Keene State Hosts First Allegro! Elementary Choral Festival
On Saturday, March 7, choirs of over 200 elementary-school singers got a big boost in their music education when they attended the Allegro! Elementary Choir Festival at KSC’s Redfern Arts Center. The festival day began with a large group warm up followed by performance clinics with KSC’s choral faculty: Professors Diane Cushing, Sandra Howard, and Matthew Leese. The KSC Department of Music and KSC student chapter of the American Choral Directors Association co-sponsored this outreach and collaborative event in an effort to provide performance and clinic experiences to elementary school singers in the greater Monadnock region.
The 2015 Allegro! Festival featured choirs from
- Benjamin Franklin School (Keene) directed by KSC alumni Melanie Paul Everard ’75
- John Fuller School (Keene), directed by KSC alumni Danielle Discenzo Heeran ’08
- Kurn Hattin Homes for Children (Westminster, Vt.), directed by KSC alumni Lisa Bianconi M’89
- Jonathan Daniels School (Keene), directed by KSC adjunct instructor Ellen Jahos
- Rindge Memorial School (Rindge), directed by KSC adjunct instructor Deb Rainey
- Symonds Elementary School (Keene), directed by Peter Siegel.
KSC’s Concert Choir, Keene Vocal Consort, and Chamber Singers also performed for the students and their families. The festival culminated with an all-sing performance of John Leavitt’s arrangement of Old Dan Tucker combining all elementary and collegiate festival singers.
For more information about KSC’s choral outreach collaborations please email Dr. Sandra Howard.
