Choir singers bring harmony to school’s gymnasium

WASILLA — Janet Stotts conducts her caroling students with a caring smile and a stern baton. When the piano starts to play, even the youngest members of her esteemed Alaska Children’s Choir stand at attention, with hands lowered and heads up.

Singing is not only easy on the ears, it’s business.

At Larson Elementary School last Wednesday afternoon, 48 of Stotts’ 90 choir singers took stage in the school’s gymnasium to belt out a few numbers to a gymnasium full of eerily quiet students, sitting Indian-style on the linoleum, watching in awe at the music being made with nothing more than a piano and a harmony of voices.

“We are happy to have them here today to show us use them as an example,” said Larson’s vocal instructor, Deborah Cooper, at the start of the small performance.

The Alaska Children’s Choir sang portions of its holiday concert, titled “Sing Joy!,” to six schools and the Palmer Senior Center as a tune-up for the weekend’s big concert at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Palmer.

The singing troupe is comprised of 90 singers ages 5-17 from throughout Southcentral Alaska, and is conducted by Stotts, accompanied at the piano by Janna Preston.

More than 30 of the choir’s members are from the Mat-Su Valley, practicing twice a week for months on end at the Wasilla studio.

“Sing Joy!” showcases five different ensembles and levels of singers within the Alaska Children’s Choir membership: Minisingers, Mastersingers, Chambersingers, Jubilate and Touring Choir.

The Touring Choir, made up of advanced singers with many levels of vocal range, is comprised of young adults who next summer will travel to an international choral festival in Scandinavia to perform segments of Scandinavian holiday favorites in Renaissance costume.

Touring is a primary inspiration for some of the singers, many who have yet to leave Alaska and go off to see the world.

“The tours are really fun.” said Terrance Smith, 13, a member of Stotts’ Touring Choir. “I’ve been to Carnegie Hall, which was cool.”

Smith enjoys singing and being a part of the choir because of the new friends he’s made. A student at the Holy Rosary Academy in Anchorage, Smith has been singing for the Alaska Children’s Choir for seven years and said he doesn’t see himself slowing down soon.

“In 2010, when I’m 16, we’re planning on a tour of Hawaii, and since it’ll be my finishing year, I plan on going out with a bang,” he said. “But I do want to continue singing for as long as I can.”

Robyn Harris looked with pride toward the choir-filled bleachers at Larson Elementary School.

Harris’ three children are all aspiring performers, as was she. James, 14, Rebekah, 10, and Aaron, 9, all at different levels in the Alaska Children’s Choir, have sung on stage for the last two years. Robyn, who has become a permanent fixture within the Mat-Su arts community performing in countless stage productions, said all of her children have a desire to express themselves through the arts.

This year, Harris’ son James is an elite member of Stotts’ Touring Choir and will be making the trip to Scandinavia with 15 others to perform. He said singing in front of an audience isn’t as scary as it looks.

“I’m only a little nervous when it’s time to go on,” he said after Wednesday’s rehearsal presentation. “The last performance at Discovery [Theater in Anchorage], my mom didn’t come with my uniform and I was freaking out. But then she walked in with it and I said, ‘Ah, I feel better now.’”

Harris, bearing a striking resemblance to teenage heart-throb and uber-singer Josh Groban, performs an acoustic duet titled “The Prayer” with fellow student Chelsea Hubbard. The three-minute song is as soothing as a lullaby with both singers switching from English to Italian with musical ease.

Stotts said her students not only practice their vocal instruments with dedication, but are also willing to sing and learn other languages as well.

“This choir is really good for the kids,” said Harris about the kids’ busy work schedule. “They practice four to five hours a week and performing is a huge confidence builder for them.”

Anchorage and Mat-Su Valley choir members have been practicing since October, traveling to and from Stotts’ Anchorage and Wasilla studios. In January, Stotts will hold auditions, offering more youngsters a shot at singing with the best.

After Wednesday’s half-hour performance, school-age kids clapped and went on their way, possibly taking with them a desire to sing on stage like the choir one day.

“They saw kids who were not afraid to sing on that stage,” said Cooper, who teaches music at Larson. “We talk about how to open your mouth and stand up straight when singing. They saw basic singing etiquette and see how it’s supposed to be done.”

Contact J.J. Harrier at valleylife@frontiersman.com or 352-2269.