Vivace Youth Chorus Blog

Register Now for Fall Semester!

vivaceyouthchorus — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 22:38:50 +0000

Registration is now open for Vivace’s Fall 2008 semester. To register your singer, you will need to submit one registration form per child, the payment form OR the Rising Notes payment form, AND a check for tuition.

Please note that as of August 15th, our tuition for all programs will increase slightly. However, we will honor last year’s tuition rate for all registrations postmarked by August 15th. More information can be found on our website.

If you have further questions, please " target="_blank">email our office or call 408-885-1746.

1, 2, 3, 4 more days until summer camp!

vivaceyouthchorus — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 23:47:33 +0000

Vivace summer camp begins in just four days! We hope our 33 young campers are excited as we are about next week.

Please remember: Summer Camp will be held at Willow Glen United Methodist Church, beginning at 9 a.m. on Monday August 4th.

While the remaining days wind down, enjoy this counting song from Sesame Street, adapted from the popular Feist song “1, 2, 3, 4″ and sung by the artist herself.

Summer Camp reflections & registrations

vivaceyouthchorus — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 20:22:54 +0000

Today, on the first official day of summer, public radio station KQED broadcast a hour about summer camps. The discussions included both information about summer camps in the Bay Area and reflections from former camp-goers on their favorite memories. We’d love to hear from you, our Vivace community members, about your favorite memories from Vivace summer day camp. Please feel free to comment here on the blog or send an email.

This year, Vivace’s music & art day camp will be held at Willow Glen United Methodist Church, from August 4 – 8. We are excited to have a mix of new and returning families and to welcome Vivace singers Anna Martin and Gabe Manley as camp aides.

We still have a few spaces available, but interested families should register as soon as possible. (Only six more weeks until camp!) If you know a family with children 6 – 10 years old, please share our camp registration form or send them to our all-new website, VivaceYouthChorus.org.

On behalf of Peggy, Amy, and myself, we wish you all a happy, healthy, and music-filled summer.

Vivace Photo Archive

vivaceyouthchorus — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 21:12:38 +0000

Throughout the summer, we will be working to create an online archive of photographs from Vivace events over the last 5 years. We are starting to collect and post photos of recent events, and albums for the 2008 Kodaly Festival and Hawaii Hike-A-Thon are now online.

Do you have great Vivace photos on your home computer? Or have short video clips of Vivace events? To contribute to our Vivace archive, please organize & label your digital photos & videos by event, burn them to CD or DVD, and mail them in to our Willow Glen office at 1202 Lincoln Avenue, Suite 108.

Thank you to our dedicated photographers Gwen Parker and Daniel Manley-Arrietta for their commitment to documenting the Vivace community. Additional thanks to Gwen for her beautiful photo displays created for the 5th Anniversary concert – what an inspiring way to reflect on the last five years!

Raise your voice for the arts

vivaceyouthchorus — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 16:16:36 +0000

National Arts Update

Today in Congress, the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, which sets the initial funding level for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), approved a $15.3 million increase for the NEA in its FY 2009 spending bill. Chairman Norm Dicks (D-WA) has once again proposed an increase in funding for arts and culture in the face of a dramatic cut proposed by the president’s recent budget.

As Vivace’s 2007-08 season winds down with year-end assessments, we hope our Vivace families are considering how the arts are an important part of daily life. Please take the opportunity to raise your voice in support of the arts today. A few ways our community can show their support of the arts:

Send an e-mail: Americans for the Arts has built an easy to use website to directly send a message to your Members of Congress. Please encourage them to support an important funding increase for the National Endowment for the Arts!
Tell-A-Friend: Many current Vivace families heard about us through a friend or colleague. If you had a wonderful year with us, please invite a friend or family member to join us for an upcoming event — including our Tour Concert, July 13, Summer Camp, August 4 – 8, and Open House, August 28.
Give the Gift of Music: An important element of Vivace’s mission is to make holistic choral education available to all families. With the help of your financial support, we are able to offer scholarships to families in need. If you are able to give beyond your tuition dollars, please click here to make a donation.

5th Anniversary concert on Sunday, June 1

vivaceyouthchorus — Wed, 28 May 2008 12:31:54 +0000

On Sunday, June 1st, join us as we celebrate our 5th Anniversary with a special concert at Le Petit Trianon, a beautiful venue in downtown San Jose. The concert will include the premiere of The Caged Bird Sings of Freedom, a new work written for Vivace by Bay area composer Brian Holmes, and a special appearance of Vivace alumni singers to close the evening with the choir favorite, Circle Round the Moon. Following the concert, we will host a reception in the courtyard.

New Beginnings

vivaceyouthchorus — Sun, 25 May 2008 18:58:37 +0000

Spring is traditionally a time of rebirth and renewal and that’s particularly true for the Vivace Youth Chorus this year. In just two short months, we’ve moved into a new office space in Willow Glen, launched our new website, and gone through a staff transition. Last month, I joined Vivace as the new General Manager and I am already overwhelmed by the warmth and generosity of the Vivace community.

We are launching this blog in the hopes that it serves to extend our community into the virtual world. Singers, parents, and board members are all welcome to email me with your comments, suggestions, and stories. Join me in making this blog as dynamic as our choirs!