First Day Monday, August 15th
Shen-Val-Lore The Student Voice of Shenandoah Valley Academy
Shenandoah Valley Academy
April 24, 2015
Volume 84, Edition 5 Upcoming Events April 25
Spring Picnic
25
Music Tour
26
Scholarship Sunday
26
Sunday School
May April 29-3
Homeleave
5-10
Baseball & Girls’ Soccer Tournament
16
Final Music Concert
21-22
Senior Exams
23
Best of Everything
24-27
Senior Class Trip
25-27
Final Exams
29-31
GraduationWeelemd
Kelly Wiedemann, Orchestra Director Taken By Sarah Lim
Music Tour Ellerab Dorval
After the hustle and bustle of Career Day on March 22, all who were part of the music groups were rushed to the back of the school and we quickly loaded the bus and headed towards Staunton, where our concert was to be held in the Waynesboro Presbyterian Church. This was not our first time to this church; it is where Mr. Goines plays the organ for their Sunday services. The last time we were at this church was around Candlelight, when we played and sang Magnificat. The ride from SVA to Staunton is about an hour, and I sat in the back with Gabby Whonder, Marcie Ndahayo, and Maddy Ndahayo. On the way there, most of us slept. Once we arrived, we set up and began to rehearse. Everything about the church was breathtaking. The walls and ceiling are white and carved with such abstract detail; the
floor is a lovely rose red; the golden evening sun shined through the windows providing natural lighting. The participants in the performance were people who were preparing to travel on the music tour to Germany. Twenty minutes through rehearsal, people attending the concert started to trickle in. The audience consisted of mostly elderly people, but there were some teens and children there, too. These people were either members of the church or people from the city of Staunton. At 4:00, the concert began. First, we played the hymn, “Crown Him with Many Crowns” while the audience sang. After that, the bells played a few songs. One of these songs was “Agnus Dei,” with a violin solo by first violinist Sarah Lim. Next, the choir sang four songs. The
two songs that I personally thought were perfectly performed were the songs “Jericho” and “How Great Thou Art.” “Jericho” was sung a cappella, while “How Great Thou Art” was accompanied by the piano. And last but not least, the orchestra played a few songs. In between songs, both Ms.Weidemann and Mr. Goines talked about either the origin or background of the song. One of the songs we played was the arranged piece from “The New World” by Dvorak. Whenever we perform this piece, Ms.Wiedemann says a few words about the influence of the piece. The composer, Antonin Dvorak, came to the United States and became interested in all the Native American music and the African-American spirituals. He based “New World Symphony” off his journey
to the United States. People may recognize the tune of the hymn “Going Home” in this piece. The orchestra finalized the concert with the piece “Overture to Nabucco.” And with that, we earned a standing ovation from the audience. After a closing prayer, we were all led to the fellowship hall where the leaders of the church had prepared dinner for all of us. They had bought Dominos pizza, had iced tea for drinks, and cookies for dessert. While we ate, people who attended the concert approached each of us and praised us for our performance. I remember a nice elderly came up to me and told me how beautifully we played and how much we had blessed her with our performance. After eating our meal, we all broke out in the song “We Thank You So
Much,” a song we sing when a church or venue provides us food. We then all headed back to the sanctuary and packed up all of our equipment and instruments. The sun was still out but slowly setting in a sky that was a mixture of orange, yellow, and pink as we left. On the way back to SVA, each of us reflected on the concert. I thought the concert went really well. Our performance of the “New World” was the best we had played the piece so far. The whole purpose of this concert was to prepare us for our music tour to Germany and Austria. Overall, I think the performance was a huge success. At the concert, we raised around one thousand dollars, which went towards funding our music tour. This concert not only benefited us, but it gave us a perspective of what we would sound like in Germany and Austria.
Germany and Austria Music tour really broadened our horizens by showing us other cultures’ ways of lifestyle. Being in Germany and Austria truly showed us how hospitable these two different countries are, and how their people are. Peyton Ware Table of Contents Banquet 1 Music Tour 6 Richmond 2 Germany YouthFest Pictures 6 Academy 3 Germany Days Pictures 7 Girls’ Soccer 4 Germany Team Austria Tour 8 Banquet and Tree Planting 4 Faculty Pictures Family Vespers 5 Mission Trip 5 Week of Prayer 6 Junior Senior
More Pictures on Pages 2 and 3 Germany and Austria Music Tour on Page 4