Tacoma Youth Chorus

Raise Your Voice | Fuel Your Passion | Join in Song

Beginning December: Choirs, Orchestra, and Ballet!

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A big “thank you” to Dr. Geoffrey Boers, Symphony Tacoma, and Symphony Tacoma Voices for another wonderful Sounds of the Season concert this past weekend! TYC Chorale, Chamber Choir, and Concert Choir all enjoyed working with so many wonderful musicians in our Tacoma community.

 

Looking ahead to next weekend, the Tacoma Youth Chorus Women’s Choir is collaborating with the Metropolitan Ballet of Tacoma on Sunday, December 9th. Last year we collaborated with one of the dancers and this year it’s extended to an ensemble of dancers for the beautiful Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day by John Rutter. Similar to our other collaborations, it gives the performers and audience a deeper way of experiencing the music. We are appreciative of the opportunity to work with Damaris Caughlan and the dancers of the Metropolitan Ballet of Tacoma.

TYC at Sounds of the Season

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Haul out the holly . . . it’s almost time for holiday music!

Tacoma Youth Chorus is honored and absolutely delighted to take part in Holiday Favorites – Sounds of the Season, Symphony Tacoma’s annual collage of seasonal delights!  

Performing in the newly renovated Pantages Theater, more than 160 TYC singers will join with Symphony Tacoma, Symphony Tacoma Voices, and special guest artist Marlette Buchanan. An accomplished performer of opera, musical theater, and other genres of music, Ms. Buchanan has been described as a “soprano of extended range, flexibility, warmth, color . . . and beauty.”  

Under the baton of Dr. Geoffrey Boers, this festive program will feature Gospel and spiritual favorites, classics from cherished Christmas television programs and movies, moving choral masterpieces, and the ever-popular carol sing-along – there is truly something for everyone!

Our young people have been rehearsing since September on music that will be presented at Tacoma Youth Chorus concerts throughout the month of December. If you can’t make it to the concert on Sunday, we hope you’ll join us at Gift of Song and/or Candlelight Concert – information available on our Events Page at tacomayouthchorus.org.  

Holiday Favorites – Sounds of the Season is this Sunday, December 2, 2018; 2:30 pm, at the Pantages Theater. Tickets are available at Tacoma Arts Live Box Office (formerly known as the Broadway Center Box Office).  

Throwback Tuesday!

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Here’s a photo from 2009-2010. Some current singers and many alumni are in this photo! How many can you find/name? Good luck!

TYC Choirs with Guest Conductor Dr. David Flood.

Why I Sing: Chris Hampson

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Chris is our new accompanist, working with Music Makers, Choristers, and Men’s Choir. As the first installment of our “Why I Sing” series, we wanted to ask Chris some questions related to his experiences with choral singing, TYC, and music in general.

 

TYC: What are some of your earliest memories of singing in choirs/listening to choral music as a young student in Oxford, England?
CH: My first experiences of choral music were at school singing an English version of selections from Bach’s Christmas Oratorio (I remember that I had some short solo as part of a recitative). The first choral listening that completely changed my life was listening to a Naxos highlights CD of Bach’s Matthew Passion. I immediately wanted to purchase the full 3-CD set and also attended a local choral society performance (that while it was probably not of the highest standard, but good enough that the musical fabric became seared into my very being!).


TYC: What has drawn you to singing? What do you enjoy about it?
CH: My earliest singing memory is of my mum singing nursery rhymes to me. Also, my brother and I used to record songs onto a cassette deck as part of our “radio” shows. I think these experiences combined with playing organ in church, finding an inspirational singing teacher at sixteen, and subsequently attending the Eton Choral Course directed by Ralph Allwood gave me a platform to want to pursue singing and choral directing as a major part of my musical career. Honestly, it just feels good to have access to an instrument that one can carry around (unlike a large pipe organ or grand piano)!


TYC: Through your eyes (and ears), what makes TYC different than other choirs you have sung with or worked with?
CH: TYC feels about as close to the English tradition of choir schools as I have found in the Pacific Northwest. On the East coast, I look to somewhere like St Thomas’, 5th Avenue, New York City but for secular choral opportunities, TYC stands with the very best. I appreciate the care given to detail at the same time as making rehearsal time enjoyable. I think the professionalism from the top downwards (including high expectations of the individual members of the choirs) is key.


TYC: Anything else you want to share about your experiences with choral music?CH: Choral music can be both frustrating (when you are sick with little or no voice!) but it can also give some of the greatest pleasure. There’s something really special about using your body to make sound as part of a large group of diverse people. The term “universal language” is used a lot when discussing music but I see more and more that it has a power to bring people together and break down the walls we seem to want to construct around ourselves…

 

Thank you for sharing your experiences with us, Chris! We look forward to continuing to work with you throughout the year!

Upcoming Rehearsals and Parent Sharing

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This Saturday, November 3rd, is going to be a busy day of music making! First, Chorale is going to have a rehearsal from 1:00-3:00pm (see Sounds of the Season CDS for more information). This is followed by the first combined rehearsal with Concert Choir and Chamber Choir. In preparation for Sounds of the Season with Symphony Tacoma, we will be working with Dr. Boers on our combined repertoire, as well as sharing our progress with families and friends.

The sharing will include some of our separate work in Concert Choir and Chamber Choir, as well as some combined pieces that we are preparing for our upcoming concerts. This is a great opportunity for friends and families to get a sense of what our rehearsals look like and “behind the scenes” of our learning processes.

Information you may need:

Where: Charles Wright Academy Middle School Commons

Rehearsal: 3:30pm-5:00pm

Parent Sharing: 5:00pm-5:30pm

TYC Uniform: TYC t-shirt, dark jeans, comfortable shoes

Singers should bring their folders (with music) and a water bottle

You can also find the Concert Detail Sheet for this event here

Sounds of the Season 2017

Thank you, Henry Leck!

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Thank you, Henry Leck!

This weekend was filled with so much wonderful music making and exploration.
Chamber Choir, a combined “Guys’ Choir” (4th-12th grade), and Chorale worked with Mr. Leck
on Friday evening. On Saturday, music educators and students worked with Mrs. Herrington and
Mr. Leck in a day of sight-singing, learning, and networking. The “Guys’ Choir” that was
assembled for this event was able to perform for the teachers and demonstrate the full range that
a boys’ choir can work with through the expanding voice.

Overall, it was a great experience for all of the singers and we want to thank Henry for all
of his teaching and sharing throughout the weekend!
Henry wanted to share this with the TYC singers, staff, and families:

“I had a wonderful time working with the singers of the Tacoma Youth Chorus… what incredible young musicians! …and then the day with music teachers in the area. It was so great to demonstrate with boys who have been trained to use their “whole” voice! Thank you to Maestra Herrington and all her fine staff!”

Here are some pictures from the weekend:

Mrs. Herrington, Mr. Leck, and Mr. Brizuela

Mr. Leck working with Chamber Choir

Mr. Leck working with Chorale

Mr. Leck working with the Guys’ Choir

Mr. Leck working with TYC singers & teachers

A special invitation from Alum Christopher Kollar

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Phyllis Kollar, my grandmother, passed away peacefully a few weeks ago. She was an avid supporter and board member of TYC. Between 2002 and 2008, she attended every concert that we ever performed and, with her husband Ferdy, joined the choir on our Europe Tour in 2003.

As a TYC alumni of 10 years, my memories with the chorus have molded my life in many wonderful ways and I owe much of this invaluable experience to the love and guidance of my grandmother, Phyllis, who dedicated her life to really making it happen for me. Her love for the choral arts was profound, and Tacoma Youth Chorus held a very, VERY special place in her heart-

We would like to extend a special invite to all former TYC singers (as many as we can) to gather and join in singing 2-3 pieces of music from the TYC archive at her upcoming memorial service. I know that she would have been delighted beyond belief to hear this wonderful choir that we’ve all grown up with perform one last time, with her and those she loved.

In recognition of the significance of music within her life, we would like to dedicate a major portion of the service itself to sharing a performance of varied music by family members and music groups that she surrounded herself with over the years. For this very reason, an incredible venue has been chosen to share this music and celebrate her life and memory; the service will be held in Tacoma at Christ Episcopal Church on November 10, 2018, at 11am. Many of you are familiar with the cathedral-like setting of this space – it is always a treat to perform in! Alonso Brizuela has graciously agreed to help facilitate the direction of the choir. We are working on choosing a couple of pieces that we have performed in the past and expect to get together in the coming weeks to practice and catch up! Your attendance and a gathering of alumni would mean so much to me, my family, and the many others in attendance who recognize and cherish TYC as well, so please let us know if you are able to be part of this very special event!

Christopher Kollar

IMPORTANT DETAILS (Please RSVP ASAP):

WHO: All Tacoma Youth Chorus alum singers

WHAT: Sing 2-3 selections

WHEN: Saturday, November 10; 11:00 am (plus a rehearsal to be arranged)

WHERE: Christ Episcopal Church — 310 N. K Street, Tacoma

RSVP: [email protected] or Message Alonso ASAP

Invitation to Henry Leck workshop

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Next week is a big week for Tacoma Youth Chorus! Henry Leck is coming to work with choirs, AND he will help present a workshop for all of you educators, church musicians, and college students out there!

On Saturday, October 20th, we are hosting a Choral Music Educators Workshop; Judy Herrington & Henry Leck with be co-presenting, sharing their expertise on choral music. There will be sessions on music classroom and rehearsal techniques, working with the male expanding voice (with a demo choir of TYC singers, grades 4-12), and teaching part singing. A reading session plus general Q&A will round out the day’s activities.  

“I’m looking forward to returning to the Pacific Northwest to work with teachers, singers of the Tacoma Youth Chorus and my friend and colleague Judy Herrington.” – Henry Leck

“All of the TYC boys from Concert Choir, Chamber Choir, and Men’s Choir are looking forward to singing together for you, and with Henry Leck! We are finding challenges and strengths working together with changed and unchanged voices, and we look forward to sharing these with you.” – Alonso Brizuela, TYC Men’s Choir & Concert Choir Director

“I learn something new every time I attend the TYC workshop!  In addition, I’m introduced to literature I may not have come across.  It is a wonderful opportunity to talk and sing with colleagues one may not often see.” – Dr. Linda Miller, PLU

Registration is still available through our website, and includes lunch, 6.5 WMEA clock hours, and a full day of fun!

Where in the world is Mrs. Herrington?

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Mrs. Herrington is out and about this week doing some wonderful teaching & traveling. Here are some photos that she sent to us from her journey. Can you tell where she is? (answer at the bottom)

Answer: She is at the International School of Bangkok in Thailand with our soon-to-be guest, Henry Leck!

Pizza Practice & “Bring a Friend” Week

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Last Friday was Chamber Choir’s first Pizza Practice of the year! We had a blast learning new music for Sounds of the Season, eating pizza, playing games, and sharing pizza jokes! Many of the games we played included Mrs. Herrington’s interesting collection of rubber chickens.

Pizza for everyone!

Rubber chicken games

This week is Bring a Friend week in all of the rehearsals! This is an excellent opportunity to invite a friend or classmate who you think may enjoy singing with TYC and having them check out what we do every week. You are more than welcome to bring multiple friends as well. The more, the merrier!

Fun Fact: When Mr. Brizuela was in high school, he had a friend who sang in TYC, who invited him to a rehearsal, and the rest is history!

Contact Information

Main Office: (253) 588-1391 [email protected]