Heart of the Valley Children’s Choir Endowment Fund
Heart of the Valley Children’s Choir was founded by Carol Nelson, a Corvallis elementary school music teacher. The first choir, formed in 1984, consisted of one hundred fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade children from the Corvallis-Philomath-Albany area. By 2005, the organization consisted of five choirs involving approximately 300 singers of varying abilities, ages nine to eighteen, and was regularly touring internationally.
Paula Winans, the director Carol recruited to get the choir started, moved out of state three months into the first season, so Carol ended up directing. “I hadn’t planned to be the director, but I had to keep going,” said Carol. The choir began practicing at Highland View Middle School, then in 1987 moved to Jefferson Elementary School, where Carol was teaching music. The second choir was formed by popular demand. “The children were supposed to stop after sixth grade, but they didn’t want to, so we added a choir,” said Carol. As the singers got older, new choirs were formed as the need arose.
In 2005, choirs included the Preparatory Choir for 3rd graders, Children’s Choir 1 for fourth graders, Children’s Choir 2 (the original choir) for fourth through sixth graders, the Festival Choir for children who are still singing in a treble range, and the Chamber Choir for mature voices. Kathi Smith was directing the Preparatory Choir and Children’s Choir 1, and Carol was directing the other three choirs. Several singers were involved in more than one choir.
The Festival and Chamber Choirs have toured extensively throughout Europe over the years. At least one choir tours every three years during the summer. The Festival Choir attended festivals in Canterbury, England, and Paris, France, and was privileged to be invited to sing with the Vienna Boys Choir in Vienna, Austria. The Chamber Choir toured to Corvallis’ sister city of Uzhgorod, Ukraine, where they gave several concerts. Both choirs were invited to tour China in 2005 to sing with the world-renowned Chinese Children’s Choir at the Beijing Central Conservatory of Music, give a concert at the Great Wall of China, and attend classes at the Central Conservatory.
In addition to the opportunity to sing with accomplished choirs abroad and take their gifts to others around the world, the children who travel with the choirs gain invaluable exposure to other cultures. For example, in Uzhgorod, choir members experienced home stays with Ukrainian families and came away with a broader perspective on the world. The children who tour also come away with musical experiences that leave them changed. In Paris, the Festival Choir sang music composed by Gabriele Faure at the Church of the Madeleine. The music, a mass, was composed specifically for the unique acoustic environment of the church. “It was like looking at the landscape that Van Gogh painted, and you see why he used the medium he used to paint it,” said Carol. “When they sang, it took their voices [to amazing places]—you should have seen the eyes of those kids.”
Membership in the choir is by audition and the singers are placed in the choir that best fits their vocal ability, musical skill, and commitment level. Each member pays tuition and uniform expenses; however, scholarships are provided for those in need. No singer has ever been turned away due to lack of ability to pay. Each choir member has an individual tour account and the parent organization provides various fundraising activities, such as selling ads in concert programs.
The organization offers matching scholarships that allow children to go on tour; the children earn half the money and the organization finds donors to match what they earn. Choir members are expected to write three letters to the donors: one before they go, one while they’re on tour, one when they get home. “It teaches the kids that this is what you do when people support you,” says Carol.
The Children’s Choir hosts three major concerts each year at LaSells Stewart Center on the Oregon State University campus. They are also frequently invited to sing for many civic occasions, such as the Interfaith Conference, Holocaust Remembrance, 9-11 Memorial Program, and Martin Luther King Celebrations, and for numerous civic clubs, organizations, and church-related events.
The primary focus of the Heart of the Valley Children’s Choir is education. The organization has hosted several famous composers and music clinicians, such as Henry Leck, a world renowned clinician from Indianapolis and Z. Randall Stroope, world famous composer and choral clinician, who wrote a song for the choir. In addition, students who have come up through the ranks can become a student director and learn to direct by assisting with choir rehearsals and concerts. “I’m really hoping that one of them wants to come back and take over,” said Carol.
Two a cappella groups have been formed by high school-aged choir members. A girl’s group called “4 a.m. Confessions” and a boy’s group called “The Aviators” are in great demand for events in Corvallis. They govern themselves, audition new members, and arrange their own music.
In 2005, the organization was short on donors, so even after working for three years toward going on tour, some were not able to attend. This was a heartbreaking situation for Carol, who told the ten-member volunteer board that this wouldn’t happen again, even if she had to pay for the children’s trips herself. It was decided to use a small donation the choir had received to fund an endowment that will provide an opportunity for donors to include the choir in their estate planning. “They know they can leave money to the choir and that it will be managed and their objectives will be met through the Foundation,” said Carol. In addition to providing a way for donors to support the scholarship program, the larger goal is to ensure the long-term viability of the choir. The board wants to hire an executive director, fairly compensate existing employees, and eventually build a facility to house the choir.
Carol offered some perspective on a major value offered by the choirs when she said, “There are two kinds of groups for kids. One is a rescue group: they come in and do what needs to be done to save kids. Then there are preventive groups that make it unnecessary to have so many rescue operations. That’s what we are.”