“The bar keeps being raised,” says Mary Kay Adams, executive director of the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival.

On May 5 at 3 p.m., eight teenagers will take the spotlight in 91¶ĚĘÓƵ’s Martin Chapel, for the Young Artists’ Recital, sponsored by the festival.

“Over time, and because of the influence from my family, singing has become something that I almost cannot live without,” says Allison Burks, a junior at Spotswood High School.

Burks will sing “The Light in the Piazza” by Adam Guettel. The soprano found her voice early in life: Growing up in a “musical family,” she says, made singing a way to connect and share, “whether at church, around the dinner table, in the car, or before going to sleep.”

A Musical Childhood
Mary Wynn Willson, 18, of Fort Defiance, also grew up surrounded by song. Her parents always encouraged she and her 11 siblings to pick up instruments and play.

It wasn’t until a few years ago, however, that the senior home school student fully appreciated the violin’s place on her shoulder and in her life.

“What music has taught me in life is that it is a wonderful gift, which is capable of bringing joy into people’s lives,” she said. “[My parents] have taught us that we should always should always play for the glory of God.”

Willson will play a violin duet, “Double Concerto in D Minor for Two Violins” by Johann Sebastian Bach, with Turner Ashby senior Mariette Southard.

Playing with a partner, says Willson, quells the nerves — even after playing in the Young Artists’ Recital two years ago.

Burks has prepared for her part with the usual lessons, and also weaving songs through daily life: talking through lyrics, listening and singing.

She hopes the audience will be inspired to learn their own instrument; it’s taught her how to express herself through, whether in frustration, sadness or excitement.

“Through music, I am able to share with others my feelings, my thoughts, my beliefs,” says Burks. “I can connect with people better through music than I can through words.

“It has given me a way to share my emotions and show people who I am.”

Other young artists include:
Isabella Ciambiotti, viola, sophomore from Charlottesville High School,
Meredith Hooper, cello, freshman from Albermarle High School,
Breton Nicholas, horn, graduate of Harrisonburg High School,
Morgan Short, harp, 15-year-old homschool student,
Vivek Srivatsa, violin, senior from Charlottesville High School.

For more information on the Young Artists’ Recital, contact Adams at (540) 432-4652.

Courtesy Daily News Record, May 2, 2013

The program, sponsored by the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival, will “give the community an opportunity to recognize and celebrate the special musical gifts of area students,” according to Mary Kay Adams, Bach Festival coordinator.

“The students that are selected are quite talented and the level of playing continues to rise each year,” said Adams. “Last year’s program was exceptional and I expect no less of this year’s performers.”

The event is open to the public; admission is free.

For more information, contact Mary Kay Adams at 540-432-4652; bach@emu.edu; or visit emu.edu/bach.

91¶ĚĘÓƵ the artists

Anna Armstrong is an 11-year old resident of Bridgewater, Va. A purple belt in karate and a member of the Black Belt Club, Armstrong enjoys camping, fishing, roller-skating and swimming. She has taken violin and piano lessons for six years and has performed in the 91¶ĚĘÓƵ Piano Festival and the National Guild Auditions.

Eric Bame has been a member of the Robert E. Lee High School Symphonic and Jazz Bands for four years. Bame has participated in the all-district symphonic band, South Central Regional Orchestra and all-Virginia Symphonic Band. A student of Robert Harrold at Valley Music Academy, Bame has played trombone for over six years.

Hannah Deal is a sophomore violinist at Albemarle High School. Deal enjoys singing, playing volleyball on school and club teams and swimming. She won a Wednesday Music Club camp scholarship and attended a music camp at the University of South Carolina.

Kirsten Ferguson is a junior at Harrisonburg High School. She has performed in school productions of Les Miserables; How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying!; Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, among others. Ferguson is a member of the marching band, church youth group, Tri-M Music Honor Society, and the ski/snowboarding club.

Morgan Fogler is a junior at Charlottesville High School. Fogler has studied piano for seven years – the last four of which have been with Linda Blondel. She attended the Music Education Center for seven years and has studied for two years with Emily Thomas.

Lillian Hughes is a freshman at Eastern Mennonite School. Hughes has studied violin for 10 years with Sharon Miller. In 2011, Hughes participated in the South Central Senior Regional and Junior Regional orchestras. She has been a member of the Shenandoah Valley Youth Symphony and her school orchestra. Hughes studies classical ballet, modern dance and musical theater and is a member of the Shenandoah Contemporary Dance Theatre.

Breton Nicholas is an eagle scout and a senior at Harrisonburg High School. Nicholas attended two summer Governor’s School programs, several summers at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp and an exchange program in Costa Rica. An avid bicyclist and swimmer, Nicholas plays horn and violin and was selected principal horn in the 2012 all-state festival. He is a member of the Shenandoah Valley Youth Orchestra and high school band.

Abe Nouri is a sophomore at Harrisonburg High School. Nouri has performed in school productions of Les Miserables, Honk Jr., Sir Nose the Burger Rat, and Tom Sawyer. He has participated in summer theater camps with Shenan Arts and Broadway at Bethel (Kan.) College. A trombonist and baritone horn player, he plays in the Marching Band and Massanutten Youth Brass Band and has also studied piano, oboe and the erhu.

Natalie Sheffield is a homeschooled senior who attends Piedmont Virginia Community College. Sheffield studies violin with Susan Black. A member of the Waynesboro Symphony Orchestra and a fiddle player in the Charlottesville area old-time music group, she recently performed solo and chamber music works with Morgan in a joint recital.

Courtney Stout is a junior at Wilson Memorial High School and the Shenandoah Valley Governor’s School. Stout has played violin for eleven years. A student of Sonja Dillard, Stout plays in the Augusta County Junior Orchestra, at local churches, museums, concerts and charitable events.

Celia Quinn Turner, a senior at Broadway High School, began playing violin at the age of three in the Suzuki Program at 91¶ĚĘÓƵ. A seven-year member of the Shenandoah Valley Youth Symphony Orchestra, she was selected to solo with the group last year. Having completed the Pedagogy Training for Suzuki Instruction, she instructs beginning violinists through the preparatory music program.

The program, sponsored by the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival, will “give the community an opportunity to recognize and celebrate the special musical gifts of area students,” according to Mary Kay Adams, Bach Festival coordinator.

This year’s recital features:

• Ben Elliott, fourth grade piano student of Eloise Kornicke
• Mariette Southard, seventh grade violin student of Maria Lorcas
• Ben Roth, twelfth grade viola student of Joan Griffing
• Bergen White, twelfth grade harp student of Jessica Frost
• Lauren Winegard, twelfth grade clarinet student of Les Nicholas
• Lena Risser, college-age soprano student of Jennifer Cooper.

The students will play works by Grieg, Severn, Bach, Hasselmans, Danzi, Handel and Kern.

The public is invited to attend. Admission is free; contributions are welcomed for the annual Bach Festival held mid-June on the 91¶ĚĘÓƵ campus.

For more information, contact Mary Kay Adams at 540-432-4652 or bach@emu.edu or see the website at emu.edu/bach.