The Children's Chorus is a starter door into the New River Youth Chorus.  As students learn to sing in a group and work together, they will graduate to the older group.  The Children's Chorus is designed to be fun and friendly to younger ages.  Songs with sign language are often included in the program.

The New River Youth Chorus is a fantastic place to sing with other young people, to learn how to blend, how to harmonize, and how to sing in a choir.  The students enjoy the beat of ethnic music from around the world with djembes, maracas, and other African / Latin instruments accompanying.  Sometimes a violin or flute will interweave with the voices for a ballad or holiday song.  Some of the pieces are sung in other languages, like French or Swahili.

Chorus is an excellent place for students develop their vocal technique and to experience the camaraderie of a group who enjoy performing together.

The New River Youth Symphony is conducted by William Bailey, and he chooses concert literature from the great composers, like Brahms, Copland, Rimski-Korsakov, Tchaikovsky, and Verdi.  Occasionally, a jazz piece is on the program, and at the December concert, there are usually several holiday favorites.

The Symphony students are a mixture of public school, private school, and homeschooled students from various counties in Southern West Virginia.  They all share a love of music and performing together.  Since this is a full orchestra, woodwinds, brass, and percussion students are welcome, as well as those who play violin, viola, cello, or bass.

History

In June 2006 our first rehearsal took place, with 14 students in the Symphony. Six months later, at our December 2006 Winter Concert, 30 students performed in the Symphony and 27 students in the Chorus.

The New River Youth Symphony and Chorus is here today because of the need in Southern West Virginia for a place where talented young people can learn and grow under the direction of professional musicians who have a personal commitment to excellence.

The New River Youth Symphony and Chorus is a 501(c)(3)-approved, tax- exempt organization, which means contributions and gifts are tax deductible.

Concerts

A list of the concerts that the New River Youth Symphony & Chorus has done can be found here.

Our Directors

William Bailey, the conductor of the New River Youth Symphony, has many years of experience in working with young people in the public schools. His artistic leadership enables the students to take on challenging music and play with confidence. Mr. Bailey received a master’s degree in music education from the University of Northern Colorado, where he studied trumpet under Mr. Bill Pfund. He enjoys arranging and composing and has performed in various orchestras, jazz ensembles, and brass ensembles.

New River Youth Chorus is directed by Savannah Miller. She learned vocal technique during her years in the Nicholas County Girls Choir, directed by Amy Hypes, and she has also had private voice instruction. She has taught choir at Coda Mountain Academy. Savannah is passionate about Chorus because it not only teaches teamwork, but also brings together a beautiful community of young peoplewho love to sing.

Emerging Strings is directed by Perri Kiser. She is an active teacher and performer, with a passion for communal music-making. Perri has taught music in various settings, including group violin, preschool music, and as a graduate teaching associate for the violin studio throughout graduate school. Perri currently owns and operates a private teaching studio, Leander Music Academy.

Perri received two master’s degrees in string pedagogy and violin performance from Ohio State University, as well as two undergraduate music degrees from Liberty University.

Children's Chorus is directed by Kathie Kiser. She has taught young children for many years in public school and also Coda programs. She has a heart for the little ones and is very kind and gentle with them.

Our Board of Directors

Serving on our Board of Directors are our music directors and our officers, Kathy Bailey, Secretary/Treasurer, Crystal Bennett, Marketing Director, and John Mudcat Peters and Debbie Peters, Members at Large.

Weekly Rehearsals

The New River Youth Symphony and Chorus meet for back-to-back rehearsals on the same night of the week, in order to allow students the opportunity to participate in both groups without conflict and with a commitment of only one night per week.

There are two seasons during the year. The fall season is September through early December. The spring season is March through May.  There are no rehearsals during the winter months, in order to avoid icy road conditions. At the conclusion of each season, concerts are held in locations throughout Southern West Virginia.

New students may audition at the beginning of any season.