Voices Young and Strong: Youth Chorus hopes shorter name will help program grow

The Winston-Salem Children's Chorus changed its name earlier this month. It is now called the Winston-Salem Youth Chorus.

The reason: "People thought it was a group for young children only," said Karen McNeely, the group's operations manager. She said that the new name will both clarify the chorus' mission, which is to serve children ages 8 to 18, and enhance recruitment efforts.

"Our No. 1 goal is get more kids in the chorus," McNeely said. "We assume a side effect will be more money through tuition, ticket revenue and donations…. You always want to have more demand for your program. That's a good problem to have."

Though more singers are sought in all age groups, the need for high-school students in the is particularly great. Barbara Beattie, who conducts the chorus, said that there are only 20 high-school students among the group's 75 members. She said she would like to have as many as 50 high-school singers.

Though several factors account for the difficulty in signing up high-school singers, including other extracurricular activities and a greater workload, "It's hard to get the word out when your name is ‘Children's Chorus,'" Beattie said.

But the commitment can be worth the effort. Benjamin Davis, a senior at Parkland High School, has sung in the chorus since the fifth grade. His mother, Gail, said the chorus has helped her son develop discipline and a work ethic that has carried over into wrestling, which he does for Parkland's powerhouse team.

"He was kind of a hyperactive child," she said. "He has learned to focus on the music at hand."

Gail Davis also praised the chorus for giving her son "so many opportunities," noting that he performed with the group in Italy in 2007.

In addition to touring, chorus members often team up with such organizations as Piedmont Opera or the Piedmont Chamber Singers. They learn theory and other music fundamentals. When a child vocalist is needed, he's often plucked from the chorus' ranks. For example, Zachary Covington will solo with the Winston-Salem Symphony when it performs Andrew Lloyd Webber's Requiem today at the Stevens Center.

At the moment, the 75 singers perform in one of four ensembles under the chorus' umbrella. In the Touring Chorus, students in elementary and middle schools perform in venues all over the area. The Residential Chorus is for beginners and/or kids who don't have the time to participate in the Touring Chorus. High school-aged choristers perform in either the Young Women's Ensemble or the Young Men's Ensemble.

A new six-week program called "Spring Forward" will serve second- and third-graders in April and May. Participants will be given chorus T-shirts, learn a few songs, and perform at the chorus' Mother's Day concert.

"This gives parents an opportunity to see if this something they want regularly for their child," Beattie said. Chorus members pay an average of $350 a year in tuition, and, in addition to performing several times a year, also rehearse for an hour once or twice a week.

The effort to recruit more choristers comes at an auspicious time for the group, which has secured grants totaling $10,500, from the Winston-Salem Foundation and the Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County. The money will help the group "rebrand" its image, introduce a new Web site (www.wsyouthchorus.org) and advertise more than it normally does. About $4,000 of scholarship money has been raised. "I want to serve underserved children," Beattie said. "I want to get out there and make this a possibility for children who aren't already overscheduled."

kkeuffel@wsjournal.com

727-7337

The Winston-Salem Youth Chorus will present A Winter Celebration Concert at 3 p.m. Dec. 13 in Brendle Recital Hall at Wake Forest University. Tickets are $10, $8 for seniors and students, and free for children 12 and under. Call 703-0001. The chorus will hold auditions from 2 to 5 p.m. Jan 3 at St. Timothy's Episcopal Church, 2575 Parkway Drive. Call 703-0001 to schedule an audition. To see a complete list of the chorus' activities and coming performances, visit www.wsyouthchorus.org .