National Music Association Selects Centenary's Camerata Choral Group for Honor
 

SHREVEPORT, LA -- The National Association for Music Education is honoring a choral group from Centenary College’s Hurley School of Music with an invitation to sing at its national conference.

Centenary's Camerata choral group has been chosen to appear at the Music Educators National Conference in Savannah, Ga., on Jan. 23, 2003.  In order to obtain this invitation, Camerata underwent a rigorous audition procedure, consisting of a performance tape review by a committee of the country’s finest music educators.  This occasion marks the first time that a group from Centenary College has been so honored by MENC.

Director Dr. Julia Thorn says, “The students in Camerata are extremely excited about sharing the quality academic as well as artistic composition of Centenary’s choral program with music educators from across the country.  They are keenly aware that this invitation places tremendous value on what we as classically trained musicians work so diligently to achieve on a daily basis.”

Dr. Thorn reported that after the MENC invitation was extended, Camerata received a further invitation to perform on the nationally recognized Educational Concert Series at Spivey Hall in Morrow, Ga.  Spivey Hall is one of the most sought-after performance venues in the world.  The aesthetic beauty and acoustical perfection of this facility inspired the late Robert Shaw to say “Spivey Hall is to music what light is to painting.” 

Camerata will sing in Spivey Hall at 9:45 a.m. on Jan. 23, then travel to Savannah for the MENC Southern Division performance in the afternoon.  The audience for the Spivey Hall performance will be choral music students from the Atlanta metropolitan area. At the MENC performance, Camerata will be heard by music educators and choral students from all over the United States. The MENC convention incorporates band, orchestra, chorus, keyboard and general music sessions for teachers of all age levels.

 “Striving for musical and technical excellence through rigorous rehearsals will be my primary goal in preparation for these performances,” said Dr. Thorn. “I am exceptionally proud of the work ethic the students have developed during my five years at Centenary.  The standards of musicianship I have demanded and the objectives established for the program are now coming to fruition.”

During the fall of 2002, Camerata will also be preparing music for a professional recording.  Santa Barbara Music Publishers have asked Camerata to record a demonstration CD of new music.  Some of the new music from the CD will be on Camerata’s  performance programs for MENC and Spivey Hall.

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