Mountain View Whisman School District Choruses Celebrate with Song at
Sixth Annual Choral Fest at Shoreline Amphitheatre at Mountain View
¡Cantemos! Let’s Sing! Presents Songs in Spanish and English
On Monday, May 14, 2007, 5-8 pm, Shoreline Amphitheatre at Mountain View, Los Altos/Mtn. View PTA Council, and Community School of Music and Arts (CSMA) will present the Sixth Annual Mountain View Whisman School District Choral Fest at Shoreline Amphitheatre, One Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View. This year’s event ~ ¡Cantemos! Let’s Sing! ~ presents children from the district’s eight elementary and middle school choruses and offers the community the opportunity to come together to share in the joy of music. In keeping with this year’s choral fest theme, several songs will be presented both in English and in Spanish.
Under the direction of the choral directors from CSMA and/or the individual schools, each school's chorus will sing one song. The entire group of more than 500 children will open the show and also will perform two songs as part of a grand finale. Both admission and parking are free for this public event (held rain or shine), which is part of the Shoreline-CSMA Partnership in Commitment to Arts Education. Gates and concessions open at 5 pm, with the concert beginning at 6:30 pm on Shoreline’s Main Stage.
Attendees are invited to Shoreline Amphitheatre prior to the Choral Fest to picnic and to socialize with students, families and other community members. From 5-6 pm on the lawn picnic area, attendees will enjoy performances by the Crittenden Jazz Band and Mountain View High School Madrigals.
Matt Prieshoff, Senior VP of Venues/Northwest & Northern CA, and Executive Director, Shoreline Amphitheatre at Mountain View, said, "As a member of the Mountain View community, Shoreline Amphitheatre strives to deliver quality live entertainment for music enthusiasts of all ages. We are thrilled to host this unique event for the sixth time as part of our entertainment calendar and hope our guests from the community enjoy listening to the sounds of the Mountain View Whisman School District choruses in one of the country's premiere concert venues."
“I am once again, excited to be a part of organizing this extraordinary event for the choral students of the Mountain View Whisman School District,” said event chair person Michelle De La Ossa of the PTA Council. “The community is very fortunate to have resources and collaborative partnerships among organizations like Shoreline, CSMA, and the PTA Council. Choral Fest is a perfect example of the importance of continuing to foster relationships that benefit and highlight the accomplishments and hard work of young people.”
“CSMA is proud to be a co-sponsor of this annual event,” commented CSMA’s Music-in-the-Schools Director Arleen Pickett. “However, none of this would have been possible without Shoreline’s involvement and generous sponsorship once again this year. We are indebted to them for completely underwriting both the venue and the operational costs of producing this event involving 500 children and which was attended last year by approximately 2,000 people.”
Initiated in 2001, the Shoreline-CSMA Partnership in Commitment to Arts Education was formed to promote and increase awareness of the importance of arts education and to create additional opportunities for both organizations to develop community outreach events. It was a natural partnership for CSMA and Shoreline because of Shoreline’s desire to support the community and CSMA’s established art and music education programs. CSMA has been providing arts-in-the-schools programs in the Mountain View Whisman School District for more than 20 years.
"Choral Fest is a wonderful example of the partnerships for young people that exist in our community,” said Superintendent Dr. Maurice Ghysels of the Mountain View Whisman School District. “CSMA offers our students an outstanding music education program and Choral Fest enriches the program by providing children the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned by performing in a professional environment. Students will truly remember this event for life. I greatly appreciate the work of the PTA Council, CSMA and Shoreline Amphitheatre on behalf of the students as well as the commitment of the Mountain View Educational Foundation for their support of the district’s music education program."
The Los Altos/Mtn. View PTA Council serves all the 18 school PTAs in Mountain View Whisman Elementary, Los Altos Elementary, and Mountain View-Los Altos High School Districts. The PTA Council is part of the 6th District (Santa Clara County) of the CA State PTA, affiliated with the National PTA. The Council’s mission is to train and support member PTAs and school districts for the benefit of all of the children.
Community School of Music and Arts (CSMA) at Finn Center is a non-profit center for arts education committed to providing Arts for All, regardless of age, level, background or economic means. Since its founding in 1968, CSMA has served more than a quarter million people. Through its arts-in-the schools programs Arts in Action and Music in Action, CSMA serves more than 7,500 children annually in schools in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties. In addition, CSMA offers lessons and classes for all ages, after school art clubs and vacation camps, free concerts, exhibitions, lectures and community outreach events. In keeping with its mission to make the arts accessible to all, the school provides a Financial Aid Program to youth and low-income families. In January 2004, CSMA opened Silicon Valley’s first-ever center for music and arts education, which is the school’s permanent home, at Finn Center, 230 San Antonio Circle, Mountain View.
To learn more about the Choral Fest, please contact Arleen Pickett, Music-in-the-Schools Director, Community School of Music and Arts, 230 San Antonio Circle, Mountain View, 650/917-6800, ext 307, apickett@arts4all.org. Information is also available on the websites of the three sponsoring groups: www.livenation.com, www.mvwsd.org, and www.arts4all.org.
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