The results of a week filled with rich cultural experiences, intense rehearsals, and lasting friendships will culminate Saturday, 14 July, in a free concert offered by the Pacific Rim Children’s Chorus Festival . The event will begin at 7 p.m. in the Cannon Activities Center (CAC) on the BYU-Hawaii campus. (watch video )
This festival marks the seventh consecutive year the Center for Instructional Technology & Outreach (CITO) at BYU-Hawaii has coordinated the Pacific Rim Children’s Chorus Festival. The successful program is the result of a cooperative effort between the Festival organization, CITO, and the Polynesian Cultural Center.
Twelve youth choirs from Canada (3), Hawaii (3), and the U.S. mainland (5) are on the BYU-Hawaii campus to participate in the program, with the Hawaii Youth Opera Chorus as the festival host choir.
Under the energetic and able direction of Henry H. Leck, festival artistic director, close to 300 young participants spend a week putting the finishing touches on music from Pacific Rim countries they have been preparing through the year in anticipation of the festival.
Leck, an internationally known specialist and clinician in choral techniques, the child’s voice and boy’s changing voice, is the founder and artistic director of the Indianapolis Children’s Choir, the largest children’s choir organization in North America.
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Henry H. Leck, Festival Artistic Director rehearses with 300-voice youth chorus. |
The program he has selected includes songs from Canada, Russia, and Hawaii, as well as songs representing the cultures of the Pacific Rim countries of China, the Philippines, Japan, New Zealand, Tahiti, and Samoa.
All songs presented in the concert are memorized, and most are sung in the language of the culture they represent. This year the chorus will sing songs in Mandarin, Filipino, Japanese, Hawaiian, Maori, and Samoan.
Along with the singing the audience will see Northwest Indian dancing, Taiko drumming, hula performances, a Russian saber dance, a Chinese lion dance, and Filipino folk dancing.
The Saturday evening performance in La’ie is considered a dress rehearsal for the Sunday performance at 4 p.m. in the Blaisdell Center, in downtown Honolulu.
In addition to the concert performance experience, some festival participants have the opportunity to learn first-hand about a few of the cultures whose songs they sing. A fourth of the members of each participating chorus are selected to attend classes at the Polynesian Cultural Center.
For two days, these choir members spend their mornings immersed in the cultures of the islands of Tahiti, New Zealand, Samoa, and Hawaii. Those selected to attend the classes are expected to teach the rest of their choir members what they have learned. Each of the countries studied is featured in song and dance as part of the concert program.
Wanda Gereben, founder and executive director of the festival, says that the event was created and developed to provide an opportunity for singers from advanced children’s chorus organizations to learn about the music of the Pacific Rim countries.
“We are delighted to be here,” said Gereben, “and to provide this opportunity for these wonderful youth choirs.”
Youth choirs participating in this year’s event include:
Appalachian Children’s Chorus, West Virginia (http://www.wvacc.org/), Selina Cosby Midkiff, Founder/Artistic Director; Chaparral Middle School Chorus, California, Taryn Koch, Director; The Edmonton Children’s Choir, Canada, Diana Wiens, Artistic Director; Glorystar Children’s Chorus, Maryland (http://www.glorystar.org/), Cheri Jeng, Music Director; Honolulu Boy Choir, Hawaii (http://www.honoluluboychoir.org/), Pam DeBoard, Artistic Director; Mid-Pacific Institute Children’s Choir, Hawaii (http://midpac.edu/elementary/about.php), Diane Koshi, Director; Pacific Boychoir Academy, California (http://www.pacificboychoir.org/). Rebecca Hodson, Artistic Director; Santa Barbara Children’s Chorus, California (http://www.sbchildrenschorus.org/), Rebecca Hodson, Artistic Director; Viva Choirs, Canada (http://www.vivachoirs.ca/), Connie Foss More, Artistic Director; White Rock Children’s Choir, Canada, Sarona Mynhardt, Artistic Director; Young Voices of Colorado, Colorado (http://www.youngvoices.org/), Jena Dickey, Founder/Artistic Director, and the host chorus, Hawaii Youth Opera Chorus, Honolulu, Hawaii, Nola H. Nahulu, Artistic Director.
