THURSDAY AND SATURDAY
Cleveland Orchestra Children’s Chorus Ann Usher, Director
Suzanne Walters, Assistant Director Dianna White-Gould, Accompanist
Created in 1967, the Cleveland Orchestra Children’s Chorus is an ensemble of children in grades 6-9 who perform annually with The Cleveland Orchestra. A Preparatory Chorus, comprised of children in grades 5-8, performs twice each year with the Children’s Chorus. The members of the Children’s Chorus and of the Preparatory Chorus rehearse weekly during the school year and are selected by audition with the director (held annually in May and June). A number of Children’s Chorus graduates have continued their association as members of the Youth Chorus or Youth Orchestra or have become adult members of the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus. Samantha Apanasewicz Sydney Ball Emily Beal Ryan Benda Anna Buescher Ryan Burdick Giovanni Castiglione Hannah Cogar Maksim Damljanovic Alex Dodd Joseph Feng Mariana Gomez Athena Grasso Josephine Gwinnell* Adam Holthaus Elizabeth Javorsky
Lexy Jensen Amelia Johnson Suzy Lefelhocz* Jennifer Lutz Anna Victoria MacGregor David Malkin Annamarie Martin Maddy Massey Genesis L. Merritt Eunice Min Nathan Niedzwiecki Emily Osburn* Sarah Parker* Molly Pavilonis* Claire Peyrebrune Rosalie Phillips*
Macie Poskarbiewicz* Justin Prindle Megan Qiang David Ricci Lauren Rogers Lili Roosa Jennifer Rowan Drew Russell Julia Sabik Amanda Sachs Joseph Schueller Abby Schwarz Kailee Shaver Taylor Sulzbach* Kayla Thompson Lauren Venesile
Madison Violand Marissa Vitalone* Eric Walters Emma Weihe* Julie White* Hannah Woodside Alex Wuertz Ben Wykoff Olivia Zackary Kathryn Zorman* * a select number of singers from the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Chorus are performing with the Children’s Chorus for these concerts.
Michelle Holy, Coordinator, Youth and Children’s Choruses
Ann Usher
Director, Cleveland Orchestra Children’s Choruses
Ann Usher has served as director of the Cleveland Orchestra Children’s Choruses since 2000. She prepares the Children’s Chorus for their appearances as part of the annual Christmas concerts, community concerts, and in the Orchestra’s performances of operas and symphonic works that call for children’s voices. Ms. Usher is a professor at the University of Akron and director of the School of Music. She teaches graduate and undergraduate choral music education courses and previously served as interim director of the School of Dance, Theater, and Arts Administration. She previously taught choral music in the public schools, specializing in the middle school level. Active as a clinician and adjudicator, Ann Usher holds a bachelor of music education degree from the University of Northern Iowa, and a master of music degree in choral conducting and a doctorate in music education from Kent State University. Severance Hall 2013-14
Cleveland Orchestra Children’s Chorus
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