| To cultivate, promote and engage in the arts |
Virtual Voices Please enjoy the music these elementary schools made as they prepared for the 2020 Choral Celebration. Baucom Elementary sings: "Circle of Our Song" and "On Silver Tipped Wings". Mrs. Michelle Seaboch is their Music Teacher. Their Choral Celebration Clinician is Jane Bruer. Abbotts Creek Elementary students have fun warming up before visit from Clinician, Bob Unger in preparation for their rehearsal with their Director, Susan Reynolds. Click on their photo below to listen.
Fuquay-Varina Elementary Click on their logo below to hear the children perform their Choral Celebration pieces for Clinician Jane Bruer: ”The Artist Teaches Us All” by Mark Patterson, and “Cantamos” (We Sing) by James Desjardins. The children are directed by Laura Martin.
Click on the image below to listen to the Douglas Elementary Magnet School students rehearse "The Beautiful Rain". Susan Zelasky, Director with Accompanist, Marty Long.
| Choral Celebration Overview In 1999, RFAS began a new tradition: an annual Choral Celebration. The project offers choral groups in grades 4 and 5 in Wake County public, private, and charter schools an opportunity to share their music, as well as enjoy the musical achievements of other elementary school choruses in a non-competitive format. The first performances were held at Martin Middle School and moved in 2001 to Meymandi Concert Hall. Since its inception, the Choral Celebration's visibility has grown significantly and achieved record attendance of more than 3,000 people.
The Raleigh Fine Arts Society (RFAS) is planning to resume its traditional Choral Celebration in 2022 after a 2-year postponement due to the pandemic. The Celebration is scheduled for March 15-16, 2022, in Meymandi Hall. RFAS and Celebration participants will follow state, local, and Meymandi public health policies and procedures in place next March 2022. Sixteen elementary choral groups in grades 4 and 5 will be selected to participate with each school performing two songs. RFAS offers Choral Clinician advisory services to participating schools' Choral Directors on performance techniques as they prepare students for the March Celebration. In addition, a qualified Adjudicator will provide valuable, constructive reviews of schools' performances during the Celebration. The 2021-2022 Project year will include an exciting new opportunity to increase RFAS outreach to students across Wake County. A generous bequest from the Betsy Sykes estate will enable RFAS to provide additional Choral Clinician services. If RFAS is unable to accommodate all applicants for the 2022 March Celebration event, a limited number of opportunities for these classroom advisory services may be available to those schools not selected. The Raleigh Fine Arts Society looks forward to once again offering an exciting opportunity to help promote and advance elementary music education in Wake County. School Choral Directors should watch for updates about the Choral Celebration Request for Applications later this summer.
Oak Grove Elementary students perform “Stars”, one of the traditional massed songs from the Choral Celebration.
Parkside Elementary students rehearsing a performance piece with their teacher, Kim Demery, and Clinician Robert Unger. Ms. Demery highlights the benefits all children and schools experience through their participation in this annual celebration of elementary school choral groups.
Robert Unger, Clinician, discusses his role with participating schools as well as the uniqueness of the program and the opportunities it provides choral groups in Wake County. |
