By The Entertainer | Posted: Thursday, July 2, 2009 12:00 am
Gala concert will cap reunion week
CORVALLIS - On Tuesday evening, swarms of singers filled paper plates with picnic food at Thompson Shelter in Avery Park during a kickoff barbecue for the Heart of the Valley Children's Choir 25th anniversary festival.
Director and founder Carol Nelson managed to tear herself away from conversation and the embraces of former students just long enough to grab a portable microphone and make an announcement.
"We are so excited that I can't stand it," Nelson said, before welcoming visiting choirs from out of state: The Alaska Youth Chorus of Juneau, The Northwest Girl Choir of Seattle and the Tacoma Youth Chorus of Tacoma, Wash.
The visiting choirs joined about 150 current Heart of the Valley Children's Choir singers and about 75 Heart of the Valley alumni for the festival.
Nelson also introduced visiting festival director André Thomas, who was in attendance at the barbecue.
Thomas is a noted composer and director as well as a professor in the School of Music at Florida State University.
Thomas has directed honors and all-state choirs throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, New Zealand and Australia. Among his many awards, in 1996, Florida State University honored Thomas with the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Distinguished Service Award for his outstanding scholarly excellence and strong commitment to King's ideals.
According to Nelson, the Heart of the Valley Choirs have previously performed pieces by Thomas and after she had the chance to see him conduct at a national conference, she jumped at the chance to invite Thomas to be a guest conductor at the festival.
"I wanted someone really wonderful for our 25th," she said. "He's good with the kids."
The mixed choirs will sing Thomas' "My Good Lord's Done Been Here" at a gala concert at 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 3, at LaSells Stewart Center at Oregon State University.
The concert, which will cap the week of festival camp and several intense weeks of rehearsals for individual choirs, will also include performances of "Gloria" from St. Leopold Mass by Johann Michael Haydn; "In the Time of Silver Rain" by Victor Johnson; "Rejoice and Sing" by Rollow Dilworth; "Mass of the Children" by John Rutter; "A Un Panal de Rica Miel 'Las Moscas'" by Alberto Grau; and end with all choirs singing "Oye" by Jim Papoulis.
"This has to be my favorite time of this entire anniversary year, because I get to see my choir kids every single day," Nelson said.
"Their level of musicianship and mastery of the music rises daily, and that's so rewarding for the choir and for me," she said.
The festival also serves as a reunion for many Heart of the Valley alumni, who have the opportunity to join in the choirs for the gala concert.
Anna Seitz, now a music director herself for middle school-aged choirs in Albany, was among the former singers who returned for the festival, to be a soloist at the gala concert.
"I'm a soloist for one of the masses we are doing," she said. "I get chills every time."
Seitz sang in the Heart of the Valley Children's Choirs for eight years, only taking one year off to play the oboe in Corvallis Youth Symphony.
In fact, five out her six siblings were also members of the choirs. Her sister Leah and brother Josh were also able to make it to the barbecue.
Peter Vomocil, who sang with Heart of the Valley from late elementary school through high school, was another alumnus who was able to make it back for the festival.
Vomocil first heard about the reunion and festival through the online social networking Web site Facebook, part of the extensive efforts of the organizers to track down hundreds of past choir members.
In the early years the choirs had about 80 to 100 members. These days there are about 300 children and teens in the choirs each year.
"I just want the town to know how it's been so so special to us and especially to me," Nelson said. "The concert is a gift to the city."
Advance tickets for the gala concert are $15 for adults, $10 for students and seniors, and are available at Gracewinds Music, 137 S.W. Third St. in Corvallis and Sid Stevens Jewelers, 140 First Ave. W. in Albany. They will also be sold at the LaSells Stewart Center box office before the concert.
Information: http://hvcchoir.com.