The Shenandoah Valley Children’s Choir (SVCC) will celebrate 20 years of music performance and education at two spring concerts featuring alumni, March 17 at 7 p.m., and March 18 at 3 p.m.
The concerts will be held in Eastern Mennonite University’s (EMU) Lehman Auditorium.
The Preparatory Choir (ages 8-11), Treble Choir (ages 10-15) and the Concert Choir (ages 11-18) will present a variety of music, including folks songs, world songs and sacred songs focusing on the themes of friendship, nature, love and peacemaking. Guest instrumentalists will accompany the choirs, with regular staff directing the SVCC.
The SVCC will be welcome back alumni for a rehearsal, lunch and reacquainting period before the March 17 concert. The Alumni Choir will join with the SVCC choirs for a medley of “O Freedom” and “Siyahamba,” while “Let there Be Peace on Earth” will be performed as a separate piece.
The Concert Choir will be singing much of their set from the American Choral Directors Association invitational performance March 2 in Winston-Salem, N.C. The Choir sang to 2,000 choral directors and were selected from a pool of 100 applicants to sing at the invitational conference.
A mid-day rehearsal and lunch will take place at EMU. Complimentary admission will be given to alumni to who attend either of the concerts.
More information on SVCC
The acclaimed children’s choir, under the direction of Artistic Director and Founder Julia White, has performed in venues across the world including Italy, Hawaii and New York City, and have sung for numerous music conferences including American Choral Directors Association, Virginia Music Educators Conference and The American Association of Kodaly Educators.
In addition, the choirs have sung at the White House and for the National Tree Lighting with opera star Placido Domingo, with the American Boychoir and for several presidents. Most recently the SVCC performed the Christmas Tours at the White House. They have recently released their fifteenth CD entitled “Twenty Years of Song.”
The SVCC is sponsoring a first-time Boychoir six-week session in April and May, for boys ages 8-13 with unchanged voices. For more information see the SVCC website.
Members of the Concert Choir will sing at Carnegie Hall May 26 at a children’s choir festival. Directed by Ruth Dwyer of the Indianapolis Children’s Choir, five choirs will participate in the invitational event.
Auditions for the 2012-13 season of the SVCC are May 17 and 18 and can be scheduled through Yvette Peake, manager, by calling 540-432-4650 or email yvette.peake@emu.edu.
For more information contact the EMU box office at emu.edu/boxoffice or call 540-432-4582.