Chatham County Schools Public Relations Department

PRESS RELEASE

Date:  4/26/12

for immediate release

 

CHATHAM HOLDS ALL-COUNTY MUSIC EVENTS

 

Students from across Chatham County Schools are participating in All-County music events this week.  All-County Chorus is being held at Jordan-Matthews High School in Siler City Thursday, April 26, for high school students.  All-County Band will be held for middle school students at Chatham Central High School in Bear Creek Friday and Saturday, April 27 and 28. 

 

These events give young musicians the opportunity to sing and play with larger groups than they typically have at some individual schools as well as adapt to singing or playing with a guest conductor, from whom they can learn additional musical lessons and have concepts reinforced that their regular music teachers have taught.  All-County events also give students from across the district an opportunity to share their love of music and bond with other county musicians their age.

The 2012 All-County Chorus has 82 singers participating in a four-part choir.  The guest clinician and conductor is Dr. Allan Friedman, the associate conductor of the Duke Chapel Choir and director of the Duke Vespers Ensemble and the Divinity School Choir.  He is also the Artistic Director of the WomenÕs Voices Chorus.  The accompanist is Dr. David Arcus, the Duke chapel organist and associate university organist.  Students from all three traditional district high schools learned a variety of choral pieces that they rehearsed all day in preparation for a public concert Thursday night in the Jordan-Matthews auditorium at 7:00 PM.  The Harmony Grits and The Village Voices from Fearrington Village were invited to open the concert.

The 2012 All-County Band is comprised of 58 middle school musicians who earned slots through an audition process.  The guest clinician and conductor is Ryan Ellefsen, who is the director of the East Chapel Hill High School Symphony Orchestra.  He directs several concert bands, orchestras, and jazz combos in addition to teaching music theory classes.  The students learned several pieces ahead of time in preparation for two-day rehearsals.  The band will rehearse all day Friday and Saturday morning in preparation for a free public concert in the Polly O. Yow auditorium on the Chatham Central campus Saturday at 1:00 PM.

 

 

Submitted by:  Beth S. McCullough, Public Information Officer, Chatham County Schools

beth@chatham.k12.nc.us         (919) 542-3626