PRESS RELEASES  •  MUSIC •  SHENANDOAH VALLEY CHILDREN'S CHOIRS

Children's Choir Marks 10th Anniversary

HARRISONBURG, Va. — When her family moved to Harrisonburg for her husband’s work, Julia J. White wondered what she would do here. Having thoroughly enjoyed her full-time children’s music position at a large church in suburban Washington, she wanted to continue working exclusively with children’s choirs. Ms. White dreamed of starting an auditioned children’s choir. After much brainstorming and encouragement, she launched the Shenandoah Valley Children’s Choir (SVCC) in 1992, starting with 38 singers. The group practiced in Lehman Auditorium at Eastern Mennonite University.

"Within three years, I had achieved my goals for this dream," White said. Now, 10 years later, there are four choirs with a total of 175 members. The program is operated by a staff of six, supported by student fees and all-volunteer fundraising efforts.

The four choirs are: Angel (ages 6-7), directed by Joy Anderson; Preparatory (ages 8-11), directed by Celah Pence; and Treble (ages 10-15) and Concert (ages 11-18), directed by White.

What began as an affiliation of convenience has now become a great source of pride for both the SVCC and EMU.

>"We needed a place to rehearse," White explained. Martin Chapel in the seminary building is now the choir's rehearsal site, while Lehman Auditorium and Bridgewater Church of the Brethren are used for concerts.

SVCC has developed a successful following that attracts 1,000 or more people to each of their local concerts — one in the fall, two at Christmas and two in the spring.>

"I believe that the children’s voices are perfect as they are," says White, who believes in rigorous training and discipline but not in trying to alter how children sing. The children join the SVCC through an audition process. Rehearsals involve lessons in diction, score study, musicianship, theory and performing skills. There are weekly theory and memorization assignments as well as a commitment to individual practice.

The SVCC mission, according to White, is to provide an atmosphere in which children "will be challenged to achieve excellence by singing, with performance-based activities that exist to foster the child’s personal and artistic enrichment."

SVCC’s first season began with a fall and spring concert and a performance at the first Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival. Since then, the choir has attracted increasing attention.

In 1997 they were invited to sing for President Bill Clinton at the national Christmas-tree lighting ceremony in Washington with tenor Placido Domingo. The following year SVCC was one of the featured groups at Carnegie Hall’s children’s choir festival in New York. Last year they were the headline choir at the national convention of Kodaly educators.

Last summer, SVCC traveled to Italy for the Tuscany International Children’s Choir Festival, joining 400 children in 10 choirs from around the world.

This spring the choir will make its second appearance at the southern conference of the American Choral Directors Association, with Sir David Willcocks as conductor. Locally, the next public performances will be held 7 p.m. Apr. 13 and 14 at Bridgewater Church of the Brethren.

The SVCC staff, in addition to the three choir directors, are: Maurita Eberly, principal accompanist; Brent Holl, choir president and Concert Choir assistant; Judy Leaman, choir manager; and David Williams, theory instructor.

The dream of each staff member is that the children who participate will be able to return to their churches and schools and strengthen the programs that are already in place, White noted.

"SVCC works to give back skilled children who can help others grow and benefit," she added.

More information on the SVCC is available by contacting Judy Leaman at (540) 432-4650 or (540) 896-9118; e-mail: leamanjk@emu.edu. — Sherah-Leigh Zehr, EMU student assistant in communications

FEBRUARY 20, 2002