VERMONT — The Vermont Symphony Orchestra’s “Ah! Cappella” vocal quartet will present three performances for four area elementary schools on Wednesday, Feb. 10, made possible by Neat Repeats Resale Shop of Middlebury. The quartet will perform for Leicester Central School, Whiting Village School and Sudbury Country School, and Robinson Elementary School (Starksboro).
Using nothing but the instruments they were born with, the four singers in Ah! Cappella have wowed schoolchildren across the state with a varied and amusing program since their debut in 1999. The quartet performs a wide selection of music in many styles, from an early madrigal and part of a Mass to an African-American spiritual; and from an unusual arrangement of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” to sing-and-clap-along songs.
A question-and-answer period allows students to explore not only the group’s multicultural musical choices, but the lives of professional Vermont musicians as well. The show builds to the message that music as a universal language can bring the world closer together by singing together.
Ah! Cappella members are soprano Clair Hungerford of St. Albans, alto Linda Radtke of Montpelier, tenor Cameron Steinmetz of Rutland and baritone Brett Murphy of Berlin.
These performances are part of the Vermont Symphony Orchestra’s statewide SymphonyKids education program, which reached over 23,000 schoolchildren last year with 266 presentations serving 151 schools in 113 different communities. The VSO’s traveling ensembles visit all corners of the state as part of an outreach program known as the Lois H. McClure “Musicians-in-the-Schools” Program. These lively concerts are met with overwhelming enthusiasm, as the musical ambassadors spread the word that classical music can be fun.
The Vermont Symphony Orchestra is the only professional statewide orchestra providing live musical experiences for listeners in Vermont. It is a state-supported nonprofit institution founded in 1935 and exists for the purpose of fostering and encouraging the appreciation of music in all its various forms, with emphasis on orchestral, choral and chamber music.