The Shenandoah Valley Children’s Choir (SVCC) and the Shenandoah Valley Youth Orchestra (SVYO) will present a joint fall concert 7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 19, in Lehman Auditorium at Eastern Mennonite University.
The Children’s Choir, celebrating its 15th season, will present a program of classical songs, folk songs from several countries and seasonal songs.
The Treble Choir, SVCC’s intermediate choir with 40 children grades 4-7, will sing the baroque work, “The Heavens Declare Thy Glory,” accompanied by trumpet player Daniel Galyen, band director at Bridgewater College. The Austrian Christmas song “The Dark Softly Falling,” and the American Folksong “Jim Along Josie” will also be part of the Treble Choir’s set.
The Concert Choir, with 72 children in grades 6-11, will present a set of music that includes Purcell’s “Sound the Trumpet,” Mozart’s “Laudate Dominum” with soloist Sarah Wingard, the Finnish folksong “Who Can Sail?,” the Serbian gypsy dance “Niska Banja,” and the spiritual “This Train is Bound For Glory” featuring soloist Betsy Barrett.
Choirs Combine
The two choirs will join to present a combined song “Sahayta,” which means “helpfulness” in Sanskrit. “Sahayta” will include 10 languages emphasizing concepts of peace, greetings, cooperation, music, and dance, and soloists from both choirs; guest percussionist Andrew Richardson from James Madison University will be featured.
The 30-member Youth Symphony, conducted by Maria Lorcas, will perform excerpts from Handel’s “Music for the Royal Fireworks”, an arrangement of “Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring” by Bach and Brahms’ “Hungarian Dances Nos. 5 and 6.:
Orchestra members are from the city of Harrisonburg, Rockingham, Augusta, Shenandoah and Page counties and from Franklin, W.Va.
Local Student Featured
Molly Schick, Youth Symphony soloist Molly Schick, a senior at Harrisonburg High School, will be featured in the “Bassoon Concerto” by von Weber. She was chosen to perform by audition.
Ms. Schick is in her fourth year in the orchestra. She has been a member of the HHS symphonic and marching band for four years and is woodwind field commander in the marching band. She is also president of the Tri-M music honor society at HHS, an officer of the HHS InterAct Club and a tutor for Project Rescue, a tutoring program at the school.
Schick is a student of Dr. Sue Barber, bassoon professor at James Madison University. She has been a member of the HHS Jazz Ensemble, the EMU Wind Ensemble and the Emmanuel Episcopal Church Parish Choir and has played in numerous honors ensembles.
She is the daughter of Kurt and Lisa Schick of Harrisonburg.
A suggested $5 donation at the door will benefit the Preparatory Music and Shenandoah Valley Children’ Choirs’ scholarship funds.