Young virtuosos in the Valley aren\u2019t shy about striking the right notes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe bar keeps being raised,\u201d says Mary Kay Adams, executive director of the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival.<\/p>\n
On May 5 at 3 p.m., eight teenagers will take the spotlight in Eastern Mennonite University\u2019s Martin Chapel, for the Young Artists\u2019 Recital, sponsored by the festival.<\/p>\n
\u201cOver time, and because of the influence from my family, singing has become something that I almost cannot live without,\u201d says Allison Burks, a junior at Spotswood High School.<\/p>\n
Burks will sing \u201cThe Light in the Piazza\u201d by Adam Guettel. The soprano found her voice early in life: Growing up in a \u201cmusical family,\u201d she says, made singing a way to connect and share, \u201cwhether at church, around the dinner table, in the car, or before going to sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n
A Musical Childhood<\/strong> It wasn\u2019t until a few years ago, however, that the senior home school student fully appreciated the violin\u2019s place on her shoulder and in her life.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat music has taught me in life is that it is a wonderful gift, which is capable of bringing joy into people\u2019s lives,\u201d she said. \u201c[My parents] have taught us that we should always should always play for the glory of God.\u201d<\/p>\n Willson will play a violin duet, \u201cDouble Concerto in D Minor for Two Violins\u201d by Johann Sebastian Bach, with Turner Ashby senior Mariette Southard.<\/p>\n Playing with a partner, says Willson, quells the nerves \u2014 even after playing in the Young Artists\u2019 Recital two years ago.<\/p>\n Burks has prepared for her part with the usual lessons, and also weaving songs through daily life: talking through lyrics, listening and singing.<\/p>\n She hopes the audience will be inspired to learn their own instrument; it\u2019s taught her how to express herself through, whether in frustration, sadness or excitement.<\/p>\n \u201cThrough music, I am able to share with others my feelings, my thoughts, my beliefs,\u201d says Burks. \u201cI can connect with people better through music than I can through words.<\/p>\n \u201cIt has given me a way to share my emotions and show people who I am.\u201d<\/p>\n Other young artists include: For more information on the Young Artists\u2019 Recital, contact Adams at (540) 432-4652.<\/p>\n
\nMary 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.<\/p>\n
\nIsabella Ciambiotti, viola, sophomore from Charlottesville High School,
\nMeredith Hooper, cello, freshman from Albermarle High School,
\nBreton Nicholas, horn, graduate of Harrisonburg High School,
\nMorgan Short, harp, 15-year-old homschool student,
\nVivek Srivatsa, violin, senior from Charlottesville High School.<\/p>\n