The EMU Chamber Singers is taking the show on the road.

The auditioned touring chamber choir has released the schedule for its spring break series of performances, held from March 1-6, 2025. During the tour, 22 members will perform at churches around Lancaster, Philadelphia, and Souderton, Pennsylvania, as well as at a retirement community near Lancaster, four high schools, and a music venue in Orange, Virginia. 

The theme of this year’s tour is “Hope and Unity” and features “beautiful singing on the topics of bringing hope and working for unity for our children, healing the earth, and working toward peace,” said Professor Benjamin Bergey, director of the Chamber Singers. “Music has the power to lift us up, allow us to cry or laugh, and bring us together.”

Some of the songs in the program that reflect this theme include the lovely and simple spiritual “Child of God,” the inspirational “Sing My Child,” and “Prayer of the Children.” Bergey said the latter song was written in the war-torn former country of Yugoslavia as a cry for Jesus’ help in a place of desperation.

The tour schedule includes a performance at Nations Worship Center, an Indonesian Mennonite congregation in Philadelphia led by Pastor Beny Krisbianto, MDiv ’15, a member of the EMU Board of Trustees. The Chamber Singers will also join together with area groups, singing alongside the Dock Mennonite Academy choir at Souderton Mennonite Church and the Lancaster Mennonite High School choir at Landis Homes. The tour will cap off with a return to The Music Room on Main in Orange, Virginia. The choir performed at the hardware store-turned-music venue last year and is “back by popular demand,” Bergey said.

The annual spring break tour is often a highlight of the choral students’ college experience and helps them hone their craft through the intensity of the tour, Bergey said. It also serves as a valuable recruiting tool, spreading the love of EMU and maintaining connections with the churches and communities that continue to send students to the university.

Schedule

All performances are free of charge, with a freewill offering collected to support the choir’s travel expenses.

Saturday, March 1, 7 p.m.
Blossom Hill Mennonite Church – Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Sunday, March 2, 10 a.m. 
Nations Worship Center – Philadelphia

Sunday, March 2, 7 p.m.
Salford Mennonite Church – Harleysville, Pennsylvania

Monday, March 3, 7 p.m.
Souderton Mennonite Church – Souderton, Pennsylvania
with Dock Mennonite Academy choir

Tuesday, March 4, 6 p.m.
Landis Homes – Lancaster, Pennsylvania
with Lancaster Mennonite High School choir

Thursday, March 6, 7 p.m.
The Music Room on Main – Orange, Virginia

Members

The choir includes:

SOPRANO
Erin Batten, Bridgewater, Virginia
Reah Clymer, Meridian, Mississippi
Elie Hoover, New Carlisle, Ohio
Hannah Landes Beck, Linville, Virginia
Hollyn Miller, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Riley Quezada, Mount Jackson, Virginia

ALTO
Ciela Acosta, Salem, Oregon
Iris Anderson, Corvallis, Oregon
Lauren Kauffman, Goshen, Indiana
Sophia Kauffman, Goshen, Indiana
Naomi Kratzer, Goshen, Indiana
Emma Nord, Greenville, Illinois

TENOR
Theo Andreas, Bluffton, Ohio
Adam Hoover, New Carlisle, Ohio
Jacob Nissley, Canton, Ohio
Canyon Penner, Goshen, Indiana
Cassidy Williams, Green Lane, Pennsylvania

BASS
Jadon Harley, Bel Air, Maryland
Jesse Kanagy, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Lawson Kauffman, Goshen, Indiana
Mac Rhodes-Lehman, Dayton, Virginia
Eli Stoll, Harrisonburg, Virginia
Joshua Stucky, Princeton, New Jersey

Now in its 46th year, the EMU Chamber Singers is a mixed-voice choir made up of 23 EMU students of different ages and majors. For more information about the Chamber Singers, visit the choir’s website or find the group on  and . Consider donating toward the choir’s travel and operating expenses .

Where: Lehman Auditorium
When: 7 p.m., Friday
Cost: Free, with suggested donation of $10 to $20
Online:

��ݮ����’s 2023 Music Gala Concert, says David Berry, is a labor of love for so many people.

The upcoming concert will showcase three talented guest artists and every music ensemble on campus collaborating in a special evening of dance, poetry, jazz and world music. Two compositions written for the event will premiere. And the university choir and chamber orchestra will pair up to perform Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy,” featuring soloists Olivia Rominiyi, Sarah Hamilton, Jordan Davidson, and Shannon Kiser.

“We’re celebrating the connectedness of community and humanity across the globe and what we can do when we come together,” said Berry, music program director at EMU. 

The concert, fittingly titled Together, begins at 7 p.m. on Friday in Lehman Auditorium. It is free to attend, with to help support EMU Music.

The World Has Changed

Embodying the theme of collaboration, an actress, dancer, orchestra and choir will join together to perform The World Has Changed. The interdisciplinary piece, based on the poetry of Alice Walker, will see its world premiere at the gala. 

composed the score for The World Has Changed. Wadsworth, an assistant professor of music at Williams College, also wrote music for this year’s Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival. His compositions have been performed at The Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center and at Westminster Abbey for Queen Elizabeth II.

The World Has Changed will feature a narration of Walker’s poetry from actress of the American Shakespeare Center in Staunton. “We needed a voice that would communicate the text well with the orchestra, with the choir and with the dance, so we knew we needed someone special for that,” Berry said. He credited EMU Provost Tynisha Willingham, a board member of the theater company, with connecting Bellamore with the production.

Paula Facci, an assistant professor at the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding, will perform a dance that her class, Creative Approaches to Peacebuilding, helped to choreograph.

Berry described the music of The World Has Changed as “ethereal, powerful and soulful” and said the composition serves as “a celebration of what could be.”

Amahoro Suite

The other original piece premiering at the concert will be the world jazz fusion composition Amahoro Suite by , a man of many talents and cultures.

The Liberian-German composer, musician, singer, storyteller and pastor plays jazz flute, piano and percussion. He’s performed in Vatican City for Pope John Paul II and at Madison Square Garden. He is the director of , a Christian ministry affiliated with Mosaic Mennonite Conference.

“He’s really just an amazing artist and person,” Berry said. 

Makinto and his wife, Mukarabe, will recite poetry as part of Amahoro Suite. Amahoro is the Kirundi — the official language of Burundi — expression for “peace.” Amahoro Suite will include musical performances from Makinto and the EMU Jazz Band. 

“It’ll involve all kinds of things from Duke Ellington to djembe ensemble to African jazz flute,” Berry said.

‘Ode to Joy’

Those attending the concert will be treated to a choir and orchestra recital of “Ode to Joy” from Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. The ode, with its lyrics by poet Friedrich Schiller, has been sung at important movements throughout history to inspire and instill courage and hope, Berry said. 

“It’s been a symbol, since it’s creation, of our shared humanity, our connectedness as a human race,” he said. 

In the days leading up to the concert, about 1,500 students from Harrisonburg and Rockingham County will watch Makinto perform music and share stories as part of a unique collaboration with . EMU Music is a premier artist partner with The Kennedy Center-sponsored arts education nonprofit. 

Other collaborative partners for this event include the American Shakespeare Center, the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding, EMU’s Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival and sponsor Everence Federal Credit Union.

For those who cannot attend in person, a livestream will be available to watch online through the .

“I wanted to include some local composers and styles to bring a taste from our home while also exploring a range of other styles and composers from around the world,” said Professor Benjamin Bergey, director of the Chamber Singers.

Highlights include songs about and in the tradition of the area, such as “Shenandoah,” a classic song about the Shenandoah Valley; “Sing Each Other Home,” a piece the Chamber Singers and EMU’s music and peacebuilding program commissioned the Harrisonburg-based Walking Roots Band to write; and “Could It Be That God Is Singing,” a hymn in the Southern Harmony tradition by poet Becca J R Lachman from Goshen, Indiana.

Other songs include “A New Leaf” by Bradley Lehman, a local composer and father of choir member Afton Rhodes-Lehman; “Eagles’ Wings” by EMU alumnus Sam Kauffman ‘12; and “Wake Up, My Spirit” by Virginia-based contemporary African American composer Adolphus Hailstork.

The EMU Chamber Singers is an auditioned touring chamber choir now in its 44th year. The mixed-voice choir is made up of more than 15 EMU students of different ages and majors. The ensemble tours in the U.S. each spring break and will tour abroad every other May starting this year. The select vocal group performs choral arrangements from various periods, styles and cultures. 

Schedule

All evening performances are free and open to the public.

Members

The choir includes:

Iris Anderson, Corvallis, Oregon

Maggie Garber, Broadway, Virginia

Thaddeus Jackson, Harrisonburg, Virginia

Philip Krabill, Elkhart, Indiana

Naomi Kratzer, Goshen, Indiana

Hannah Landes Beck, Linville, Virginia

Hollyn Miller, Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Aaron Moyer, Broadway, Virginia

Jacob Nissley, Canton, Ohio

Afton Rhodes-Lehman, Dayton, Virginia

Sophia Sherrill, Goshen, Indiana; Higashikurume, Tokyo, Japan

Savannah Smith, Key West, Florida

Joshua Stucky, Princeton, New Jersey

Brynn Yoder, Harrisonburg, Virginia

Andrew Zook, Canton, Ohio

Find the EMU Chamber Singers on and .

“Interlude,” a 14-voice choir comprised of current EMU students and recent graduates.

Concerts by choral groups occur regularly on the EMU campus, but this one will be a bit different.

“Interlude,” a 14-voice choir comprised of current EMU students and recent graduates, will present a concert of choral favorites on Wednesday, Apr. 28. But this will be the group’s only performance, and the program is dedicated to the memory of a fallen EMU alumnus.

Admission to the concert, at 7 p.m. in Martin Chapel of the seminary building, is by donation, with all proceeds going to the Matthew Garber Endowed Scholarship Fund at EMU.

Garber: student leader, musician

Garber, 22, a well-loved student leader, musician, and 2008 nursing graduate from Elizabethtown, Pa., was known for his strong faith, musicianship and good sense of humor.

He drowned on July 1, 2008 while on a missions trip in Costa Rica. Garber was planning to begin work as an emergency room nurse at Lancaster (PA) General Hospital the end of that summer.

About the concert

The group will be perform a wide variety of choral music from Rachmaninoff, Lauridsen and several African pieces to selections from a group from Finland called Rajaton. A member described the program as “kind of a ‘greatest hits’ of collective favorites from past choral experiences.”

“We just had a group of people who loved singing and wanted to do it together on a regular basis,” said choir member Katie Derstine.

“But in choosing music and during early rehearsals, Matt (Garber) kept coming to mind. Several of us talked about how pieces reminded us of him and how much he would have enjoyed participating in this project. Turning the concert into a benefit seemed a good way to focus our energy and give a more tangible purpose to what we were doing,” she added.

For more information on the program, contact Katie Derstine at 540-432-4110; email: katherine.derstine@emu.edu.

Cantemus (Latin for “Let Us Sing”), a recently-formed 12-member chamber choir, and ChoirWithoutBorders, a 35-member student group, will sing selections based on the theme, “Christian Journey: From Darkness Into Light.”

The recently-formed ‘Cantemus’ choral group will join ChoirWithoutBorders for a joint concert Sunday, Apr. 18 at EMU. Photo by Katie Landis

Their eclectic repertoire will feature a variety of genres, languages, and cultures from the 16th century to the present including Latin motets, African songs, a Colombian dance, Mozart madrigal and contemporary works. The selections explore God’s transcendence, the issue of sin, Christ’s saving work, the Holy Spirit in the lives of His people and eternity in Heaven.

About the director

James K. Richardson, assistant professor of music at EMU, will direct both groups. In addition to choir directing, he teaches voice, vocal pedagogy, appreciating music making and listening to film. Richardson, baritone, earned his master of music degree from The Peabody Conservatory of Music of The Johns Hopkins University.

Free admission

Admission to the concert is free; donations are welcomed for the EMU music student scholarship fund.

Learn more about music ensembles at EMU

The renowned Shenandoah Valley Children’s Choir rehearses for its Apr. 10-11 spring concerts at EMU.

One hundred forty children from the Preparatory, Treble and Concert choirs will delight audiences with songs of nature, adventure, animals and gardens.

The Preparatory Choir, directed by Joy Anderson, will offer “The Firefly Song” composed by Alumna Laura Anderson and folksong “Rissedly Rosseldy.” The combined Preparatory and Treble Choirs, directed by Julia White, will sing “Marienwurmchen”, a German song about a ladybug, “Music Alone Shall Live,” a round arrangement, and “Song for the Pirate Child.” The Treble Choir will combine with the Concert Choir to sing Stephen Foster’s “Merry, Merry Heart”, plus the Jamaican Calypso “Linstead Market” and “Black Snake Wind,” a Hopi Indian song.

The Concert Choir will sing the baroque “Give Ear Unto Me” by Benedetto Marcello, “Song for the Mira,” a story-song about life on the river in Cape Breton, “Tai Yang Chu Lai La,” a Chinese song from last summer’s Hawaii tour, and a favorite, “Jerusalem,” by Parry. New selections for the Concert Choir will include “Tango” and Spanish language song, “Cantar,” and the set will conclude with “Clap Yo Hands” by George and Ira Gershwin.

Shenandoah Valley Children’s Choir

All choirs will join on “For the Beauty of the Earth” and “The Garden Song,” made popular by Peter, Paul and Mary in the 1960s. Principal Accompanist Maurita Eberly will play for the choirs, with John W. Fast, Preparatory Choir accompanist, assisting.

Beth Chandler, a flute professor at James Madison University, will be featured instrumentalist at the concerts. Dr. Chandler will offer several solo flute solos and will also accompany the SVCC on song selections. Professional folk musician Bill Wellington will play the banjo.

Former choir manager Judy Leaman will be honored at Sunday’s concert for her 15 years of service to the SVCC.

All seating is reserved, and tickets may be purchased through the EMU box office at (540) 432-4582 or online at www.emu.edu/boxoffice. Presale tickets for adults are $12 (regular seating), students & seniors (65 and older), $10, children 12 and under, $7. Tickets at the door are $2 more.

The 2009-10 EMU Chamber Singers

The EMU Chamber Singers will welcome the Advent-Christmas season with a concert on the theme, “Remember Forward,” 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 10, in Martin Chapel of the seminary building at EMU.

The 33-member choir, directed by Dr. Kenneth Nafziger, professor of music at EMU, will present “Missa Sancti Nicolai,” a liturgical work by Franz Joseph Haydn with the EMU chamber orchestra, “Magnificat” and “Nunc Diittis” by Neil Saunders, three Advent motets by K. Lee Scott, “Lord, before this fleeting season by Libby Larsen and two Spanish carols.

Chamber Singers in concert

“In this season of December 2009, we offer this concert of music remembering forward,” said Dr. Nafziger. “The mighty have been brought down, the low have been exalted. Bridges have carried and will carry people over troubled water. The new Jerusalem is under construction. The star still shines. ‘Dona nobis pacem’ still inspires dreams. Light of a clear blue morning is visible even in the dark. The hungry have been filled with good things. We have been, are, and will be heard. Alleluia. The angels’ song, ‘Gloria en las Alturas,’ is still a full-throated shout for joy.”

Admission to the program is free; donations are welcomed for the EMU music student scholarship fund.

Choirs, brass and organ

The Shenandoah Valley Children’s Choir is gearing up for their annual Christmas concerts featuring the Washington Symphonic Brass Quintet from Washington, D.C. – a third time for the amazing players to come to Harrisonburg to perform with the SVCC.

Concert dates are 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5 and 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6 in Lehman Auditorium at EMU. Tickets are expected to sell out for both performances.

Having collaborated twice before with Phil Snedecor and the Washington Symphonic Brass Quintet, choirs and audiences know what to expect from this ensemble – thrilling, note-perfect brass music as well as stellar musicianship. The members are all professional performers and play with ensembles including symphonies and military bands in the metropolitan area. The WSB came in 2003 and 2006 and look forward to their third time in the Valley and working with organist John W. Fast.

“It’s always a thrill working with Julia and the SVCC,” said Snedecor. “The standard Julia has set for the kids is inspiring and always makes this an exciting event for us. I can’t tell you how many great comments we receive every year about the two CDs we’ve made together. We can’t wait for the third!” (The SVCC produced “The Angel Choir and the Trumpeter” in 2004 and “Christmas Joy” in 2007.)

About the choir

The three performing choirs – Concert, Treble, and Preparatory – will perform separately as well as together at the Christmas concerts and will also have a chance to work with the trumpets, horn, trombone, tuba (and percussionist) that make up the group. Favorite choral/brass selections will include Carol of the Dance, which Phil Snedecor arranged for our concert in 2006. Christmas sing-alongs and hymns are also part of the program.

Other choral favorites performed by the Concert Choir will include Bob Chilcott’s Midwinter, Britten’s This Little Babe from A Ceremony of Carols, and The Angel Choir and the Trumpeter. The Treble and Preparatory choirs will sing Deck The Halls! and Sans Day Carol as well as other Christmas favorites.

Ticket information

Concert dates are Saturday, Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 6 at 3 p.m. All seating is reserved and tickets may be purchased through the EMU box office at (540) 432-4582 or online at www.emu.edu/boxoffice. Presale tickets in a special reserved section are $20, regular tickets for adults $15, students & seniors (65 and older) $12, children 12 and under $7. Tickets at the door are $2 more/ticket.

The EMU Chamber Singers and Chamber Orchestra will share their musical gifts as part of this fall’s musical ‘gala.’ Photo by Matt Gillis

EMU’s music department will showcase its choral and instrumental groups in a concert 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 21, in Lehman Auditorium.

The EMU Chamber Orchestra will play “Simply Symphony,” a short work for strings that British composer Benjamin Britten wrote based on songs and instrumental pieces he had composed as a child. EMU junior Benjamin Bergey will conduct the 30-member chamber orchestra.

The EMU Jazz Ensemble, directed by James W. (Jim) Warner, will perform “Yardbird Suite” by Charlie Parker, arranged by Roger Pemberton; “A Day In The Life Of A Fool” by Lui Bonfa, arranged by Frank Mantooth’ and “To God Be The Glory,” arranged by Aaron Weitekamp.

Ken Nafziger, professor of music
Lynne Mackey, associate professor of music

The EMU Chamber Singers will present a collection of popular songs from the 1970s-80s by Harry Belafonte, Paul Simon, Dolly Parton and Carly Simon and a spiritual that figured prominently in the anti-war movement.

Kenneth Nafziger, professor of music, will conduct the Chamber Singers, the EMU Choir Without Borders and Lynne Mackey, pianist, in Ludwig von Beethoven’s “Choral Fantasia,” considered by some as a “practice piece” for the writing of his “Symphony No. 9.”

Admission to the concert is a suggested donation of $10 to benefit the EMU music student scholarship fund.

For more information, call 540-432-4225.

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.

Forty-eight members of the celebrated Shenandoah Valley Children’s Choir (SVCC), their director, Julia White and 36 adult chaperones and companion travelers will participate in the Pacific Rim Children’s Chorus Festival being held July 13-23 in Honolulu, Hawaii.

The Pacific Rim Festival is designed to provide treble children’s choirs, grades 6 through 12, an opportunity to experience the cultures of the Pacific Rim countries through their choral music repertoire in an interactive, non-competitive, creative environment.

Choristers (l. to r.) Ellie Weaver, Stephanie Kozel, Emma Potter, and Kelsey Landes enjoy the SVCC’s 2005 trip to the Pacific Rim Festival.

The SVCC has held six practices this spring and will rehearse again nightly July 7-10 before leaving for the trip July 13. They will sing selections from many countries, including Japan, Philippines, Korea, Canada, Colombia, China, Samoa, New Zealand, Mexico, and the US, including Hawaii.

“Many choir members have worked really hard, doing jobs and saving money to go,” Ms. White said. “Some have never flown before, so that will be an adventure in itself, and singing 14 songs from memory in nine different languages is no small feat.”

In addition to performing at two major Hawaii concert venues with 12 children’s choirs (around 400 choristers) from the US and Canada, SVCC members will learn Polynesian dances with native instructors, practice text and language with native speakers, observe ethnic music and dance performances of Pacific Rim culture, and make indigenous instruments at the Polynesian Culture Center.

“This is such a stretching experience for our children, and friendship and cooperation are at the center of all of the activities,” White said. “We look forward to sharing our music and what we have learned with our home audience in August.”

The SVCC will present a concert 7 p.m. Aug. 14 in EMU’s Lehman Auditorium featuring the songs and dances in costume that they perform at the festival. Hawaiian decorations will grace the stage, and a reception will follow. The program is open to the community and tickets will be available at the door – adults $12, seniors and students $10, children 12 and under $7.

Artistic Director Julia White

Artistic Director Julia White, on sabbatical from the SVCC the past semester, couldn’t decline invitations to direct two prestigious honors choirs during her scheduled break. She was guest director at the American Choral Directors Western Division Honors Children’s Choir in Anaheim, Calif., late February.

One hundred and thirty children grades 5-8 from eight states attended the four-day conference that featured guest choirs, clinics on choir directing and children’s, middle school and high school honors choirs with veteran directors from across the country. Joe Miller of Westminster Choir College directed the high school choir, and Judith Herrington of the Tacoma Youth Chorus directed the junior high choir.

In addition, White was invited to direct the Organization of Kodaly Educators Honors Children’s Choir in Denver, Colo., the end of March. One hundred and sixty fourth and fifth grade children from across the country – all Kodaly trained students – were selected to be led under White’s directorship for three days and in a final concert at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House in Denver. The four-day national conference included performances and education sessions on the Kodaly methodology of music education.

“I was thrilled to be invited to direct both of these choirs, and it was truly an honor to work with such prestigious organizations,” said Ms. White. For both venues, White selected a program of age-appropriate music literature including secular, sacred and folk songs from many countries.

She also selected two of her favorite accompanists for the grueling schedule of rehearsals and performances. Martin Ellis, known for his work internationally with the Indianapolis Children’s Choir, joined her in California, while Michael Yanette, accompanist of the BAK School of the Arts in West Palm Beach, Fla., accompanied her in Denver.

The Kodaly approach is named for Hungarian composer and ethnomusicologist, Zoltan Kodaly, who, after visiting conservatories in Hungary and disappointed in the level of musicianship there, committed himself to improving the quality of music education in his country. Kodaly believed that music was for everyone and that all people should sing, play and read music.

A Kodaly music education course consists of classes in sight-reading, ear training, teaching methodology, song and materials collection, conducting, and other topics. In order to be Kodaly certified a music teacher must participate in three summers of classes (2-3 weeks each) and complete several projects.

SVCC assistant director Joy Anderson

Joy Anderson, SVCC assistant director, was invited to teach in New Mexico and Virginia as part of the Kodaly music education courses for music educators. Ms. Anderson taught Kodaly pedagogy, a Kodaly sampler course, and several special topics at the University of New Mexico, June 7-20, the only Kodaly course in the state. Teachers from two large school systems were required to take the course, with school systems covering the cost.

Anderson, a Kodaly master teacher who has studied in Kecskemet, Hungary. also taught level I pedagogy at the Kodaly course offered at James Madison University, July 13-26, one of only 24 in the country endorsed by the national Kodaly organization. For several years she has taught the young children’s program as part of the camp and served as organizer for the two-week conference for music educators. In addition, she has directed children’s honor choirs in Virginia.

The Shenandoah Valley Children’s Choir, part of the music department at EMU, uses Kodaly-inspired methodology as part of its curriculum. Children from six years old and up through the most advanced Concert Choir are learning to sight-sing music through the program that includes weekly instruction, a practice CD to enhance aural skills and memorization assignments.

“While excellent music education is a crucially important goal in itself, Kodaly music education in particular has also been linked in several studies to significant improvement in math scores — even when extra instructional time in music has been taken from instructional time in math,” Mrs. Anderson said.

The Shenandoah Valley Children’s Choir will begin its 17th season this fall. Plans for the upcoming year include singing concerts for local Rockingham County School children, singing local Christmas and spring concerts and participating in the Pacific Rim International Children’s Choir Festival in Honolulu, Hawaii, under the direction of Henry Leck in July, 2009. The choir has also been invited to perform at the Organization of Kodaly Educators National Conference in Washington D.C. in March 2009.

The choir’s past performances include singing for Archbishop Desmond Tutu last fall at JMU, twice at Carnegie Hall, the national Christmas Tree Lighting, at the Tuscany International Children’s Chorus Festival in Italy and at numerous music conferences.

Although main auditions for the choirs took place in May, another round of auditions will be held Tuesday, Aug. 19, for children in grades 3 through 8.

In addition, the SVCC office is taking registration now for Explorers classes, taught by Joy Anderson, for children in first through third grade. For more information about the Explorers classes and auditions, call Judy Leaman at 540-432-4650. For more information on the SVCC, see www.emu.edu/svcc.

EMU Chamber Singers Photo by Jim Bishop

The Chamber Singers, EMU’s select student choir, will give programs of worship in music at four locations in Pennsylvania during a weekend tour.

The 34-member choir, directed by Dr. Kenneth Nafziger, will present a repertoire centered around a cycle of pieces for a cappella chorus by South Carolina composer Dan Forrest, “Words from Paradise.” Each piece in the cycle is on one word used prominently in the Bible: Holy, Hallelujah, Selah, Hosanna and Amen.

The concert will include music from many sources that explores these five words, including traditional classical as well as modern choral music, music from Africa and New Zealand and colorful hymn singing with the congregation.

They will sing 7:30 p.m. Friday, Apr. 4, at Landis Valley Mennonite Church, 2420 Kissel Hill Rd., Lancaster; 7 p.m. Apr. 5 at Marion Mennonite Church, 4365 Molly Pitcher Highway, Chambersburg; 10:30 a.m. Apr. 6 at Maple Grove Mennonite Church, 115 Maple Grove Road, Belleville; and 7 p.m. Apr. 6 at Christ Church UCC, 200 S White Oak St., Annville.

Dr. Nafziger is professor of music at EMU. His teaching responsibilities include directing the EMU Chamber Singers and courses in conducting, interdisciplinary humanities and world music. Nafziger is also artistic director and conductor of the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival held in June each year on the EMU campus.

Nafziger was music editor of “Hymnal: a Worship Book,” released in 1992, and editor of its Accompaniment Handbook (1993). He was assistant to the editor for both “Sing the Journey” and “Sing the Story” and producer and director of four CDs of music from these hymnal supplements. He is also co-author of the book, “Singing: a Mennonite Voice.”

A free-will offering will be taken at each location.

EMU Chamber Singers Photo by Jim Bishop

The Chamber Singers, a select student choir at EMU, will give programs of worship in music at nine locations in three states states during the school’s mid-semester break.

The 34-member choir, directed by Dr. Kenneth Nafziger, will present a repertoire centered around a cycle of pieces for a cappella chorus by South Carolina composer Dan Forrest, “Words from Paradise.” Each piece in the cycle is on one word used prominently in the Bible: Holy, Hallelujah, Selah, Hosanna and Amen.

The concert will include music from many sources that explores these five words, including traditional classical as well as modern choral music, music from Africa and New Zealand and colorful hymn singing with the congregation.

Dr. Nafziger is professor of music at EMU. His teaching responsibilities include directing the EMU Chamber Singers and courses in conducting, interdisciplinary humanities and world music. Nafziger is also artistic director and conductor of the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival held in June each year on the EMU campus.

Nafziger was music editor of “Hymnal: a Worship Book,” released in 1992, and editor of its Accompaniment Handbook (1993). He was assistant to the editor for both “Sing the Journey” and “Sing the Story” and producer and director of four CDs of music from these hymnal supplements. He is also co-author of the book, “Singing: a Mennonite Voice.”

James E. (Jim) Clemens, a composer from Harrisonburg, will provide accompaniment on some selections.

The group’s itinerary follows:

• Mar. 2, Sarasota, Fla. – Bahia Vista Mennonite Church, 9 and 10:30 a.m.; Newtown Gospel Chapel, 11:30 a.m.; Bayshore Mennonite Church, 6 p.m.
• Mar. 3, Sarasota Christian School, middle school chapel, 10:45 a.m.; Sarasota Christian School, high school chapel, 11:30 a.m.
• Mar. 4, First United Methodist Church, Clearwater, Fla., 7:30 p.m.
• Mar. 6, Americus Mennonite Fellowship, Americus, Ga., 7 p.m.
• Mar. 7, East Atlanta Christian Fellowship, Atlanta, Ga., 7 p.m.
• Mar. 9, Raleigh (NC) Mennonite Church, 10:30 a.m.

Free-will offerings will be taken at most locations.