Written By Anne Blue
The Children’s Chorus of Carroll County moves into its third decade of inspiring the young through music when it performs a special 20th Anniversary Reunion Concert on April 23.
Plans for the celebration, which begins at 3 p.m. at Winter’s Mill High School, include performances of newly composed music as well as past favorites such as Henry Purcell’s Sound the Trumpet, which the chorus sang at its first concert 20 years ago. There will be a reception after the concert, in part so that former members can mingle and reminisce.
In 1986, Carroll County music teachers Idalea Rubin and Diane Jones attended a music convention in Philadelphia. At the time, the children’s chorus movement was generating great enthusiasm in the United States, and the two friends were inspired by the fervor. They knew they had to bring the spirit to Carroll County.
“We had a lot of students who were musically talented and loved to sing,” said Diane, who is now executive director of the chorus. “We wanted to give them a vehicle to cultivate their talent and give them an opportunity to perform.”
That first year 30 young singers formed the Children’s Chorus, rehearsing and performing under the direction of Diane and Idalea. They met in the Carroll County Arts Center which was then housed in the basement of the Davis Library Building on Main Street in Westminster.
By the second year the group had grown to 50 and found practice space at West Middle School.
Today, the organization has 91 singers, including three age-group choruses and a traveling chorus, and operates as a non-profit organization with its own board of directors, part-time financial and general managers and three choral directors.
Zayna Null, choral teacher at Liberty High School, plans to bring a group of her students to the anniversary celebration. Zayna joined the group at age 9 and sang with it until she was a sophomore in high school.
“It opened so many doors for me and other members of the group,” she said. “I auditioned and was accepted into national choirs twice in middle school and Idalea Rubin arranged my audition for voice lessons at the Peabody Institute. My desire to have a career in music solidified in high school and now I am the Choral Music teacher at Liberty High School.”
“The Children’s Chorus is so important in Carroll County,” said Zayna. “There are not as many choral music opportunities for kids here as in larger metropolitan areas. It opens up so many doors for so many kids.”
Rhiannon Aliff, a 16-year-old junior at Westminster High School, has been part of the Children’s Chorus since fourth grade.
“In 2004, I was part of the chorus’ traveling group, ÔVoce Viaggio,’” she said. “We went to Scandinavia and performed in several Estonian cities, as well
as Stockholm and Helsinki.?We were ambassadors of?Westminster, of Maryland, and of the United States.? We were greeted like royalty.? It was a special visit.”
Rhiannon also used her chorus experience and Jones’ guidance when she successfully auditioned for the National Honor Choir’s training and performance in Pittsburgh’s Heinz Hall. “We worked with professional musicians and accomplished composers,” she said. “To see the amount of effort required to perform vocal music at that level was a very enlightening experience.”
For the future, Diane plans to establish a permanent singing group just for boys, take another international tour in 2007,to Canada or Europe, and continue to raise the standard of choral music for her young singers.
“Whether or not members of the chorus go on to have careers in music,” said Diane, “we try to build a sense of beauty in the music education we provide. We want to send children off to continue their involvement in music and we hope it is enriching to their lives.”
For more information about the Children’s Chorus of Carroll County, their anniversary concert, or auditions for the chorus, visit their web site at www.c4notes.com. or call Diane Jones at
410-751-5361
