i

Girl Choir ConcertSaturday, March 25, 2017

H LAWRENCE ACADEMY OF MUSIC PRESENTS H

ADMINISTRATION

Brian Pertl, dean, Lawrence University Conservatory of Music

Karen Bruno, director, Lawrence Academy of Music

Cheryl Boyle, registrar

Theresa Shifflett, program and marketing assistant

LAWRENCE ACADEMY OF MUSIC

Street address:

100 West Water Street

Appleton, WI 54911

Mailing address:

711 East Boldt Way

Appleton, WI 54911-5699

920-832-6632

acad_music@lawrence.edu

go.lawrence.edu/academy

go.lawrence.edu/academy-girlchoir

facebook.com/lawrenceacademy

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Appleton Group, LLC

David Been

Cena of Appleton

CopperLeaf Boutique Hotel and Spa

First English Lutheran Church

Fox Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship

Gordon Lind

Mark Merrifield

Jon Meyer

Michelle Northey, Flower Girl Design Studio

Mark Scheffler

Shiny Car Wash and Dog Wash

Jason Weijola

GIRL CHOIR HISTORY

January 1991: The Lawrence Academy Girl Choir was founded for girls in fourth through sixth grades.

September 1991: A training choir for fourth grade girls was added, creating a sequential Girl Choir program.

The original choir expanded to include girls in fifth through seventh grades.

September 1997: Due to the large number of girls who wished to participate, the program expanded in

both directions with the addition of Primo (then grades three and four) and Cantabile (then grades seven

through nine).

September 1999: The eldest Cantabile singers couldn’t bear to leave the program after ninth grade,

and thus became the founding members of Bel Canto, a choir for high school girls.

September 2007: After waiting several years to fulfill the dream of offering a non-auditioned choir,

the program was able to secure additional rehearsal space. Ragazze, a non-auditioned training choir, was born.

March 2011: The Girl Choir program celebrated its 20th anniversary and featured alumnae in the combined

choirs’ finale.

September 2013: After attempting a variety of rehearsal structures to accommodate Intermezzo, the largest

choir (70–80 singers), an additional choir was added. Intermezzo was eliminated and replaced with two choirs,

Capriccio and Arioso.

March 19, 2016: The Girl Choir program celebrated its 25th birthday with more than 100 alumnae from around

the United States in attendance. The Girl Choir Empowerment Fund was established to help support student

scholarships for singers of limited financial means. Visit go.lawrence.edu/academy-giving to donate.

Established as a not-for-profit community school, the Lawrence

Academy of Music became a certified member of the National Guild

of Community Schools of the Arts in 1983. Today it serves more than

1,600 families throughout northeast Wisconsin through music lessons

and classes, the Early Childhood Music Program, youth ensembles,

adult music programs, summer music camps and the Girl Choir Program.

Learn more at go.lawrence.edu/academy

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MISSION STATEMENT

The Lawrence Academy of Music Girl Choir Program is the only nonprofit girl choir in the Fox Valley. Through the

study and performance of the highest quality music, the girls develop vocal technique, musical skills, creativity,

expressive artistry and an awareness of various cultures. The Girl Choir Program creates an atmosphere that

encourages girls to respect the uniqueness of others, to take risks that foster individual growth and to continue

their development into self-assured young women.

THE CHOIRS

Ragazze: Non-auditioned choir for girls in grades 3-5.

Focuses on healthy vocal production using folk

songs and singing games. Performs on winter and

spring concerts.

Primo: Auditioned choir for girls in grades 3-5. Performs

on winter and spring concerts.

Allegretto: Auditioned choir for girls in grades 4-6. One

additional community performance annually.

Capriccio: Auditioned choir for girls in grades 5-7. One

additional community performance annually.

Arioso: Auditioned choir for girls in grades 6-8. One

additional community performance annually. One day

tour available (optional).

Cantabile: Auditioned choir for girls in grades 8-10.

National tour offered biannually (optional). Additional

community performances as opportunities arise.

Bel Canto: Auditioned choir for girls in grades 10-

12. Local tours and additional performances as

opportunities arise, generally several times per year.

ARTISTIC PERSONNEL

Ragazze

Patricia Merrifield, teacher

Tess Vogel ’15, pianist and manager

Primo

Karrie Been, teacher

Nell Buchman, pianist and manager

Allegretto

Cheryl Meyer, teacher

Janet Erbach, pianist

Karen Bultman, manager

Capriccio

Toni Weijola ’99, teacher

Ann Boeckman, pianist

Chelsey Burke, manager

Arioso

Jaclyn Kottman ’12, teacher

Ann Boeckman, pianist

Lauren Vanderlinden ’17, manager

Cantabile

Debbie Lind, teacher

Janet Erbach, pianist

Allie Horton ’19, manager

Bel Canto

Karen Bruno, teacher

Nell Buchman, pianist and manager

Please—as a courtesy to the singers and other audience members, silence all cell phones and refrain from

whispering or rustling paper. Turn off all electronic devices with a screen while the concert is in progress and

refrain from flash photography. Thank you.

FROM THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

One of my greatest challenges as a teacher is finding repertoire that allows me to dig into the aesthetic or

musical aspects of a composition while also finding a way to make its study relevant to the young women in

my ensemble. As I select repertoire, I look for additional curricular materials that will help with the study of the

piece or materials that connect to other relevant subject areas.

As I was studying scores, the May Sarton poem, Now I Become Myself from Collected Poems 1930–1933,

presented itself as additional material. Although I ended up not programming the composition I was looking at,

I decided the poem itself was too potent to ignore. The poem’s references to growth and change––becoming,

as it were––inspired me to use the concepts as the connective tissue for this concert.

Bel Canto singers had an amazing experience with Sarton’s poem. They explored expectations of themselves

(Where do they come from? How do we decide which ones to fulfill? How many ways can we define ourselves?

How does it feel to be told who we are versus figuring it out for ourselves?), how they present themselves and

interact with others (Social media allows us a “curated self.” How does that reflect or differ from our “authentic

self”?) and how we grow and change as human beings over time.

Over the course of this concert cycle, all choir members looked at how music itself grows or changes within a

composition, how music and the arts can be a catalyst for change, how the addition of music to poetry changes

the aesthetic experience of the reader or listener and much more. Each teacher-conductor has put together

program notes that illuminate some of the learning that has taken place in our rehearsals this term. In them,

we hope that you can see the ways in which our singers have explored the concepts of growth, change and

renewal in music and in ourselves.

I hope you enjoy this afternoon’s performance.

Sincerely,

Karen Bruno

Lawrence Academy Girl Choir

now i become myselfLittle Firefly Larry E. Schultz (b. 1965)

text by Grace Lee Frank Smith

The music of Little Firefly contrasts the sweep of a firefly’s flight path with the brilliant flashes of its coded

messages. Working to sing legato, staccato and the tricky in-between tenuto has been a challenge for our

ears and voices but wonderfully satisfying when we accurately portray what the composer has intended.

The inclusion of a familiar melody as accompaniment to the second statement of the verse creates a nuanced

surprise for singer and listener alike. The mixed meter of the piece allows places of rest and others of driving

energy. Ragazze singers twirled, tiptoed and skimmed the floor, exploring ways to be firefly-like.

These words of the text, “...you’re the only creature I know, who carries a star wherever you go,” have led to

thoughtful discussions about the light that each of us carries. What kind of light do we have? How do we

show and share it? What makes our light dim or grow? What can result when we all shine together?

Proving that simple songs can have profound learning outcomes, our study of this piece has helped us

understand the complexities of articulation and meter and given us a richer understanding of our own

unique radiance.

Wake Up, Little Sparrow Ella Jenkins (b. 1924)

transcribed by Patricia Merrifield

The essence of Wake Up, Little Sparrow lies in the wistful poignancy of the descending minor pentatonic

phrases. The irregular meter stretches the contour of the melody, thereby enhancing the somber mood. If one

were unable to understand Jenkins’ eloquent words, the tune itself would be enough to convey the plaintive

feeling of the song. However, the text evokes vivid images which intensify the notes and create a near perfect

union of message and melody.

Wake Up, Little Sparrow, originally released in 1963, is included on Ella Jenkins’ Folkways record album,

Rhythms of Childhood. Jenkins, “The First Lady of Children’s Music”, was born in 1924 and still lives in Chicago.

In the liner notes issued with the recording, Jenkins says about Wake Up, Little Sparrow, “I wrote it for a

dear friend, Bernadelle Richter, who is as gentle as a sparrow.” Richter is Jenkins’ longtime friend and

business manager.

Ragazze was introduced to this piece in our rehearsal room with lights dimmed, bodies calm and eyes closed.

We listened as Ms. Jenkins sang, accompanied by baritone ukulele and guitar. The richness of her voice is

compelling and draws the listener in. We feel for the sparrow, remembering times we’ve been left behind.

RAGAZZE

The Cowslip William Henry Anderson (1882–1955)

arr. Richard Cohen

This delightful song highlights the hope that spring brings as winter comes to a close. The melody is deceptively

complex as it shifts temporarily into another key. It evokes a sense of unrest as it paints the text of cold winter,

becoming the first signs of spring. Similarly, the rhythms change just enough to demonstrate that changes are

happening all around us, just like the coming of the spring.

Wynken, Blynken and Nod Benjamin Kornelis (b. 1963)

poem by Eugene Field

The text of this song is a classic bedtime poem written in 1889 by American poet, Eugene Field. As we

studied this text, the Primo girls delighted in sharing some of their favorite bedtime stories. In his program

notes, the composer notes that he chose to set this poem due to happy memories of his mother reading it

to him at bedtime.

Rather than give away the textual secret at the beginning of the composition by having a slow, lyrical

setting, Kornelis sets the first verses depicting sailors on a moonlit fishing expedition to a faster melody and

accompaniment that creates a jaunty feel. The piece moves through several key changes until the final verse,

which is much slower and quieter, when the identity of the three sailors is identified as the child’s two blinking

eyes and nodding head. We realize then that the person reciting the poem has set the stage for the child’s

sleep, inspiring imagery for lovely dreams.

PRIMO

Die Forelle (The Trout) Franz Schubert (1797–1828)

ed. Ruth Boshkoff

An example of German lied, Die Forelle is a composed art song in which the voice and accompaniment are

equal partners in conveying Christian Schubart’s text. In the introduction’s first measure, the trout’s motive is

heard in the upper notes as he is freely leaping out of and back into the brook. Next heard in lower pitches of

the left hand, the motive foreshadows the ending of the song. When the singers begin telling the story, the

trout is once again free and leaping. As the cunning angler attempts to catch the trout, the accompaniment

and vocal melody change, creating tension, suspense and finally, the sad realization of the trout’s fate.

During rehearsals, the girls examined this song from different points of view: as singers with text and melody,

the observer on the bank, angler, trout and piano accompaniment. Looking at situations in their own lives, the

singers identified different points of view, the actions of persons, groups or causes involved and the resulting

positive, neutral or negative consequences. Following the singing of the first verse in German, the entire song

will be sung in an English translation.

The Bird’s Song Henry Hinnant (b. 1962)

The author of this text, an unknown child in a Czechoslovakian death camp during World War II, is an example

of the how the human spirit can overcome even the bleakest of circumstances. Recalling detailed memories

of nature’s beauty and facing likely death, the child concludes the poem with, “How wonderful it is to be alive.”

Composed in 2003, Hinnant uses a minimal and supportive accompaniment that allows the text to be heard by

the listener. Then, using only the clear vowels of Alleluia for its text, he adds a second vocal part, the tune of

the hymn, This is My Father’s World, linking visual and aural images of nature in the piece and adding harmony.

During our rehearsals, the singers explored how memories and positive thoughts can influence our behavior day

to day and sustain us in challenging times. Extending that exploration, they identified what makes them grateful

to be alive, thought about the future and wrote what they would like their legacy to be.

ALLEGRETTO

Sumer is Icumen In Anon., mid-13th century

Summer is coming,

Loudly sing, cuckoo!

The seed grows and the meadow blooms

And the wood springs anew.

Sing, cuckoo!

The ewe bleats after the lamb,

The cow lows after her calf.

The bull leaps, the buck farts,

Merrily sing cuckoo!

Cuckoo, you sing so well, cuckoo,

Never cease now!

One of the most well known of all medieval compositions, Sumer is Icumen In pairs a jaunty melody with

lively imagery to bring this celebration of seasonal change to life. The piece is comprised of two parts that fit

together: the rota and the pes. The rota (“round”) is the main melody, which is traditionally sung in up to four

parts. The pes (“foot”) are two short, two-measure phrases that are sung repeatedly underneath the rota, like

an ostinato. When rota and pes are layered together, we hear the pes providing a sturdy musical foundation,

while layers of the rota spiral their way around each other. The overall effect is a musical depiction of the earth

shedding its blanket of sleep after a long, barren winter, renewing itself with warmer temperatures, vibrant

colors and new life while the singers engage in joyful celebration.

The Cat of Cats Thomas Carto

text by William Brighty Rands

Capriccio was first introduced to this piece by way of its individual compositional elements. Singers explored

how the composer used various musical ideas to illustrate aspects of the “everlasting cat”: arpeggios that

purr, a bass line that prowls and the sudden pounce of a dissonant chord. In addition to the imagery-rich piano

accompaniment, the vocal lines begin in unison but unfold into separate parts, usually in a non-diatonic fashion.

Capriccio singers noticed the challenge of not only leaning into the dissonance of the voice parts, but also of

how their lines were written very independently from the piano. This point opened the way for conversations

about leaning into the dissonances of life and embracing the challenge of “hard things.”

From Midge of Gold Elam Sprenkle (b. 1948)

For a Dewdrop text by Eleanor Farjeon

Before seeing the text, Capriccio singers listened to the piano accompaniment and reflected upon what they

heard. Some singers sketched snapshots of images while others wrote about the emotions the piano’s music

evoked in them. Many singers composed stories about journeys and transformations. After listening and

reflecting, Capriccio examined the musical score in search for compositional elements that would explain their

responses. Singers decided that the steady pulse throughout the piece represents the way life is always moving

forward. They noticed that the chordal harmonies change between beats one and two, which illustrates the

way life changes frequently, but not without staying in one place for a little while. The occasional high, turning

figures in the piano, represent the short twists that our lives can sometimes take.

The poet Eleanor Farjeon writes, “The composer has captured the delicate quality of a dewdrop dangling from

a spider web in the early light of morning. It sparkles like a jewel and reflects the world in miniature. Even the

sun is reduced to only a small drop of golden light.” If you could see the world around you through the lens of a

dewdrop, what would you see? What does this music evoke for you?

CAPRICCIO

From Les Contes d’Hoffman Jacques Offenbach (1819-1880)

Barcarole (Belle Nuit) arr. Francisco J. Nuñez

Beautiful night, oh night of love, smile on our pleasures!

Night, much sweeter than the day, oh beautiful night of love.

Time flies and without returning carries away our expressions of love;

Far from this happy oasis time flies away, never to return!

Burning zephyrs, embrace us with your caresses! Burning zephyrs, give us your kisses!

Beautiful night, oh night of love, smile on our pleasures!

Night, much sweeter than the day, oh beautiful night of love.

From the first rolling chords in the piano introduction, a sparkling backdrop is set for the serene, floating melody

of Offenbach’s famous operatic duet. Arioso faced a steep learning curve with language on this piece, wrapping

our mouths and voices around the French text while staying grounded in the unified core tone that is needed to

carry us through each phrase.

We explored whether performing this piece, usually sung as a duet, as a larger ensemble changed its

fundamental character and how the blend of many voices together, as opposed to just two, fully realizes

Offenbach’s original composition but with a unique sound. We also questioned whether something (an event, a

story, a photograph, a piece of art or, in our case, a musical composition) can retain its power when extracted

from its original context; does its meaning fundamentally change? Does being separated from its full setting

make it any less significant or any less itself? Our experience in unlocking the captivating beauty of this duet

led us to a variety of answers and guided us in creating our own collaborative interpretation of “Barcarole.”

Crawdad Hole American Folk Song

arr. Mary Goetze

Mary Goetze’s arrangement of this classic American folk tune turns friendship into music. The traditional

melody of Crawdad Hole–sprightly and inviting as friends call to one another to get their gear and “go fishin’”–is

buoyed by countermelodies that travel as commentary between the voices. Arioso analyzed the character of

each line based on its melodic and rhythmic setting and reflected on the people in our lives, and the different

parts of our own multidimensional personality, that fit each musical part. We discovered that, though each part

can stand on its own, the song doesn’t truly feel complete until all voices join together. This musical synthesis

of ideas, personalities and motivations mirrors our uniquely complex identities as whole people and our roles in

relationship with others.

ARIOSO

Cantate Domino Heinrich Schütz (1585–1672)

ed. Nancy Grundahl

Sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done marvelous things.

His right hand and His holy arm have gotten Him the victory.

Psalm 98:1

Heinrich Schütz, one of the most significant composers of the German baroque era, wrote this motet in 1628

for three voices: soprano, alto and baritone. This edition has been transposed to fit treble voices comfortably.

The song switches back and forth from polyphonic texture, where voices enter at different times and pitches,

imitating one another, as if lost and calling out to one another, causing instability and confusion. Then they

return to homophonic texture, where voices all come back together and fall in line with common rhythm, text

and harmony, offering resolution, unity and strength.

Taivas On Sininen Finnish Folk Song

arr. Donald Patriquin

Daria Van De Loo, cello

The sky is blue and white and full of stars;

So also is my young heart full of thoughts.

And I won’t tell others the sorrows of my heart;

The gloomy forest, the clear sky, they know my cares

The Finnish language boasts 16 vowel sounds and 18 diphthongs (when multiple vowel sounds are combined).

Taivas On Sininen uses every single one. Speaking these vowel sounds in rehearsal, lining up vowel

combinations and injecting consonants like thick-tongued t’s, rolled r’s and coughed-up k’s, was an impossible

task without everyone falling apart in uncontrollable laughter. But when we achieved vowel unity and infused the

curious, vowel-driven text into those hauntingly sorrowful melodies and rich, thick harmonies, suddenly the song

was no longer silly. It was powerfully and poignantly sad, a feeling amplified by the cello line. We became lost

together in that gloomy forest with our cares and sorrows.

Life Has Loveliness to Sell James Quitman Mulholland (b. 1943)

poem by Sara Teasdale (1884–1933)

Fatima Ali, viola

We come out of that dark forest and into the light of beauty and optimism so clearly penned in the poem Barter

by poet Sara Teasdale. This song opens with an ascending melody that is quietly heard in the opening measure,

restated throughout and dramatically displayed in the song’s conclusion. In classic Mulholland style, right along

with the singers, the piano and the viola provide power and direction. They are an equal entity to capture the

dramatic message of the poem.

During rehearsal Cantabile singers were asked, “What, to you, is Loveliness?” Among the answers were family,

how we spend our lives, starting over, laughter, little moments when you feel loved, seeing those you love be

happy and successful and that loveliness is in the eye of the beholder. Then Cantabile members were asked

the much more difficult question, “What would you be willing to barter for or give up in order to have something

else?” Among the answers were, “I would give up my education to give that opportunity to others”; “two meals

a day in order to feed those who get no meal on any given day”; “I don’t know what I would give up–everything

is too precious”; “I don’t know what I’d trade because I don’t know if I have enough to give to make everyone in

the world feel loved.”

CANTABILE

From Gloria Antonio Vivaldi (1645–1741)

Laudamus Te ed., arr. Doreen Rao

We praise thee

We bless thee

We worship thee

We glorify thee

This baroque duet gave us the chance to study several ways music changes within a very short composition. In

addition to the tonicization of different keys (feeling as if we have moved to a new “home” tonality) with almost

every phrase, we noticed the imitative vocal lines that slowly grow into new ideas and the musical sequences (a

musical fragment that repeats itself, several times in a row, in a slightly higher or lower pitch in the same voice)

that end differently each time. As we realized that sequences are patterns that repeat themselves until they are

resolved, we used “sequence” as a metaphor for our lives, identifying patterns that we might want to change or

healthy patterns that can lead to new opportunities.

From Four Cummings Choruses Vincent Persichetti (1915-1987)

dominic has a doll poem by e.e. cummings

dominic has

a doll wiredto the radiator of his

ZOOM DOOM

icecoalwood truck a

wistful little clown

whom somebody buried

upsidedown in an ashbarrel so

of course dominictook him home

& mrs. dominic washed his sweet

dirtyface & mended

his bright torn trousers (quite

as if he were really her &

shebut) & so

that

‘s how dominic has a doll

& every now and then my wonderful

friend dominic depaola

gives me a most tremendous hug

knowing i feelthat

we & worlds

areless alive

than dolls &

dream.

Bel Canto singers began their study of this piece with the poem itself. We explored its imagery and meaning,

then brainstormed compositional devices we would use if we were to set it to music. At the next rehearsal, we

looked at the score and realized that we had many of the same ideas as Persichetti, an American composer who

set many Cummings poems over the course of his career. Follow along with the poetry as you listen and notice

the many ways Persichetti brilliantly marries music and text, creating something that feels like more than the

sum of its parts.

For Elizabeth: Gold, Frank Innocence and Mirth Stephen Hatfield (b. 1956)

This piece was commissioned by the Glen Ellyn Children’s Chorus in memory of Elizabeth Ball, one of their

choristers. The composer writes:

“Elizabeth’s first name is incorporated throughout the piece by means of an old Italian technique that translates the vowels of a name into corresponding solfeggio syllables. Although English and Italian

vowels do not always parallel each other, ‘Elizabeth’ can be rendered as ‘re-mi-fa-re,’ a melodic cell that

starts and ends on the same note, creating a little circle in allusion to Elizabeth’s surname ‘Ball.’”

This melodic idea is set to a rhythm that similarly represents the name “Elizabeth”; listen for it at the very

beginning of the piece and later on by name. This musical cell, or motive, carries through the composition,

representing innocence, resilience and mirth as it meanders to its serene conclusion.

BEL CANTO

Bedu Pako Baramasa Song from Uttarakhand

arr. Meghan Quinlan

Bedu [fruit] ripens year-roundKafal [berry] ripens in Chaitra [March-April],

My friend Narani.You eat paan-supari [betel leaf and areca nuts]

And offer me some to smoke,My friend Narani.

Nanda Devi [2nd highest mountain in India] is in Almora [district];Naina [high peak] is in Nanital [region],

My friend Narani.If a thorn were to prick your foot,

My foot would hurt, too,

My friend Narani.

This folk song from the Indian Himalayas was taught to Meghan Quinlan, a Canadian choral conductor, by

a native musician while she was visiting the region. Girl Choir singers discussed what sorts of topics were

generally included in folk songs and came up with a list that included regional geography, cultural practices,

community celebrations or events, food and friendship. They noted that the text of this folk song is, in this

regard, similar to many they already knew.

In addition, this melody is pentatonic, or uses the following five notes of the scale: do, re, mi, sol and la.

Quinlan’s arrangement introduces the melody in verse 1, adds a vocal accompaniment to the melody in verse

2, sets the melody in a three-part canon (round) to imitate the echoing effect of voices in the mountains in

verse 3 and portrays the friendship between the narrator and Narani by sharing the melody between two vocal

lines in verse 4. As they were introduced to this melody, Bel Canto singers recognized that some tunes many

of us know (Amazing Grace, Will the Circle Be Unbroken and Swing Low, Sweet Chariot) are also pentatonic. In

fact, many cultures around the world use pentatonic melodies in their music. Please enjoy this celebration of

friendship and folk music as we close our concert.

COMBINED CHOIRS

RAGAZZE

Lydia BarryJosephine BrozekMadeline CareyMadelynn DavisChloe DearingGrace EbertSilhouette Heffernan

Valerie KallioAdela KellanDyonna KellyHailyn KollerKrista KucharskiIsabella LaChapelleAnnika Larsen

Gabriella MillerSophia OverholtAva PohlkotteEllason PoppNora PoppOlivia RoblesHannah Sippel

Ella TrampeKate VanderloopMegan Wepfer

PRIMO

Elise AchtnerKaia AmaralCaitlin BoonGrace BrittenElianna CoussonsLauren EricksonSabine FreyElizabeth GentzLaurel Golson

Nora HartzheimGianna HeidAliisa HelminenChloe HermsenAbigail KarthKaylynne KaufmanJacquelyn MalmMadeline MarsdenSophia Martin

Emily McCarthySkylin McFaddenElla NadboralskiElise OehlerIsabel Pagan-VegaGrace PetersChloe PfefferleEmma RaleighGretchen Shober

Layla SniderGabrielle SternMya WallaceElizabeth WeinfurterCassidi WingAubrey WoodrowSienna Zheng

ALLEGRETTO

Esther AnderleElla BaumanGianna BayClaire BenzJulia BockRowan CruzMadelyn DillenburgLucy DollevoetAshlyn DoranJenna DugalJulia GurholtHayley Hagens

Hailie HerronJenna HooymanCaroline JiaElana LaceyEmily LangeLola LevinNora Lindsay-ReillyAnna LindsayGreta MelzlAlexia NelsonGreta NolteAmelia O’Leary

Elizabeth OsorioMihret PattersonShayla RademakerTalia RoselaarNevaeh Roug-SchmitzBreanna SchillingEva SchmidtBrianna SkorrAnna SlocumAurora SmithKaren SomersLydia Sorem

Molly StonelakeElsa ThielGracie TuckerChristiana Van GrinsvenFiona VelpelAbigail WintersHannah WynenLily YaunRachel Zhu

CAPRICCIO

Morgan AldanaNora AustinSophia BaumanHailey BayBailey BidwellReese BrunetteHaili CaseyGrace DollevoetEliza DuimstraEllie Gregersen

Ella HeiksKatherine HellerLola HuntTrinity InmanCaroline KiesnowskiKeira KnuppelTéa KoehlerZoe KrausMichaela KrisherCambria Maynard

Leah McElhaneyElise NolteLinnea OlsonEmma RademakerGrace RaleighMadison RechnerOlivia RechnerAnya RiabovElla RyanEmily Schaefer

Mara SchellEva SchneiderDanika TrzebiatowskiKaylee TrzebiatowskiSophie Van StippenShanice WarigiSusan Yao

THE CHOIRS

ARIOSO

Renna AmaralAshley AuthementMaria BenzAbbey BernardKate BerneckerIsabelle BestulCarly BomierHannah BrownCharlotte BuchmanMadelyn CareyWilla K. CarmanBree CaseyMaya Corcoran

Sophie FellingerColette Ferguson-RougSolara GomezElizabeth HartmanEmily HodsonAbriel HooymanEmma HuntleyClaire HydeMadison IrwinAlisha L. JahnkeLydia JohnsonRuby March-TormeNola McDonald

Abby MoardKarina MoseEmily OrnelasLindsey PlassDrew PollardChelsea PoppletonMaya RuffoloJenna SabrowskyKellin ScheelTessa SchreiterIsabella SierraColleen TeboGillian Ulrich

Annika UrnessAlyssa Van DomelenEmmaline Van DykeAbigail Van ElzenEleanor Van NulandClara VandeHeyRachel VogelKatherine WarnerMeredith WestonSamantha Jo WhiteClaire WileyRose Williams

CANTABILE

Pippa AustinIrysa BauerBryelle BernardEllie BernierKayla BooksJane BrinkmannKhloe CaseyGeena CoffeyLauren DoneyAshley EvansEmma Frederick

Abigail GentzElizabeth GeoffreyEmilie GilliganOlivia GroenewoldBrianna HauserAlyssa KellerHolly KrabbeMakenna KrausSigrid LokensgardEmmalee MindockClaire Moten

Emma NolteClaire OlsonMadison PriceSophie Quick-LaughlinJenna QuinnAdithi ReddyAnna RettlerChloe SawallCaitlin ScheelMaria SernaKate Slesar

Audrey SobergBethany SteenbockMaKayla StrohmeyerEmily TeschMayLynn VangKelsey WadleighMoriah WebsterSamantha WellsChloe Zering

BEL CANTO

Elena AnderlaEmily BeenLily BirschbachIsabelle BlankClaire BoldtHannah BorchertZoe BossertGrace BrinkmannChloe CelsorAlana ChristenHaley CorcoranCorrina CzarnikAbby Dollevoet

Eleanor ErbachPhoebe FrantzGrace GollnickClaire GorgesEmma HagerAlyssa JansenJenna KellerKatharina KellerValerie LambertMeg LehmanCamryn MaesAshley MarcusenGabrielle Mitchell

Elizabeth MoranAnna OlsonJacy OlszewskiJulia PengraziChloe PetersonSydney PittnerClaire SawallElizabeth SchulzMcKenna SeegersSteph SerratoEmma SimonLena SimonRachel Sina

Claire SlocumAshley SmithJulia SomaKathryn StonesmythJordyn UlmanAlaina VerstegenAlayna WernerRachel WestraCarrie WillsonHannah WolfrathBethany Zoch

BIOGRAPHIES

Patricia Merrifield, who teaches Ragazze singers, teaches elementary general music in the

Appleton Area School District and serves Lawrence University’s Conservatory frequently as a

cooperating teacher. She is currently co-teaching a Lawrence class in recorder and guitar

methods for music education majors. Merrifield holds a Bachelor of Music degree from

Michigan State University and teaching certification and master’s degree in music education

with a Kodaly emphasis from Silver Lake College. Before entering the field of teaching, she

worked in orchestra management for the Phoenix and Fairfax (Va.) Symphony Orchestras. Merrifield is a past

board member of the Association of Wisconsin Area Kodaly Educators (AWAKE), has co-chaired the AWAKE

Singing Games Festival and is a member of the Wisconsin School Music Association and Music Educator’s

National Conference.

Karrie Been, who teaches Primo singers, graduated from Carroll College (University) with a

Bachelor of Science in music education and earned her Master of Music in music education

with a Kodaly emphasis from Silver Lake College. She is currently the general and vocal music

instructor at Woodland and Mapleview Intermediate Schools in Kimberly, where she also

serves as curriculum coordinator for the district’s general and choral music staff. Previously,

Been taught in Franklin, Wis., where she taught elementary music, middle and high school

choirs and worked as the orchestra conductor for the high school’s musical theatre productions. She was the

founding chair of the Association of Wisconsin Area Kodaly Educators (AWAKE) Children’s Choir Festival and

served on the Wisconsin Choral Directors Association choir festival committee. She is a member of the

Wisconsin School Music Association, American Choral Directors Association and Music Educator’s National

Conference. She has served Lawrence University’s Conservatory of Music and St. Norbert College, working as

cooperating teacher and practicum adviser.

Cheryl Meyer, who teaches Allegretto singers, received her Bachelor of Music degree from

UW–Madison. She joined the Academy as a conductor in the Girl Choir Program in 1992, the

first full year of the Academy Girl Choir program. A vocal music specialist with the Appleton

Area School District, Meyer is an advocate for the Comprehensive Musicianship through

Performance (CMP) model of teaching. She is a frequent cooperating teacher and practicum

teacher for Conservatory students and is currently co-teaching a class in recorder and guitar

methods for music education majors.

As a member of the Wisconsin Choral Directors Association (WCDA), Meyer has conducted Singing in Wisconsin

youth choirs, presented sessions and choirs at state conventions and served as Children’s Choir Repertoire

and Standards Chair. She is also a member of the Wisconsin Music Educators Conference (WMEA) and the

Organization of Kodaly Educators, serving as a past conductor of the Association of Wisconsin Area Kodaly

Educators (AWAKE) Youth Honor Choir. Currently an adjudicator for the Wisconsin School Music Association,

Meyer also conducts the camp choir during the Academy of Music’s residential summer band camp.

Toni K. Weijola ’99, who teaches Capriccio singers, is an alumna of Lawrence University with a

Bachelor of Music in choral and general music education and vocal performance. She also

holds a Master of Music in music education with a Kodaly emphasis from Silver Lake College.

Weijola is an elementary music teacher with the Appleton Area School District and collaborates

regularly with Lawrence as a cooperating teacher for future music educators. A member of

Wisconsin Music Educators Association (WMEA), Wisconsin Choral Directors Association

(WCDA) and the Association of Wisconsin Area Kodaly Educators (AWAKE), she is also an advocate for the

Comprehensive Musicianship through Performance (CMP) model of teaching. As an active musician and

educator in the Fox Valley, she has previously served as conducting intern with the Girl Choir program, taught

with the conducting staff of the Appleton Boychoir, conducted private studio instruction in voice and served as

soprano section leader with the newVoices choir. Weijola continues to sing with newVoices and, with her

husband, she currently co-leads the music and worship ministry at their church.

Jaclyn Kottman ’12, who teaches Arioso singers, previously served as a manager and

conducting intern with all three middle and high school Academy Girl Choirs. Kottman

graduated from Lawrence University with a Bachelor of Music in choral and general music

education and a minor in religious studies. She has taught in New Zealand, Costa Rica,

Appleton and Boston. She is currently teaching choral music in the Appleton Area School

District at Einstein Middle School and Classical School, and teaches voice through the

Lawrence Academy of Music. Kottman is a member of the Wisconsin Music Educators Association (WMEA), the

American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), the Sigma Alpha Iota music fraternity and is the recipient of

Lawrence University’s Pi Kappa Lambda Award for excellence in music education.

Debbie Lind, who teaches Cantabile singers, is a graduate of the University of Nebraska–

Lincoln with a Bachelor of Music Education, vocal and instrumental. In June 2011, she retired

from 25 years of teaching vocal and choral music in the Appleton Area School District, having

served most recently as choral music director at Appleton East High School. She taught in

Omaha, Neb., and Schofield, Wis., before coming to Appleton.

Lind has been a clinician for the Wisconsin School Music Association and a guest conductor for WCDA’s

Singing in Wisconsin festival. She has been actively involved in church music as a choral director, accompanist

and singer throughout her career. She is a member of the Voicecare Network, Wisconsin Music Educators

Association (WMEA) and the Wisconsin Choral Directors Association (WCDA). Lind has worked, and continues

to work, with future and new music educators as a cooperating teacher, a practicum advisor and a mentor for

the AASD new teacher mentoring program.

Karen Bruno, who teaches Bel Canto singers, is the artistic director of the Girl Choir program.

She received a Bachelor of Arts from Smith College, a teaching certificate from the Lawrence

University Conservatory of Music and a Master of Music from Boston University. She has

taught choral music in the Appleton and Oshkosh school districts and at an international

school in Senegal, West Africa. Bruno has helped to teach Lawrence Conservatory music

education classes and has served as both cooperating and practicum teacher for students

from Lawrence and St. Norbert College. She is currently the director of the Lawrence Academy of Music.

Bruno has conducted the South Dakota All-State Children’s Choir, numerous regional honor choirs and is a

past staff member of the Wisconsin School Music Association’s Treble Honor Choir. She served for six years

as the repertoire and standards chair for Children and Community Youth Choirs in the North Central Division of

the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), is a member of the VoiceCare Network and serves on the

committee advocating the Comprehensive Musicianship through Performance (CMP) instructional model. Bruno

is a two-time recipient of WCDA’s Five-Star Award, a recipient of Lawrence University’s Pi Kappa Lambda award

for excellence in music education, is a Rotary scholarship award winner and was recognized by the Danbury

(Conn.) Music Centre for providing outstanding musical opportunities for youth in the United States. Under her

tutelage, Bel Canto was awarded second place in the national American Prize competition and has performed,

by audition, on state and divisional conventions of choral conductors.

GIRL CHOIR CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Bel Canto and Young Men’s Chorus Concert

Saturday, April 8

7 p.m.

Lawrence Memorial Chapel

Choir auditions for 2017–18

Primo, Allegretto auditions: April 3 and 4

Capriccio, Arioso auditions: April 9 and 10

Cantabile auditions: April 30 and May 1

Bel Canto auditions: April 30 and May 2

Young Men’s Chorus auditions: April 30 (new members only)

Note: A current calendar for each choir is available for download from each choir’s webpage.

Visit go.lawrence.edu/academy-girlchoir for links.

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AM17-100