On the drizzly Saturday afternoon of April 6, 2024, the SenateAires joined forces with International Champion Quartet Masterpiece to work with local area youth for an A Cappella Youth Festival. That event took place at Morning Star Community Church in Salem, Oregon.
The previous day, this championship quartet visited some local Salem area schools to share with the music students their talents as well as lots of information about our craft. The kids were invited to join us the following day for a free workshop and then appear on stage in a performance later that afternoon. Chapter President Bob Cox noted, “The response from the kids and their music instructors was absolutely heartwarming. Masterpiece got their interest and really showed the students just how much fun music is.”
More than two dozen kids showed up on Saturday morning at the appointed hour. They were excited about learning a new song or two, and hearing more about the craft of singing without instrumental accompaniment to let the pure beauty of the voice stand on its own. Along with the quartet, SenateAires director Will Fox worked with groups of kids in various vocal sections to usher them along the learning path toward a performance that afternoon. It is no surprise that the final result was nothing short of wonderful. Will is the musical director for Westside Christian High School in Tigard, and has led his choral groups to state championships year after year. The youth in attendance at this festival were able to experience first-hand how Will lovingly guides them to be the very best they can be.
When the curtain went up on the afternoon show, several hundred audience members were in attendance, coming from as far as Washington, arriving by the literal busload. No one went home disappointed and the response from the crowd was overwhelming. One attendee said, “Absolutely the best show I’ve seen in years. The kids were an absolute delight, and the SenateAires and the rest of the performers were top notch.”
Following the performance, everyone retired to the Salem Elks Lodge for the “Afterglow” and a spaghetti feed, and of course more performances by the chorus and quartets. The staff at the Elks Lodge went out of their way to make us feel welcome, and made it the perfect finish to an awesome day.
We want to extend our sincere thanks to Masterpiece and the Harmony Foundation Grant in collaboration with the Association of International Champions for making this day possible. Also, our thanks go out to the Salem Elks Lodge and to Morning Star Community Church for the use of their facilities. We especially want to thank all of the quartets who gave so freely of their time and talents to make this happen. Finally, we wish to express our most sincere thanks to the kids who participated, and to all who attended making the event such a resounding success. The day was amazing, and so rewarding to see the smiles on the faces of the youth when they finished their song to a standing ovation from the entire house. You can watch the final song of the day by clicking HERE