CSYO And Columbus Children's Choir Form Partnership To Play Carnegie Hall
By: Julie Musbach May. 29, 2018
Through an innovative partnership helmed by the Columbus Symphony's Associate Conductor Peter Stafford Wilson and Columbus Children's Choir's Artistic Director Jeanne Wohlgamuth, the Columbus Symphony Youth Orchestra (CSYO) and the New World Singers of Columbus Children's Choir will present a concert showcase at NYC's Carnegie Hall on Friday, June 15, at 8pm. The groups rallied together funding resources and artistic talents to not only support the performance, but to commission a new work for the occasion. From Earth to Heaven by composer Craig Courtney will make its world premiere in this program via 158 local students in grades 6-12.
Wilson led the CSYO to its Carnegie Hall debut in 2015, and will culminate his 28-season career with the Columbus Symphony with this return performance.
Just prior to leaving for NYC, Columbus Children's Choir and CSYO will hold a free Big Apple Send-Off concert at Capital University's Mees Hall on Tuesday, June 12, at 7:30pm. Both groups will perform their Carnegie Hall program at this concert.
Wilson and more than 90 high school musicians from central Ohio will perform the first half of the program, presenting In the Steppes of Central Asia (Alexander Borodin), Three Dance Episodes from On the Town (Leonard Bernstein), and Symphonic Metamorphosis of Themes by Carl Maria von Weber (Paul Hindemith).
The CSYO and Columbus Children's Choir will then join to perform the world premiere of Craig Courtney's From Earth to Heaven, a work commissioned by both groups.
Led by Wohlgamuth, the New World Singers of Columbus Children's Choir, comprising 68 students from grades 6-12, will then conclude the program with performances of select works including Shenandoah (Jonathan Rogers), Sanctus from Requiem (Gabriel Fauré), How Lovely is Thy Dwelling Place (Victoria Bond), Gloria Kajoniensis (Gyöngyösi Levente), and Kyrie from Mass 6 (Orbán).
The CSYO portion of these concerts is made possible through the generous support of The Jeffrey Company and Nelson Yoder.
The Columbus Children's Choir portion of these concerts is made possible through the generous support of Isaac Wiles, the Johnstone Fund for New Music, Kiwanis Club of Columbus, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Whole Foods, Puffin Foundation West, Ltd., Greater Columbus Arts Council, Ohio Arts Council, and The Columbus Foundation.
About the Columbus Symphony Youth Orchestra
Central Ohio's aspiring young instrumentalists in grades 9-12 perform in this 90-member ensemble which consists of students from 29 high schools in more than nine counties. Members are selected annually through a competitive audition process held in the spring.
Sponsored by the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, the Youth Orchestra emphasizes the performance of standard orchestral literature with special emphasis on American music under the leadership of a professional conductor with regular advice from coaches from the Columbus Symphony. Weekly rehearsals during the school year are carried out under professional standards, and the members are expected to take private lessons and maintain leadership responsibilities in their school ensembles.
About Peter Stafford Wilson
Wilson joined the Columbus Symphony in 1990 as assistant conductor, and was promoted to associate conductor in 1995. Since that time, he has appeared on all the CSO's subscription, education, and outreach series, and led a variety of CSO programs over the years.
Wilson also piloted the Columbus Symphony's nationally renowned youth programs, conducting the senior orchestra, the Columbus Symphony Youth Orchestra, and the Columbus All-City Orchestra. Under Wilson's leadership, the CSYO has appeared at national conventions of the Music Educators National Conference and the League of American Orchestras. The group has also toured internationally, with highly acclaimed performances in Canada, Europe, China, and Hong Kong. In 2010, the CSO honored Wilson with an Honorary Music Educator of the Year Award for his 20 years of service to its education initiatives.
In 2017, Wilson received the Outstanding Leadership Award from Columbus City Schools, and a Greater Columbus Arts Council Community Arts Partnership Educator Award.
About Columbus Children's Choir/New World Singers
This year marks the 23rd anniversary of Columbus Children's Choir, and while much has changed since its creation, CCC's commitment to its community and artistic excellence remains the same. Columbus Children's Choir serves more than 500 students and teachers with educational offerings including educator workshops, master classes, clinics, and our longstanding programs for children in kindergarten through 12th grade-all with the mission of fostering the personal growth of children through meaningful experiences in music education and vocal performance. The New World Singers of Columbus Children's Choir are students in grades 6-12 with the technique and artistry to perform with word-class ensembles such as the Columbus Symphony and the Vienna Boys Choir. Conducted by Artistic Director Jeanne Wohlgamuth, the New World Singers have had the honor of performing in the most prestigious national venues, including Carnegie Hall and the White House. On the international stage, they have performed in Germany, Russia, Italy, France, Canada, Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia, and Spain.
About Jeanne Wohlgamuth
Wohlgamuth has served as artistic director of Columbus Children's Choir and conductor of the New World Singers since 2011. She is the fine arts department chair and director of choirs at Dublin Jerome High School, a sought-after clinician and adjudicator, the vocal affairs chair for the Ohio Music Education Association, and a recipient of countless awards including the Community Champion Award presented by the Dublin Chamber of Commerce. She has served as an adjunct professor in choral methods in the Master's of Music Education program at the Kodály Institute at Capital University, and has presented workshops for The Midwest Kodály Music Educator's Conference, The Ohio State University, Capital University, Columbus City Schools, the Tri-City Kodály Music Educators, and The Ohio Music Educators Association state professional conference. Wohlgamuth currently serves as vocal affairs chair for the Ohio Music Education Association and is a member of the repertoire and standards committee for the Organization of American Kodály Educators.
About Craig Courtney
Composer Craig Courtney teaches choral arranging at Capital University where he also directs the men's choral ensemble, The Chordsmen. He is also staff composer and editor for Beckenhorst Press. Courtney's published works include more than 300 choral octavos, nine vocal collections, three piano solo collections, and six extended works for choir and orchestra. His music is performed worldwide, and has been translated into several languages. He has been a frequent recipient of ASCAP achievement awards, and his composition, "Peace I Give to You," was awarded first place in the 2003 John Ness Beck Foundation competition.
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