Voices of the Valley

Celebrates 15 Seasons of Musicianship

By Jules Warner

What happens when passionate local advocates get together, empower youngsters to believe in themselves, help them hone their vocal performance talent, and tell them to just go for it?

Magic.

In the case of Voices of the Valley Children’s Chorus, goosebump-worthy choral magic.

Chorus Performance At RiverCenter Legacy Hall

photographer Alex Hamm

Children clad in black velvet, red satin skirts and cumberbunds, and luminous strands of pearls process down the aisles of the RiverCenter’s majestic Legacy Hall. As the youthful choir ascends the stage, each illuminated face is fixed upon the conductor, who is at once a fierce commander and graceful as a wood sprite. She directs her dynamic young charges through the opening piece, their ethereal voices ebbing and flowing with the mesmerizing motions of her arms.

The result is aural alchemy.

Since its founding season in 2007, Voices of the Valley Children’s Chorus (VOV) has been developing young singers from all over Columbus and the surrounding area. The Prima Voce, Bella Voce, and Sola Voce choirs are made up of talented youth between the ages of 9 and 18. Through the years, VOV singers have enchanted our community with inspiring performances, many of which have featured partnerships with local musicians and schools.

VOV’s talented choristers’ most recent local appearance was in partnership with the Schwob School of Music at Rainey-McCullers School of the Arts in March. The choir joined the cast as gingerbread children who sang and danced (that’s called “choralography”) in joyful revelry after being freed from the evil witch’s spell.

VOV has also recently collaborated with the Rainey-McCullers school chorus and band as part of VOV’s Tapestries of Faith annual winter performance. Additionally, the Bella Voce and Sola Voce choirs were invited to perform with A Magical Cirque Christmas last November at the RiverCenter, and local Celtic/Irish/folk band Wolf & Clover was featured in VOV’s spring performance Touch the Sky last May.

This year marks the fifteenth year of VOV. Supporters of the choir are gathering for a weekend filled with music, fun, and friendship. The weekend’s festivities kick off with a celebration on Friday, May 12 at 7 p.m. at the Springer Opera House’s Foley Hall with an event called 'Homecoming'. Made possible by a grant from the Columbus Arts Alliance, the evening will feature musical performance CSU’s Collegiate National Association for Music Education Jazz Band. Admission is $25 and a cash bar will be available. Tickets can be purchased at voicesofthevalleychorus.org.

The anniversary celebration continues through Saturday, May 13 with VOV’s Homecoming: A 15th Season Celebration in Legacy Hall at the Columbus RiverCenter at 7 p.m.. VOV’s four choirs will take the stage, led by conductors Dr. Michelle Folta and Olivia Fortson and accompanied by pianists James Camp, Andrew Harry, and Sam Brown.

RiverCenter Legacy Hall

Photographer Alex Hamm

Admission is free and the performance will feature VOV’s newest addition, The Ambassadors alumni choir. At this years’ performance, The Ambassadors will be conducted by special guests Dr. Elizabeth Parker (former VOV director) and founding VOV director, Steven Pace.

VOV is currently under the artistic direction of Folta, who earned her Ph.D. in Music Education at the University of North Texas. She was recently named a finalist for the 2021 GRAMMY Music Educator of the Year Award and Columbus and the Valley’s “Rising Star” award. She was also the recipient of Columbus State University’s Faculty Service Award in 2021 and named Columbus and the Valley’s 5 Under 40. Folta and her husband, Zach, reside in Columbus, Georgia with their daughter, Lena.

Solo Performance At RiverCenter Legacy Hall

Photographer Alex Hamm

During Folta’s tenure as artistic director, VOV has been selected to perform at the Georgia Music Educators Conference in 2019 and 2022, as well as the American Choral Directors Association Southern Division Conference in 2022. VOV has also been selected to perform for the West Georgia Choral Society’s Choral Festival in LaGrange, the Columbus Ballet’s annual production of The Nutcracker, and multiple other collaborations with Columbus State University. In 2018, VOV embarked upon their first international tour, where they performed in Norwich and Cambridge, England.

This fifteen year anniversary is a time to celebrate VOV’s vision to inspire young singers to become life-long learners of music through choral experience and community engagement. VOV provides the children of the Chattahoochee Valley with training, performance opportunities, and a space that fosters a culture of belonging.

According to Folta, the choir’s success can be attributed to dedication, hard work and community. “My favorite part about VOV is getting to make music with incredible artists every single week,” she says. We work really hard and we make beautiful music. We move people and we make the notes come off of the page in our concerts.”

Even COVID-19 could not stop VOV from making music. During the pandemic, the choirs met for outdoor rehearsals in a parking garage, where they practiced social distancing and sang masked. “We were still able to make music because we can’t keep from singing,” Folta recalled.

Though each chorister is a unique individual, choral work means working as a team and supporting one another. “Singing in a choir improves your mood. It includes social bonds. It exercises your brain,” says VOV Chairman of the Board Rick McKnight. “There’s more to singing than just opening your mouth. It improves breathing, posture, cognitive memory, and most important? It makes you happy.”

“VOV has opened me up to a bunch of opportunities for my life’s direction and purpose,” says Spencer High School senior and current member of VOV’s Sola Voce choir Tiara Thomas. “It has allowed me to free myself and become more comfortable with expressing my true thoughts and insights.”

While the young people of VOV reap these invaluable benefits while developing a lifelong love of music, our community receives the gift of music shared with us by children.

As VOV celebrates its fifteenth season, its young singers have plenty to look forward to. Most notably, VOV’s Bella Voce and Sola Voce choirs will cross the Atlantic for another international tour in 2024. This time the destination is Italy. A mini-tour is also in the works for the Prima Voce choir .

If you know a young person who wants to join VOV, the next opportunity to audition is on May 16, 2023. You can find audition details, performance information, and ways to support VOV’s service to the young people of our region by visiting www. voicesofthevalleychorus.org.

Congratulations on fifteen seasons of music, VOV! Buon viaggio!