Voices Lifted
The chance to sing alongside a professional symphony orchestra is typically an honor reserved for career vocalists and adult choruses—but thanks to the efforts of one local organization, the youth of the Sioux Falls area have gotten their own stint on the stage with some of the most talented musicians in our state.
But that’s sort of par for the course when it comes to the mission of the Sioux Falls Children’s Choir, an organization founded to give high-quality choral opportunities to young people who might be seeking out extracurricular involvement in the arts.
“I’d like them to learn a lot about singing and musical technique, but truly what I want them to take away is a sense of fun and fellowship—exploration in a safe space,” said outgoing artistic director Laura Petersen. “I want them to learn on all sorts of levels—not just academically, but in a sense of belonging and acceptance… humanity.”
Student participants tackle traditional children’s choir literature, in as much as three-part harmonies, spanning genres and time periods. In addition, students have the chance to learn and perform original work thanks to collaboration with composer, Augustana University graduate and American Choral Directors Association Award winner Kyle Pederson.
“He’s used us to try out and record one of his compositions for a website geared toward choir teachers,” Petersen said of the unique opportunity for budding choral singers. “And we also recently recorded another piece that’s to be published by Hal Leonard.”
These sorts of experiences are a hallmark of the program, which includes a season of concerts and plenty of chances to collaborate with local and regional artists. Executive director Laura Cooper is one such artist herself, an orchestra teacher by trade who additionally heads up the White Spruce Chamber Players ensemble.
“We want them to have a positive experience with singing and music and the arts as a broader umbrella,” Cooper said. “These kids might go on to sing in choir in high school or be in all-state choir or community choir, but they might also be in the audience—and that’s a big part of the arts community too. Helping kids have an appreciation for the arts from a young age is a really big deal.”
Though COVID-19 dealt a few curveballs to the Children’s Choir throughout this past season, according to Cooper, it was yet another opportunity for participants to show their mettle against adversity.
“This has been such a weird year, and kids everywhere have been so resilient,” she said. “It’s been hard for kids to see sports basically happening as normal and the arts seemingly making more of a sacrifice.
“People were really shy to come back to choir, especially in September. But the smaller numbers allowed us to distance the kids and rehearse with windows open. They sang with masks on at the spring concert—they were real troopers.”
Petersen hopes that spirit of camaraderie bears out in the coming years, as the organization prepares for a season with a little more normalcy than the one prior.
“My hope is that we get big enough that we can have multiple choirs or even a summer choir,” she said. “The sky’s the limit as far as a community choir for children goes. I just hope to see it keep building toward what’s next.”
To be part of the Sioux Falls Children’s Choir, go to SiouxFallsChildrensChoir.com—registration for the Fall 2021 semester is now open.