more information about the SVCC, contact www.emu.edu/svcc or Judy Leaman, choir manager, at 540-432-4650.

Eojin Lee. Photo by Lindsey Roeschley

Ms. Lee will perform hymn arrangements by Sedio and Burkhardt, “Trumpeting” by Wood and “Prelude and Fugue in C minor” by Bach on organ. Piano selections will include “32 Variations on Original Teme, WoO 80,” by Beethoven, “Klavierst

A music department faculty member will give an organ recital 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 19, at Park View Mennonite Church, N. College Ave. in Harrisonburg.

John W. Fast, an assistant professor of music at 91短视频, will play choral preludes from J.S. Bach

An 91短视频 music department faculty member will give an organ recital 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 21, at Park View Mennonite Church, N. College Ave. in Harrisonburg.

John W. Fast, an assistant professor of music at 91短视频, will play works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Henry Purcell, Felix Mendelssohn, Alexandre Guilmant, Dan Locklair, Robert Hobby and James Woodman.

Fast, who joined the 91短视频 faculty in 1975, received his undergraduate bachelor’s degree from Bethel College, N. Newton, Kan., and a master’s in music degree from Indiana University. He is the organist at Park View Mennnonite Church and a frequent accompanist for the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival and the Shenandoah Valley Children’s Choir.

The two-manual Dyer organ with 20 ranks of pipes was installed in the Park View church sanctuary in early 1996.

The recital is open to everyone at no admission charge.