Back to Press Release List > 10/02/2007 - National High School Choral Festival

The Weill Music Institute at Carnegie Hall announced today that four choirs—from Santa Barbara, California; Baltimore, Maryland; Raleigh, North Carolina; and State College, Pennsylvania—were selected to participate in its fifth annual National High School Choral Festival, which culminates in a Carnegie Hall concert on Monday, March 10, 2008. The Carnegie Hall National High School Choral Festival gives young singers the opportunity to extensively rehearse a choral masterpiece with conductor Dr. Craig Jessop, Music Director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and perform in Carnegie Hall’s celebrated Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage. This season, Dr. Jessop leads the combined choirs and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s in Johannes Brahms’ A German Requiem, Op. 45 with soprano Janice Chandler-Eteme and baritone Stephen Powell as soloists. Each choir also performs repertoire under its own conductor. The four choirs were selected by recorded audition from among 71 applicant groups from 31 states throughout the US.

The March 10 concert at Carnegie Hall is the capstone of the yearlong program, which includes rehearsals for each choir with Dr. Jessop in their hometowns as well as for four days in New York City prior to the final concert. The program also includes a Professional Development weekend for the choir directors: in the fall, the four choir directors fly to Salt Lake City, Utah, to work with Dr. Jessop and to participate in the rehearsal process of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

The four choirs selected to participate in The Carnegie Hall National High School Choral Festival are:

San Marcos High School Madrigal Singers (Santa Barbara, California)—Led by Carolyn Teraoka-Brady, The Madrigal Singers, one of five choral groups in the vocal music department, performs a varied repertoire of choral literature—Renaissance to Contemporary—for the community and at festivals. In the last four years, the group has consistently received superior ratings at state and regional festivals in California. In 2006, the group received a first place score at the invitational “National Festival of Gold” in New York City, featuring some of the country’s finest ensembles. In addition to choral activities, students are also leaders involved in the school’s theatre productions, student government, Mock Trial, school newspaper, and CIF sports. The Madrigal Singers have performed for Donald Brinegar, Lynne Gackle, Anton Armstrong, André Thomas, and Weston Noble.

Baltimore City College High School Concert Choir (Baltimore, Maryland)—Led by Linda R. Hall for 20 years, the Baltimore City College High School Concert Choir is one of four choirs in the school’s choral program and consists of 50 selected students. The choir performs literature of all periods and genres and has performed for audiences on television, radio, and stages all along the Eastern seaboard and in Canada. The choir has shared the stage with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Morgan State University Choir, and the Baltimore Choral Arts, as well as participated in numerous competitions and adjudications in which they have consistently received superior ratings with numerous awards and trophies. The choir has also traveled abroad, performing widely in Italy, France, and Spain. Choir members adhere to the standards of commitment, consistency, conditioning, cooperation, communication, character, and confidence.

Enloe High School Singers (Raleigh, North Carolina)—Led by Ann Johnson-Huff, the Enloe High School Singers is made up of The Chamber Choir and the Advanced Women’s Ensemble, two of the five choirs of the Willam G. Enloe High School Choral Department. The Chamber Choir and the Advanced Women’s Ensemble study a wide array of repertoire and perform for numerous local and national events throughout the school year. Past tours include performances in Australia, Europe, and across North America, including performances at the Olympics in Barcelona; at the Vatican; at Carnegie Hall, St. John the Divine, and St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York; and at the Polynesian Cultural Center and Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. In 2006, the Chamber Choir and Advanced Women’s Ensemble were chosen to perform for a special event at the North Carolina Music Educators’ Association Conference. Both ensembles also represented the state of North Carolina at the Founding of Jamestown Settlement Celebration in May of 2007, featuring guest speakers Judge Sandra Day O’Connor and President George W. Bush. This past year’s performances included the world premiere of award-winning pianist and composer Joel A. Martin’s Requiem For Peace featuring the poem “Caged Bird” by Dr. Maya Angelou.

State College Area High School Master Singers (State College, Pennsylvania)—Led by Robert W. Drafall, The State College Area High School Master Singers were formed in the fall of 1996. The Master Singers have distinguished themselves in earning Superior ratings at adjudicated festivals in New York City, Toronto, Virginia Beach, and Chicago. They were invited to participate in a Master Class with the famed a cappella ensemble Chanticleer, and they have collaborated with the Central Pennsylvania Youth Orchestra, and with the State College Choral Society and Orchestra in a performance featuring Metropolitan Opera Audition winners. Other invited performances have included the 1999 Heinz Chapel Chamber Choir Invitational, The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, the 2003 Celebration of African American Spirituals, and a joint concert with Penn State’s Essence of Joy. The Master Singers were selected to perform at the Eastern Division Conference of the American Choral Directors Association in 2002 and 2006, and performed at the Pennsylvania State Conference of MENC in 2004. European Concert Tours in 1999, 2003, and 2006 have taken the Master Singers to Ireland, Wales, England, France, Italy, and Switzerland.

Dr. Craig Jessop
Dr. Craig Jessop returns for a fifth year to lead The Carnegie Hall National High School Choral Festival. Dr. Jessop was appointed Music Director and Conductor of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in December 1999, after serving as the Choir’s Associate Director. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Utah State University, a Master of Arts degree from Brigham Young University, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Stanford University. Previously, Dr. Jessop was a lieutenant colonel in the United States Air Force music programs, where he served as Director of the USAF Singing Sergeants in Washington, D.C. from 1980 to 1987; as commander and conductor of the Band of the United States Air Forces in Europe from 1987 to 1991 at Ramstein Air Base, Germany; and as commander and conductor of the Air Combat Command Heartland of America Band from 1991 to 1995. He has also been Music Director of the Maryland Choral Society, the Rhineland-Pfalz International Choir of Germany, and the Omaha Symphonic Chorus.

The Weill Music Institute at Carnegie Hall
The Weill Music Institute creates broad-reaching music education programs, playing a central role in Carnegie Hall’s commitment to making great music accessible to as many people as possible through creative musical interaction and inspiring lifelong learning. Educational programs are woven into the fabric of the Carnegie Hall concert season, with opportunities for preschoolers to adults, new listeners to emerging professional musicians. With its access to the world’s greatest artists and latest technologies, The Weill Music Institute is uniquely positioned to inspire the next generation of music lovers, nurture tomorrow’s musical talent, and shape the evolution of music education itself. The Weill Music Institute annually serves over 115,000 children, students, teachers, parents, young music professionals, and adults in the New York City metropolitan area, across the United States, and around the world.

Programs of The Weill Music Institute include: Family Concerts at Carnegie Hall and free Neighborhood Concerts in all five boroughs, which bring music to thousands within the greater New York City community each year. School-based programs enable students at all levels to participate in curricula that are age-appropriate, interactive, and conform to New York City, state, and national education standards. Professional Training Workshops connect emerging young musicians with internationally renowned artists. The Academy—a program of Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School, and The Weill Music Institute in partnership with the New York City Department of Education—provides extensive performance opportunities and intensive music education training in an innovative new two-year fellowship for post-graduate musicians. The Weill Music Institute also brings its educational programs to national and international audiences, using web-based and distance-learning technology.

Program Information
Monday, March 10, 2008 at 8:00 p.m.
Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage
CARNEGIE HALL NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL CHORAL FESTIVAL
Craig Jessop, Conductor
Orchestra of St. Luke's
Janice Chandler-Eteme, Soprano
Stephen Powell, Baritone

Baltimore City College High School Concert Choir
Baltimore, Maryland
Linda R. Hall, Conductor

Enloe High School Singers
Raleigh, North Carolina
Ann Johnson-Huff, Conductor

San Marcos High School Madrigal Singers
Santa Barbara, California
Carolyn Teraoka-Brady, Conductor

State College Area High School Master Singers
State College, Pennsylvania
Robert W. Drafall, Conductor

Program to include:
JOHANNES BRAHMS A German Requiem, Op. 45

This concert is made possible, in part, by an endowment fund for choral music established by S. Donald Sussman in memory of Judith Arron and Robert Shaw.

Programs of The Weill Music Institute at Carnegie Hall are generously supported by the City of New York: Michael R. Bloomberg, Mayor; Kate D. Levin, Commissioner, Department of Cultural Affairs; and Christine Quinn, Speaker, New York City Council; and by the New York State Council on the Arts: Mary Schmidt Campbell, Chair.

Bank of America is the Proud Season Sponsor of Carnegie Hall.