The Chorale in the News
2010 Valley Idol Winners
Third Place: Danielle Reyes Second Place: Roy Bilkey First
Place: Britni Alleman. Congratulations to our winners and
to all of our contestants! Thank you to our wonderful audience,
volunteers, judges and sponsors. Valley Idol 2010 was a
terrific success and we hope to see you all back next year!
SB RESIDENT SEIZES 'VALLEY
IDOL' CHALLENGE
By Alonzo Orozco, Contributing Writer, Santa Ynez Valley
Journal
A capacity crowd of some 350
folks settled into Solvang’s
Veteran Memorial Hall to enjoy a fine array of talent at
last Saturday night’s “Valley Idol Singing
Contest” finale.
“We didn’t have anybody who didn’t rise
to the occasion,” boasts Shannon Casey of the 12
contestants and former champion who performed in the 3rd
annual event sponsored by the Santa Ynez Valley Master
Chorale.
A part-time Santa Barbara
tour guide, Britni Alleman, went home with the 1st-place
prize, singing a tune titled “California
Burrito” by Chuck Ragan.
“Just being with all of them (the people she loves)
for such an occasion was wonderful and winning felt great
on top of that,” exclaims Alleman, describing how
she felt about winning the event. Planning to take music
classes in the fall, she may also find the $1,000 prize
and free studio recording session donated by Erickson Sound
Lab to come in handy.
Casey, who in the past has
served as president of the Chorale board, said the reason
the talent
pool was so deep
in comparison to previous years was partly because of
the minimum age limit being raised to 16 this year.
There
was also an increase in radio advertising, including stations
such as MIX 96.7 and Crazy Country for the event
that helped in attributing to last weekend’s success.
The
evening started out with last year’s winner,
Morgan Laughlin, singing her rendition of Carrie Underwood’s
hit “Some Hearts.” The contest, derived from
the popular TV show “American Idol,” then went
into full swing as the enthusiastic audience purchased
$1 tickets to cast votes for their favorites after hearing
each finalist perform during the 1st round of the competition.
All the proceeds go to the Chorale to help in realizing
one of the community choir’s goals of producing entertainment
that promotes music in the Valley.
The top four vote-getters
moved on to the 2nd round, accompanied by two other survivors
chosen by the three judges who had
a hand in selecting the finalists for the contest during
the preliminary round held a couple of weeks ago in the
Parish Hall at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Los
Olivos. Those three include Bear Erickson of Erickson Sound
Labs, Lynda Kelley of MIX 96.7 and Allen Koehn, a former
Presbyterian minister from a Princeton seminary who actually
found employment years ago dressed up as the cartoon character
Woody the Woodpecker around the time of Hollywood’s
Golden Era.
Round 3 saw the three remaining
finalists perform one more number each to determine the
champion. Danielle
Reyes,
originally from Santa Barbara, who for the past three years
has sang for Cottage Hospital’s “Circle of
Remembrance,” was rewarded 3rd place with one of
her songs being a “pop music” piece. While
Roy Bilkey, a student at Cuesta College, earned the 2nd
prize with “Waggon Wheel” by Old Crow Medicine
Show that he performed while also playing the guitar.
Bilkey
was also richer in more ways than one. “‘Valley
Idol’ was one of the only times I have ever played
in front of a crowd, so this experience was a huge confidence-builder
for the future,” explains the student who also works
at a feed store. He ended up taking home $500, courtesy
of El Rancho Market, Rancho Olivos Olive Oil, owned by
the proud founder of the event, none other than Casey herself,
donated the 3rd prize of $250.
SMALL-SCALE 'AMERICAN IDOL'
Santa Ynez Valley Journal
While
not exactly in the stratosphere of “American Idol,” a
local singing competition was no less nerve-wrecking for
20 contestants vying for the title of “Santa Ynez Valley
Idol 2010.” “I’m still shaking from it,” said
Santa Ynez resident Elia Gonzalez. “I decided to sing
on the spur of the moment.” The 3rd annual Valley Idol
Singing Contest kicked off Saturday afternoon in a packed
Parish Hall at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Los Olivos.
The preliminary round of the contest saw
singers and musicians performing a wide variety of musical
styles, including country western, classical, pop and hip-hop.
Gonzalez sang “Fallen” by Alicia
Keys - a tune she hums to in the shower, the car and just
about anywhere. Because she signed up at the last minute,
she sang the song a cappella. But that didn’t stifle
her ability to channel emotion into the song. “The
room was full of your voice,” said musician and judge
Bear Erickson. “Your command of the rhythm made me
feel the band and the track.”
Gonzalez has just started taking vocal
classes at Santa Barbara City College. “My friend egged
me on,” she said, adding that she also performed for
a poignant reason. “I also wanted to do it for my dad,
who’s very ill. He has always told me to go for what
I love.”
Lompoc resident Kirsten Rasmussen had already
performed at a closed audition in Santa Barbara before she
heard about the event going on up north. Amped up by the
earlier performance, she sang a passionate rendition of an
R&B song by Mary J Blige. “It all started with
Barney,” the 16-year-old said with a laugh. The competition
was presented by the Santa Ynez Valley Master Chorale, which
is a non-profit performing arts group that presents a three
concert series in both December and May.
“This year, the bulk of the people
who auditioned were very strong singers,” noted Shannon
Casey, chair of Idol. “We had a high caliber of singers,
and we’re looking forward to a very tough contest and
a spectacular show.”
Chorale members participate in the 2009 Los
Olivos Day in the Country Parade

Santa Ynez Valley Idol 2009 Winners
The
Santa Ynez Valley Master Chorale held its second annual Santa
Ynez Valley Idol competition on Saturday April 28th to a sold-out
house. After two rounds of voting, the top three finalists
were chosen from the group of 12 exceptional contestants,
with both the judges and the audience having a hand in the
selection. The first prize winner was Morgan Laughlin, who
at only 13, won over the crowd with her beautiful voice and
captivating appearance. The second prize went to Chelsea Chaput,
15, whose outstanding stage presence and versatility made
her a stand-out. In third place was Antonio Barret, 13, whose
talent as a vocalist, was enhanced by his performing original
songs and accompanying himself on the keyboard. The three
finalists won $1000, $500 and $250 respectively.
Thanks to our entertaining emcee, Jim Farnum,
and our knowledgeable judges Kate Bennett, Lynda Kelley, and
Nikolaus Schiffmann, for helping to make this an enjoyable
evening. The level of interest and support for this fund raiser
in the community made it a real success!
Santa
Ynez Valley ‘Idol’ contest a smash hit
The
hills of Los Olivos were alive with the sound of music as
13 finalists competed to become the “Santa Ynez Valley
Idol” Friday night at St. Mark’s Church. The singing
contest was the idea of the Santa Ynez Valley Chorale’s
Board President Shannon Casey, modeled on the television program
“American Idol.”
“There are nearly 70 people in the
Chorale and it took the majority of the members to pull this
off,” said Mary Jane West-Delgado, treasurer of the
Santa Ynez Valley Chorale. “It was so successful we
are already working on next year’s event.”
“It was a unanimously well-received
event. Everybody was saying we should do it again next year,”
said Gary Foshee. “It was the feel-good event of the
year.”
“The Idol performance was phenomenal,”
said Carol Millard, who attended the event. “So much
talent was realized while listening to all the contestants
perform their various songs. All ages, young and not so young,
sang such a variety of songs. The emcee, judges and audience’s
enthusiasm made for a wonderful evening. All the Chorale members
who worked so hard at organizing the event accomplished their
goals, beyond measure.”
Click here
to read the full article.
Odd
Airport Occurrence
Those who frequent Santa Ynez Airport sometimes
witness strange occurrences and unusual events. Strong winds
sometimes cause hard and exciting landings, unusual airplanes
arrive, and cattle from the neighboring pastures sometimes
even get loose and wander onto the airport property. Valentine’s
Day brought one of the most unusual occurrences to the airport
for a considerable time.
Twelve
members of the Santa Ynez Valley Chorale appeared at Stan
Peternel’s hangar to serenade a group of airport “bums.”
The group was on a fundraising tour and group member Mimi
Walston donated $40 for a Valentine’s Day song to her
honey, airport “bum” Carl Walston.
The Santa Ynez Valley Chorale is comprised
of 70 singers of all ages according to group member Charyl
Benton. On this day, the group had more than a dozen stops
and provided singing Valentines for those who were fortunate
enough to have especially thoughtful lovers.
A
Natural High
The Chorale was begun in 1978 by the young
music teacher Karl Thompson and a small group of friends and
family members who simply loved to sing together. Four more
conductors came and went over the years, each with a different
strength and musical vision. When Artistic Director/Conductor
Chris Bowman took over in 1996, however, membership in the
Chorale began to grow and the group was catapulted to new
levels of professionalism and style.
Members
of the Chorale are thrilled to have the unique opportunity
to perform music composed by their own director. Not only
is it exciting for me as a singer, says Kramer, but I put
myself in his shoes, and I can't even imagine what that must
feel like to him; it's got to be phenomenal. Bowman couldn't
agree more. Even though he has an idea about how his music
will sound beforehand, It's a far cry from hearing it performed
live, he says. And to be out in front conducting it is an
electric experience.
The Chorale singers also share a common
spirit, Kramer believes, even though they represent all walks
of life and range in age from 17 to over 80. Without a doubt,
music transcends age and culture and language, she says. It
creates joy and healing in people. This was especially evident
during the Christmas concert that followed September 11. The
music and words were already chosen by then, she says, but
when we sang, it all took on a new meaning for everybody.
All voices are welcome in the Chorale. You
don't have to be an excellent singer to join, Madsen says,
but you can achieve excellence by being part of it and learning
from Chris. A significant commitment, however, is required.
The big classical pieces Chris chooses for us sometimes boggle
my mind, Kramer says. Madsen agrees. It takes a long time
to get it right, he says, and it really gets hectic as we
approach concert time. But there is no denying that the end
result is well worth the effort. You can really feel exhausted,
but when you get on that stage and you're singing, Madsen
says, it's a natural high.
Click here
to read the full article.
Music
Through The Ages – Chamber Singers Concert Review
The wonders of the Valley never seem to
cease. The natural beauties of ranches, vineyards and spectacular
views from mountain trails remind a newcomer that it is a
very special place on God's earth. But there is more. Saturday
night in the little town of Los Olivos strains of heavenly
music wafted high into the rafters of St. Mark' s Church and
down the street. The Santa Ynez Valley Chorale Chamber Singers
conducted by Chris Bowman bathed us in a rich variety of music
from Gregorian chant to contemporary works. A special treat
was hearing three versions of the Ave Maria (Chant,
a renaissance version and the romantic Schubert) showing us
how the great masters put their unique stamp on an ancient
text. Music lovers were humming along to familiar pieces known
to most choristers such as Hassler's Cantate domino,
Mozart's Ave Verum Corpus and Franck's Panis
Angelicus. The Chorale's diction and balance made listening
a great pleasure.
Special solos by multi-talented conductor
Bowman, the lyrical and expressive soprano Cathleen Mclsaac,
and outstanding violinist Diane Byington added to the already
superb quality of the whole chorale. Bowman' s own playful
Gigue in D brought out the exquisite range of tones
on the Schoenstein organ and was received with joy by the
audience. Mclsaac's beautiful interpretation of Mendelssohn's
On Wings of Song set the tone from the beginning
of the concert that the evening was going to be filled with
exquisite singing. Byington's lyrical rendition of Massanet's
Meditation transported us beyond the walls of the
church into our own private worlds. Perhaps the final number,
Walking in the Spirit by contemporary composer Mark Hayes
in the style of African-American spirituals, expressed the
spirit of the valley as the audience rose to a standing ovation
and called for an encore. A lovely reception followed in Stacy
Hall where musicians and appreciators alike could stroll around
to share their enthusiasm and gratitude for music that indeed
filled the soul.
We are indeed fortunate to have the SY Valley
Chorale in the Valley.
The Rev. Virginia Hall
Special to the Valley News
|