Celebrating the Global Nelson Mandela
​Centenary Musical Tribute
July 18 @ noon in Central Square, Keene

(Keene NH)   It’s the 100th birthday of Nelson Mandela on July 18 and the world has been invited to raise its voice in celebration and recognition of his legacy.  The singers of the Grand Monadnock Youth Choirs (GMYC) in grades 2-12 are compelled to bring an international celebration to Keene, honoring “A global icon with a lifetime of achievements (who) deserves to have a 100th birthday celebration.”
           
The event is a 100 Year celebration of Mr. Mandel via the Long Walk to Freedom Brand, which includes a vision to use musical tribute events, delivered live in multiple cities on his birthday and beyond, July 18, with the aim of supporting The Mandela long Walk to Freedom Schools Library project.  Mandela himself inspired the music festival in one of his many recognized quotes; “It's music and dancing that makes me at peace with the world.”

When GMYC Artistic Director, Esther Rhoades, became aware of the opportunity she immediately reached out to event organizers in South Africa.  “Participating in this event is both very moving for me, and also provides an opportunity for GMYC to grow our global ambassadorship.  GMYC’s Cecilia Ensemble has traveled to Europe ten times in the last 20 years to perform and collaborate with choirs from many different countries.  In April, Cecilia traveled to the Czech Republic and performed a song written by a musician while in the Terezin concentration camp. Singing brings people together, no matter where you live or what language you speak.”
           
Rhoades believes in the importance of Mandela’s mission to address poverty and literacy among children.  “Numerous studies demonstrate that singing improves memory, cognition, reading ability and self-motivation.  Young singers learn how to work together as part of a group and develop self-confidence while also finding their voice. They actually learn music as though it was a language and we use the term “music literacy” to describe reading, writing, composition and improvisation, just like any other language.  Each year, GMYC engages over 125 students in the Monadnock Region with the opportunity to grow and learn through music.  These children grow up to become involved citizens, creating a better world.” 

Mandela philanthropic will is well established in his post-presidential office with a focus of “liberating children from poverty through improved literacy,” Since 2011, the Mandela Literacy Project has provided more than 100,000 South African children daily access to reading materials through containerized libraries with an additional 100 000 having access to reading clubs and books.  

The event begins at Noon in Central Square, with a rain location of the Keene Unitarian Universalist Church, 69 Washington Street, Keene.  Rhoades will lead GMYC singers in songs of freedom and peace and welcome special guests, including Dottie Morse, Chief Officer for Diversity and Multiculturalism, Keene State College, and Mayor Kendall Lane who will issue a proclamation declaring July 18, 2018 as Music is Literacy Day to honor the life of humanitarian, visionary and peacemaker, Nelson Mandela.  Thinking of Keene as a place that welcomes global collaborations is nothing new.  Since 2002, Keene has been a Sister City with Einbeck, Germany, about 50 miles south of Hanover, exchanging official delegations, youth soccer programs and choirs over the years. The vocational school exchange began in 2015. 

GMYC’s commitment to young singers has been a driving force of the nonprofit since 1998.  Rhoades quotes Mandela to say, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world,” and goes on to reflect that, “Today, more than ever, our youth need to be educated, respected, supported and loved by the adults in their lives.  As American citizens, we must set an example of right relationship with one another.  By celebrating Nelson Mandela’s birthday in southwestern New Hampshire, we join with millions of others across the globe who hold the same ideals and dreams for all our children.”

There will be an opportunity for people to share their thoughts, enjoy a piece of birthday cake, and participate in an open drumming circle which starts at 11:45 (bring a drum).  Attendees are welcome to provide birthday cards and personal messages in honor of Nelson Mandela.  For those who are unable to attend, you are encouraged to upload your birthday message to the Nelson Mandela Day Facebook https://www.facebook.com/nelsonmandela so that the Monadnock Region is represented in this global tribute.

​Donations to support the work of 100 Year celebration of the Long Walk to Freedom and The Schools Library projectcan be made online at http://www.participateforgood.com/projects/grand-monadnock-youth-choir-mandela-celebration For more information, contact Esther Rhoades, esther.rh.rhoades@gmail.com or Susan MacNeil, susan@svidol.com.

SUPPORTING INFORMATION:
- Worldwide and specifically in South Africa, the statistics speak to the critical need for this initiative. 
- Only 32% of the children in a grade 5 level are literate (do not have basic literacy and numeracy skills)
- Almost 62% of primary school-aged children do not complete school due to lack of literacy skills 
- If all global children in low income countries left school with basic reading skills, 171m people could be lifted out of poverty. 
- 90% of schools in South Africa do not have libraries

(Keene, NH)      The audition schedule has been set for the 2018-19 season of the Grand Monadnock Youth Choirs, under the direction of Artistic Director, Esther Rhoades.  Youth in grades 2-8 may try out for the Keene and Peterborough choruses, and girls in grades 9-12 for the Cecilia Ensemble.  The music theme for this season is theatrical and stage performance.

Keene auditions will be held in the parish hall of St. James Church, 44 West Street, on Tuesday, May 29 and June 5 from 3:00-7:00pm.  Peterborough auditions will be held in the parish hall of the Peterborough Unitarian Universalist Church (PUUC), 25 Main Street, on Wednesday, May 30 and June 6 from 3:00-7:00pm.  Arrive 15 minutes prior to scheduled audition to complete registration paperwork and receive your free t-shirt!

Upon the retirement of Maria Belva this year, the Cecilia Ensemble will also now be directed by Rhoades.  Cecilia auditions will be held in the PUUC on Monday, June 11 from 5:00-6:30pm.

To schedule an individual 15-minute audition, or a “buddy” audition with a friend lasting 30 minutes, contact Rhoades by May 23 at 603-499-3505 or email grandmonadnockyouthchoirs@gmail.com.  You may also schedule an audition online at www.GrandMonadnockYouthChoirs.org.

GMYC tuition for the 2018-2019 season is $200 per semester, or $400 total.  Tuition assistance is available through the application process.  Rehearsals begin in September and occur weekly in preparation for the Winter 2018 and Spring 2019 concerts.

The Chamber Singers of Keene (CSK) and the Grand Monadnock Youth Choirs (GMYC) are
proud to present an extraordinary community choral event on the 55th anniversary of The
Children’s Crusade in Birmingham, Alabama. On Friday, April 27 at 7pm, the two Keene choirs of GMYC, Elm City Singers and Keene Youth Choir, will join their adult counterparts to present The Children’s March, a powerful musical depiction of civil rights activism. The concert will be held in the United Church of Christ, located at the head of the Square in downtown Keene, New Hampshire, and marks the first collaboration between GMYC and CSK. The evening holds special significance for the Chamber Singers. The group will host composer, Andrew Bleckner in the New England premiere of his work, featuring gospel, blues and dramatic themes representing the historic music sung by 4000 African American children as they were defiantly arrested to protest the inequality of the Jim Crow laws of the Deep South.

The performance is narrated by Dottie Morris, Vice-President of Diversity at Keene State
College; conducted jointly by Matthew Leese, CSK and Esther Rhoades, GMYC; and joined by Walt Sayre, pianist and Michael Day, percussionist.

This is also the farewell concert for CSK musical director, Matthew Leese, who took the helm at CSK in 2014. Leese finds synchronicity in this work within the context of national events.
"When I found this piece and started planning with Esther, I had no idea this would be my final concert with Chamber Singers, but somehow this feels like a very fitting way to leave the baton for the incoming director. Working on this stirring piece this year has been uncanny in its timing with current politics and with me gaining US Citizenship."

The Children’s March, composed in 2013 by Bleckner with libretto by Charlotte Blake Alston, is a compelling work that combines original text with words from legal documents, infused with stirring spirituals. This important piece is a new, major American composition that tells the story of a pivotal moment in the Civil Rights Movement; a historic action that called upon children to protest the inequality of segregation. The song list includes “There is a Balm in Gilead,” “Lift Every Voice,” “Run, Mary, Run!,” “Woke Up This Mornin’ With Freedom on My Mind.”

In the first week of May 1963, thousands of children demonstrated in the streets of Birmingham Alabama, protesting the city’s notorious practices of racial inequality. The events in Birmingham were not the beginning nor the end of racial discrimination in the United States, but they signified an important crossroads – one where the youth of the city proved they had a powerful voice to enact change, and where the politicians and law enforcement officials proved they would do anything to silence that voice. Met with a violent response as the whole world watched, the courage of these children, some as young as 4 years old, culminated in pivotal civil rights legislation proposed by President John F. Kennedy, making segregation illegal.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was harshly criticized in 1963 for allowing children to be the catalyst for change. However, the children saw themselves as the creators of their own freedom. Those brave children said, “This is our future and we want to help shape it.”

The performance on April 27 serves an important call to action for youth and adults alike, an inspirational moment that will live on in the hearts of everyone who attends. As a gift to the community, and acknowledging the significant cultural contributions of Leese, tickets will not be sold and admission is by donation only. The inspiring concert will last approximately 75 minutes. Doors open at 6:30pm with unreserved seating.

For more information about CSK, call Matthew Leese at 603.465.8602 or visit www.chambersingerskeene.org
For more information about GMYC, call Esther Rhoades at 603.499.3505 or visit www.grandmonadnockyouthchoirs.org
Andrew Bleckner: http://www.andrewbleckner.com
Charlotte Blake Alston: http://www.charlotteblakealston.com
The Children’s Crusade: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BT-QkNkMZjk

Cecilia Ensemble Czech Send-Off Concert, “There is Peace,” April 15 in Dublin NH (Peterborough, NH) The Grand Monadnock Youth Choirs (GMYC) began in 1997 as the Peterborough Children’s Choir, founded by Maria Belva and David Vernier. The high school-age
choir, known as the Cecilia Ensemble, has traveled abroad with Belva every two years since 2003. In 2018, the ensemble will travel on their 8 th European Tour. Previously, Belva took the group to Northern Italy in 2003; Germany and the Czech Republic in 2005; Spain in 2007, Sicily in 2010; Austria and Hungary in 2012; southern Italy in 2014; and France in 2016. This year they travel to the Czech Republic, where they will perform for six days in various locations ending in Prague.

According to Belva, “These tours change lives. Our young people come to see themselves as part of a world culture. They get a much bigger picture of who they are and who they can become. We also give our audiences a different picture of who we are as American citizens. We become ambassadors representing our town, our state, and our country.”

This tour is very special because they will be performing a choral piece that was composed in Terezin by amateur musician, Karel Vrba, called Nezapomeň, who was transported to Auschwitz shortly after the piece was completed. “On this tour, we will be visiting the Terezin Concentration Camp and performing Nezapomeň where it was composed 74 years ago. We will present the Terezin Museum
with a recording of the song for their archives.”

The Cecilia Ensemble, directed by Maria Belva and accompanied by David Vernier, will perform on Sunday afternoon, April 15 at 4:00 pm, at the Dublin Community Church on Main Street in Dublin, NH. This is the concert that the ensemble will perform on their
European Concert Tour of the Czech Republic. Titled “There is Peace,” the hour-long choral program will include several Spirituals, Shaker Songs, and part-songs by contemporary American composers, as well as sacred a cappella pieces, and arrangements by the choir’s accompanist, David Vernier. A performance of a very special kind will be included in the concert: the Czech song, Nezapomeň
(translation: do not forget).

The concert on the 15th is free and open to the public. A free-will donation will help defray the cost of the trip for the young women of the ensemble. GMYC is the performance-based Choral music education program for young singers (Grades 2-12) in the Monadnock Region.  We value choral music as essential to growing peace in our community and do not discriminate. Visit the website at
www.grandmonadnockyouthchoirs.org, or call 603-313- 0052 for more information.

(Keene, NH)  The Grand Monadnock Youth Choirs (GMYC) began in 1997 as the Peterborough Children’s Choir, founded by Maria Belva.  Recently Belva taped a show on Cheshire Television with Artistic Director, Esther Rhoades, hired in 2014 and promoted in 2017 to replace Belva as she stepped down from the helm of the nonprofit.

Belva shared the chronology of how the organization began, an idea that sprung from a Raylynmor Opera production of “Hansel and Gretel.”  As more students found their way to the Choir, they were grouped by ages until there were three children’s choirs.  One of these choirs, the Cecilia Ensemble, is comprised of young women in high school who have had the opportunity to travel internationally every two years, singing for audiences in auditoriums, churches and even spontaneously on the street.  

This year they are traveling to the Czech Republic in April, performing for six days in various locations ending in Prague, where they will visit the Terezin Concentration Camp.  This tour is very special because they will be performing a choral piece that was composed in Terezin by amateur musician, Karel Vrba, called Nezapomen, who was transported to Auschwitz shortly after the piece was completed.

In 2005 the Cecilia Ensemble premiered Nezapomen in Peterborough while touring in Germany and the Czech Republic.  This year they will return to perform the piece inside the walls of Terezin, 74 years after it was written.   Their send-off concert will be held on April 15, 4:00pm at the Dublin Community Church in Dublin, NH.

In 2017, under the leadership of Artistic Director, Esther R. H. Rhoades, GMYC expanded into Keene with two additional choirs while continuing to direct the two existing Peterborough choirs.  Through these four choirs, GMYC provides performance-based choral music education to young singers in the Monadnock Region, grades 2-12, who gain proficiency in music literacy.  Guidance provided by Rhoades allows young participants to appropriately adapt their unique, developing strengths.  Youth learn how to work as a disciplined team, build personal confidence, strengthen listening skills and enjoy the accomplishments of their hard work.   Audiences are delighted with their outstanding choral performances twice annually, spring and fall, in both Keene and Peterborough.

Rhoades is thrilled with the outlook for 2018.  “I am one of the lucky few who get to do what I love every day - make music with these young singers by creating a safe environment for children to learn and express themselves.  GMYC offers a unique opportunity for youth in the Monadnock Region.  We are excited to deepen and expand that experience through the joy of collaboration in our communities.”

GMYC is the performance-based Choral music education program for young singers (Grades 2-12) in the Monadnock Region.  We value choral music as essential to growing peace in our community and do not discriminate.  Visit the website at www.grandmonadnockyouthchoirs.org, or call 603-313-0052 for more information.  Check the Cheshire TV website for broadcast dates and times. http://cheshiretv.org/

The Board of the Grand Monadnock Youth Choirs (GMYC) is pleased to announce that Artistic Director, Esther R. H. Rhoades has been chosen for recognition as a 2018 Trendsetter by the Keene Sentinel and the Keene Young Professionals Network.  In its fifth year, the program has recognized over 65 individuals under age 40 who make a positive difference in their workplace or community.

In order to be considered, the nominee had to demonstrate excellence in workplace and community criteria.  In 2015, the founder of the Peterborough Children’s Choir, Maria Belva, welcomed Rhoades in order to grow and strengthen the organization founded by Belva in 1997, with the goal of passing on the Directorship of the Grand Monadnock Youth Choirs (GMYC). 

With a B.S. in Music/Choral Concentration from the University of Delaware, Rhoades has already developed an impressive resume conducting private and public high school choruses in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, as well as the Keene Unitarian Universalist Church choir. Under her leadership, Rhoades leads five Monadnock Region choruses serving young boys and girls.   In Keene:  Keene Youth Chorus, grades 2-4 and Elm City Singers grades 5-8.  In Peterborough: Trebles grades 2-4, Choristers grades 5-8 and the Cecilia Ensemble for young women, grades 9-12.  In 2017, over 100 singers had the opportunity to explore musical composition, performance technique and the joy of accomplishment.

Rhoades continues to build upon a storied history while advancing her unique vision.  Involving the choirs with the community through annual events such as the Keene Tree Lighting and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast provide musical opportunities that instill pride and pleasure. Engagement with other choral groups and organizations offers increased collaboration and visibility while underscoring the GMYC mission.

In 2018 the Keene choirs' repertoire will continue to focus on the music of Civil Rights, specifically from The Children's Marchby Andrew Bleckner, collaboratively performed with the Chamber Singers of Keene under the direction of Dr. Matthew Leese. ThePeterborough choirs will be performing music focusing on Human Rights including the South African National Anthem, the Estonian Freedom Song, and the Children's Declaration of Rights.

The artistic leadership Rhoades brings to GMYC represents important growth for the organization.  Business and foundation supporters, including the Putnam Foundation, have enabled GMYC to hire administrative staff and build funding capacity in order to serve more singers throughout a broader region of New England.  Visit the website at http://www.grandmonadnockyouthchoirs.org/ .  Call (603)313-0052 or email susan@svidol.com for more information.

PETERBOROUGH — It was the end of an era for the Grand Monadnock Youth Choirs Sunday afternoon, as members of the group — past and present — shared tears, hugs, memories and song. They gathered on the second floor of the Peterborough Town House for a concert celebrating the nonprofit organization’s 20th anniversary, and to bid farewell to founder and longtime artistic director Maria Belva, who is retiring. Belva and her husband, David Vernier, both of Peterborough, founded the Peterborough Children’s Choir in 1997. The group has since grown to the Grand Monadnock Youth Choirs, comprising the Trebles for children in grades 2 through 4, the Choristers for children in grades 5 through 8 and the Cecilia Ensemble for teenagers

in grades 9 through 12. All three groups are based in Peterborough. Two other groups, based in Keene, are the Keene Youth Chorus, which covers grades 2 through 4, and the Elm City Singers, which covers grades 5 through 8. While each group sang its own assortment of songs Sunday afternoon, they came together on the stage with alumni of the choirs to sing two compositions at the end of the program. The final piece, “Inside the Darkness There is Light,” was commissioned by the choirs in Belva’s honor, and written by her favorite children’s choir composer, Jim Papoulis, Assistant Artistic Director Esther Rhoades explained to the audience of about 300. Read more

After 20 years of nurturing her children's choir and watching it grow, Maria Belva will pass the baton to another director this month.

The Peterborough Children’s Choir, founded by Maria Belva and David Vernier in 1997, was created to give young singers the opportunity to develop their voices while learning the fundamentals: musicianship, music reading and performance among them.

Since then the choir has grown to nearly 100 singers in grades 2 through 12, in five different groups: Trebles and Keene Youth Chorus (grades 2 through 4); Choristers (grades 5 through 8); Elm City Singers (grades 5 through 8) and Cecilia Ensemble (grades 9 through 12). The Cecelia Ensemble travels to Europe every other year for a concert tour – next, for Belva's last tour with the ensemble, the group will perform in the Czech Republic in 2018. Together, they are the Grand Monadnock Youth Choirs.

To honor Belva's work and welcome new artistic director, Esther Rhoades, there will be two concerts this month, the first, this Saturday, May 13, at Keene State College's Redfern Arts Center and the second, Sunday, May 21, at the Peterborough Town House. Titled "In Endless Song," the concerts will feature works by Gerald Finzi, Nick Page and David Vernier, as well as classical pieces by Schubert and Handel. Also in the program is a song by a composer Karel Vrba, who was imprisoned in the Terezín concentration camp and formed a boy's chorus there during World War II.

For the finale of the Peterborough Concert, dozens of alumni will join the five ensembles in singing a commissioned piece by Jim Papoulis and another piece beloved by the choir by the same composer, "Give Us Hope." Former Cecilia Ensemble members will also join current members in their performance of "How Can I Keep from Singing?" by Jane Fjeldsted.

Belva remembers there were 20 children in the choir at the first concert. In those early days, the group performed two concerts a year and has increased to four annual concerts as of three years ago.
"Some of the people who've sung with me are now in their 30s with their own children," said Belva, who is moving to Portland, Maine.

Belva began preparing Rhoades for her departure two years ago. Rhoades, who taught music at ConVal Regional High School and led the school chorus (she has a bachelor's in music and choral education) was a colleague of Belva's at Monadnock Waldorf High School.

"Maria does it all," said Rhoades, which is why it was decided to make Grand Monadnock Youth Choirs a nonprofit organization and have hired a managing director and fundraising consultant.
Rhoades asked Belva if she could start a chorus in Keene, which became Keene Youth Chorus in 2015. "There was so much need for a group like this," she said.

She returned the following year, this time to the board, to request creating a second group, which became Elm City Singers. Over the past two years, the choirs have doubled in size and span 16 towns.
The choir ensembles are popular with audiences, too – both winter concerts this past season were sold out. Together they've performed in a Peterborough Players musical, with Judy Collins at The Colonial Theatre in Keene, and with Raylynmor Opera, the Monadnock Chorus and Keene Chorale. Next, they plan to collaborate with the Chamber Singers of Keene and in Peterborough with the Monadnock Guild of Organists.

Three-quarters of the list of songs the choir will perform at the Keene and Peterborough concerts this month are written by contemporary and local composers (including Peterborough Children’s Choir co-founder David Vernier), some new to the choir ensembles and others performed previously.

"I'll be conducting a concert of my favorites," said Belva of the Peterborough concert, after which she will literally pass the baton to Rhoades. Rhoades will conduct the concert in Keene.
Belva will miss most working with children every week.

"When you're a teacher you watch children mature and grow," she said. "I start teaching these children when they're 7 and I have them in choir until they're 18. I love having that connection to these young people. They are the biggest love of my life besides my own children."

Rhoades knows she has big shoes to fill.

"Maria has done so much for our region," said Rhoades. "She's been able to foster a love of music and create a family that would otherwise not be a family. So many people have gone through her programs and are phenomenal musicians, but more importantly grow into people who affect change in the world and are confident and provide respectful spaces like we provide in rehearsal."

Belva also created a tuition scholarship for choral students Rhoades said will continue in her name.
"She wanted to provide this opportunity to every single child capable of making it into an audition," she said. Rhoades plans to carry on Belva's legacy with the choir ensembles.

"Moving forward I'm hoping to continue to do what we do best, which is teach children choral education, teamwork and civic responsibility by maintaining a commitment to local, national and international choral communities," she said.

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The Grand Monadnock Youth Choirs will perform Saturday, May 13, at 3 p.m. at Alumni Recital Hall at Keene State College's Redfern Arts Center and Sunday, May 21, at the 20th anniversary celebration concert at 3 p.m. at the Peterborough Town House. Tickets are $5-$10 for both performances and can be ordered online at GrandMonadnockYouthChoirs.org. All former choir members are invited to join the festivities, which include a reunion reception on Saturday evening, May 20. To register, contact Belva at 924-2055 or visit GrandMonadnockYouthChoirs.org.

The Grand Monadnock Youth Choirs, under the direction of Maria Belva and Esther Rhoades, will present their 20th Annual Holiday Concert on Saturday, December 3rd and Sunday, December 4th. Titled Sure Stars Shining, the concert will include a variety of songs in celebration of the holiday season. Over 100 singers in all five concert choirs will perform: Trebles, Choristers, the Cecilia Ensemble, the Keene Youth Chorus and Elm City Singers—our newest choir section for singers in grades 5-8. On Saturday, the concert will be held in Keene at Keene State College Redfern Arts Center and begins at 6:30 pm. On Sunday, the concert will be held at the Peterborough Unitarian Universalist Church on Main St. in Peterborough and begins at 3:00. Both venues have handicap access. Tickets are on sale at the Toadstool Bookshops in Keene and Peterborough, and at the door. For information call Maria 603-924-2055.