Above: guest conductor Dr. Bryson Mortensen leading the 2016 Young Singers Project in performance at Norfolk's Ohef Sholom Temple.
EDUCATION
YOUNG SINGERS PROJECT
Now entering its twenty-first year, the Young Singers Project is the Virginia Chorale's flagship educational outreach program. The YSP is a unique opportunity for select high school students from across the region to be mentored by the professional singers of the Chorale in an intensive rehearsal and performance process. YSP alumni have gone on to study at the finest conservatories in the United States and are active musicians (both professional and amateur) across Virginia and beyond.
The Young Singers Project showcases some of the best high school singers in southeastern Virginia. Students are selected in a highly competitive audition process each fall; once selected they sing alongside and are mentored by professional singers from the Chorale. Our 2020 YSP ensemble will be conducted by Virginia Chorale's Artistic Director Charles Woodward, and will take on a new and exciting opportunity for the students. In addition to the pieces sung by the full chorus, students will be organized into smaller groups to prepare choral selections from the Renaissance, often one singer per part, and working side-by-side with singers and conductors from the Chorale.
In 2017, The Virginia Chorale was proud to join WHRO Community TV in a special partnership: the 2017 Young Singers Project was filmed by WHRO - from auditions to performance - and produced as a documentary, Young Singers Project: A Life in 140 Characters, which has been broadcast locally, streamed online, and made available to National Public Television for national broadcast.
Registration for YSP 2020 auditions is now closed.
The Young Singers Project showcases some of the best high school singers in southeastern Virginia. Students are selected in a highly competitive audition process each fall; once selected they sing alongside and are mentored by professional singers from the Chorale. Our 2020 YSP ensemble will be conducted by Virginia Chorale's Artistic Director Charles Woodward, and will take on a new and exciting opportunity for the students. In addition to the pieces sung by the full chorus, students will be organized into smaller groups to prepare choral selections from the Renaissance, often one singer per part, and working side-by-side with singers and conductors from the Chorale.
In 2017, The Virginia Chorale was proud to join WHRO Community TV in a special partnership: the 2017 Young Singers Project was filmed by WHRO - from auditions to performance - and produced as a documentary, Young Singers Project: A Life in 140 Characters, which has been broadcast locally, streamed online, and made available to National Public Television for national broadcast.
Registration for YSP 2020 auditions is now closed.
2020 SCHEDULE
Performance: Sunday January 26, 2020
4:00PM
Susan S. Goode Fine and Performing Arts Center
Virginia Wesleyan University
4:00PM
Susan S. Goode Fine and Performing Arts Center
Virginia Wesleyan University
YSP CONDUCTOR
Carolyn Greene Myers has enjoyed a long career as a music educator, having been the director of choral music at high schools in Virginia, North Carolina, and Georgia, as well as the supervisor of music education for the Chesapeake Public Schools in Chesapeake, VA. She received undergraduate and graduate degrees in music education with a concentration in vocal performance from East Carolina University. Continued graduate studies followed at Old Dominion University, Norfolk State University and the University of Virginia.
Ms. Myers and her husband relocated to Greenville, NC, where she served on the vocal studies and music education faculties of the East Carolina University School of Music. She also maintained an active private voice studio. They recently returned to the Tidewater area.
The conductor of numerous district, all-county and all-city choruses in Virginia and North Carolina, Ms. Myers has also been a frequent vocal performer and soloist, having appeared with the Atlanta Symphony and Chorale, the Virginia Symphony, the Virginia Wind Symphony, the Virginia Chorale, the Virginia Beach Symphony, the Norfolk Cantata Chorus, and most recently, the ECU Wind Ensemble, ECU Opera Theater, and the Greenville Choral Society & Sinfonia. Her performance experience has also included musical theatre and cabaret appearances.
Ms. Myers’ honors include the ECU School of Music Distinguished Alumnus Award, the Chesapeake Public Schools’ Secondary Teacher of the Year Award, and the I. Sherman Greene Chorale Music Educator Award. She also received recognition as Outstanding Women of the Year by the Women’s Division of the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce, Chesapeake.
Ms. Myers and her husband relocated to Greenville, NC, where she served on the vocal studies and music education faculties of the East Carolina University School of Music. She also maintained an active private voice studio. They recently returned to the Tidewater area.
The conductor of numerous district, all-county and all-city choruses in Virginia and North Carolina, Ms. Myers has also been a frequent vocal performer and soloist, having appeared with the Atlanta Symphony and Chorale, the Virginia Symphony, the Virginia Wind Symphony, the Virginia Chorale, the Virginia Beach Symphony, the Norfolk Cantata Chorus, and most recently, the ECU Wind Ensemble, ECU Opera Theater, and the Greenville Choral Society & Sinfonia. Her performance experience has also included musical theatre and cabaret appearances.
Ms. Myers’ honors include the ECU School of Music Distinguished Alumnus Award, the Chesapeake Public Schools’ Secondary Teacher of the Year Award, and the I. Sherman Greene Chorale Music Educator Award. She also received recognition as Outstanding Women of the Year by the Women’s Division of the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce, Chesapeake.
I absolutely loved YSP. It was an amazing experience that I will always remember fondly. The difficulty of the music was very motivating and really made the choir something special. We weren't just another high school choir, we really accomplished a lot of things. Using the Chorale members and the professionalism of the director had a huge impact on the way I sing and the way I approach choral music.
Jon Paul, YSP 2012-14
Currently pursuing a degree in Nuclear Engineering at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, NY.
Jon Paul, YSP 2012-14
Currently pursuing a degree in Nuclear Engineering at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, NY.
The Young Singers Project was the best music program I have ever been a part of. Having a mentor to help us learn these challenging pieces and grow as musicians is such a great experience and one I will never forget.
Rylee Worstell, YSP 2015-16
Currently a senior at Jamestown High School in Williamsburg, VA.
Rylee Worstell, YSP 2015-16
Currently a senior at Jamestown High School in Williamsburg, VA.
I loved YSP! The entire experience was a challenge and it pushed me in my music-reading ability.
Cailin Gwaltney, YSP 2014
Currently pursuing a degree in Vocal Performance at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA.
Cailin Gwaltney, YSP 2014
Currently pursuing a degree in Vocal Performance at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA.