
York County Junior Honors Choir
performing at St. Matthew on Sunday, January 27th, 10:30AM!!!!

We are honored this year to be hosting the York County Junior Honors Choir during the 10:30AM worship service on Sunday, January 27th, 2008. The choir will sing a 15 minute prelude beginning at 10:15 and they will provide additional music during the service.
The York County JUNIOR Honors Choir, under the direction of Donna Knott, celebrates its sixth season. The choir includes singers in grades 7th through 9th who represent all nineteen public and private school districts of York County. Click here for a list of current members. The Honors Choir is organized and maintained by a volunteer advisory board that is responsible for managing the choir’s operations, fundraising, and marketing efforts. York County businesses, grants and private patrons financially support the group. The purpose of the Honors Choir is to engage the hearts and minds of its members by providing choral education and performance opportunities to diverse young people, from throughout York County.
Their school’s
choral director recommends students.
The students then go through a two-step audition. During this time
students music reading skills and vocal technique are tested.
Continued choral education is offered. This unique blend of public
choral directors support and the Honors Choir experience creates a win-win
situation for the students and their choral programs back home.
During the season (January ~ June), the York
County JUNIOR Honors Choir rehearses only five times
and performs approximately fifteen times in the community.
The choir was selected to perform for the Pennsylvania American
Choral Directors Association Summer Conference (2005) and the Pennsylvania
Music Educations Association (Spring 2007).
The group has traveled to Pittsburgh and State College as part of
a junior high choral exchange program, and have sung in Heinz Chapel on the
campus of the University of Pittsburgh.
They have participated in annual choral workshops with such
conductors as Dr. Anthony Leach, director of
“Essence of Joy” from Penn State University, Dr. Lon Beery from
Rochester, NY; Christine Jordanoff from Duquesne University and Adlai Binger
from Albright University.
The workshops arranged by director, Donna Knott, address the
unique challenges of the changing male and female voices.
This age group presents some unusual vocal
challenges.
Because of the many physical and emotional changes and challenges the
students are going through, the voice is the first place these changes show
themselves to the public.
Educating these singers and the community about these changes is
the first step in creating lifetime musicians.
While our students have learned to make beautiful
music in a non-competitive environment, they have come to value the new
friendships, self-esteem, and camaraderie that are the philosophic hallmarks
of the Honors Choir.
Advisory Board:
Michal Buchanan, Gayle Cluck (Coordinator), Michael Hady, Marty Hodges,
Donna Knott, Barbara Neiman, Joanne Riley, Twila Shipley, Judy Simpson
(Chair), Coni Wolf, Mark Woodbury, Bob Woods and Randy Yoder
See the 2008 performance schedule!
For more
information about the JUNIOR Honors Choir & Summer Elementary Choral Camp
call or write
Donna Knott ~
717-764-3895/ email:
tdknott@comcast.net