Youth Orchestra/Children’s Choirs Set Joint Holiday Concert

SVCC chorister Morgan Wise from Harrisonburg
Morgan Wise from Harrisonburg and the SVCC Concert Choir will perform as part of the joint concert with the Shenandoah Valley Youth Orchestra at EMU Nov. 22.

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 EMU’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 EMU Preparatory Music Program and the SVCC tuition assistance funds.