On Tuesday evening, April 23 the Rockbridge Youth Chorale and friends gave us a great season finale. They were joined by singers from the Rockbridge County High School Choir and guest conductor Shane Lynch for another evening of great singing. Some of our older singers will be moving on hopefully to join a college choir next year. They have been superb leaders and examples for their younger cohorts and we wish them well. There were a number of youngsters in their audience who looked like they would like to join up and sing. If you know a young singer who you think would enjoy joining the RYC, please be in touch with our directors, Lacey Lynch or Lori Parker. Rehearsals for the 2019/2020 season will begin in late August or early September for all our choruses. Keep an eye on this newsletter or our website,
www.rcs.org for updates.
It's a Small World After All
Dr. Anna Billias
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Our audiences may have noticed that our youth chorale has a pretty good accompanist on the piano. Dr. Anna Billias is a concert pianist. She trained in Ukraine at the Prokofiev State Academy of Music in Donesk and graduated with advanced degrees in both performance and piano instruction. She performs up and down the Shenandoah Valley and in the Lynchburg area, and has given concerts in London, Paris, Crimea, Russia and Ukraine. She is assistant professor and director of piano studies and collaborative performance and an instructor of Russian language at Sweet Briar College, and is a part-time accompanist and adjunct instructor at Washington and Lee University. She maintains a growing private piano st udio and serves as the accompanist for the Rockbridge Youth Chorale. We are indeed fortunate and grateful to have the benefit of her time and talents right here in Lexington!
Found - the Wow Child
"America's oldest performing arts group is looking for a child who was literally wowed by a recent classical music concert," the AP reported last week. The Handel & Haydn Society (founded in 1815) had just finished its rendition of Mozart's 'Masonic Funeral' at Boston's Symphony Hall on Sunday May 5 when a youngster blurted out loudly: "WOW!" The crowd can be heard bursting first into laughter and then rousing applause for the child. The Society mounted a search for the kid it called the 'Wow Child' hoping to have H&H's newest young fan back to meet the conductor and be the guest of honor for the group's season opener in October. He has been found. Nine year old Ronan Mattin, who loves music, was attending the concert with his grandfather, Stephen. President of the Society, David Snead, who launched the search, called the 'wow moment' one of the most wonderful moments he has ever had at a concert hall. Hear the 'wow'. Priceless! Click here.
