Fine Arts – Music

USJ Concert and Women's Choir receive superior rating at Choral Festival

The USJ Women's Choir, Men's Choir and Select/Concert Choir competed in the WTVMEA Regional Choral Festival. The Concert and Women's Choirs received a superior rating.  These two choirs also received a superior rating in sight-reading, which resulted in both choirs receiving a sweepstakes trophy.

Participating in the festival were Upper School students Sy Anthony, Thomas Ballard, Jerry Barrix, Drew Brantley, Will Buckley, Thomas Butler, Jonathan Cain, Chloe Cantor, Tanner Chapman, Jessica Crosnoe, Whitney Culbreath, Morgan Galbraith, Taylor Gaston, Caroline Haynes, Edward Hockaday, Jonathan Howell, Callie Jaggers, Shelby Jordan, Gray Magee, Grant Mansfield, Meredith Masterson, Evan Miller, Kenneth Oshiro, Georgia Poole, Rebecca Rogers, Caleb Self, Brigham Short, Haley Stafford, Lowell Stonecipher, Benjamin Stuart, Jackson Teer, Shane Vargason, John Villarreal, Clare Williams, John Wilson, William Wright, Katie Brantley, Dusty Bright, Courtney Byrd, Madeline Crocker, Meredith Crowder, Avery Cunningham, Bernhard Dietz, Kelsey Darnall, Christopher Elizer, Katie Fesmire, Kirstie Finch, Morgan Garner, Matthew Giampapa, Katherine Glover, Kyndal Gray, Olivia Harrison, Carol Head, Grace Howard, Rachel Jordan, Chelsea Kee, Carey Kirkland, Stephanie Kurth, Meg Lawrence, Miller Martindale, Trevor McGee, Conor McMahon, Walker McWherter, Hamilton Moore, Colton Norton, Abbey Orr, Mackenzie Paris, Lauren Phillips, Halle Priester, Jacob Ragon, Brittany Spicer, William Teer, Eric Villarreal, and Caleb West.

Reprsenting USJ at the event were Katie Brantley, Courtney Byrd, Madeline Crocker, Meredith Crowder, Avery Cunningham, Kelsey Darnall, Kirstie Finch, Morgan Garner, Katherine Glover, Kyndal Gray, Olivia Harrison, Carol Ann Head, Grace Howard, Rachel Jordan, Chelsea Kee, Carey Kirkland, Stephanie Kurth, Meg Lawrence, Abbey Orr, Mackenzie Paris, Lauren Phillips, Halle Priester, Brittany Spicer, Rachel Thomas, Chloe Cantor, Jessica Crosnoe, Whitney Culbreath, Morgan Galbraith, Taylor Gaston, Caroline Haynes, Calle Jaggers, Shelby Jordan, Meredith Masterson, Georgia Poole, Rebecca Rogers, Brigham Short, Haley Stafford, and Clare Williams.

“The Harpeth Hall Women’s Choral Festival was an opportunity to celebrate and support women’s choral music”, said Nancy Turner, Harpeth Hall Director of Choral Music. “In the past, women’s choirs often had a lower profile to mixed choirs, but now more and more people are recognizing how vibrant and beautiful women’s choral music can be, and many composers are writing exciting new music for women’s choirs. At our Festival we wanted to showcase some excellent choirs and some wonderful music!”

 

USJ Choir students perform at DisneyWorld

USJ Singers and USJ Select Choir are performing in the Walt DisneyWorld Candlelight Processional and Mass Choir with the Walt DisneyWorld Orchestra Dec. 3-6, 2009. The choirs are under the direction of Dian Eddleman. Those singing at DisneyWorld include Thomas Ballard, Jerry Barrix, Katie Brantley, Will Buckley, Courtney Byrd, Madeline Crocker, Meredith Crowder, Whitney Culbreath, Eric Dietz, Kirstie Finch, Matthew Giampapa, Katherine Glover, Kyndal Gray, Nathan Grimm, Caroline Haynes, Carol Ann Head, Grace Howard, Stuart Howell, Rachel Jordan, Carey Kirkland, Stephanie Kurth, Margaret Lawrence, Trevor McGee, Conor McMahon, Colton Norton, Abigail Orr, Mackenzie Paris, Alex Phillips, Georgia Poole, Halle Priester, Rebecca Rogers, Ashley Short, Brittany Spicer, Benjamin Stuart, Jackson Teer, William Teer, Rachel Thomas, Shane Vargason, Eric Villarreal, Caleb West, Clare Williams, and John Wilson.

59 Upper and Middle School choral students receive a superior rating

Thirty-two soloists and four ensembles from USJ were awarded a superior rating at the regional solo-ensemble competition held at UTM.  Overall, 59 of the total 66 Middle and Upper school students scored the highest raking of a superior rating and seven students were awarded an excellent rating.

USJ represented well in 2009-2010 honor choirs

University School of Jackson had the largest number of students in both the 2009 All-Northwest Tennessee Senior High Honor Choir and the 2009 Jr. High All-Northwest Honor Choir.

The choirs, sponsored by the West Tennessee Vocal Music Educators Association and comprised of students representing schools across northwest Tennessee, performed November 14 in Memphis.

 

All-State Choirs

Ten students were chosen to attend the All-State honor choirs, which will perform April 17, 2010, in Nashville in conjunction with the TMEA convention held at Gaylord Opryland Hotel and Conference Center.

Earning positions in the All-State choirs are William Teer, Carol Ann Head, Katie Beth Fesmire, MacKenzie Paris, Rebecca Rogers, Abbey Orr, Christopher Elizer, Caleb West, Carey Beth Kirkland, and Nathan Grimm. Receiving alternate honors were Rachel Thomas, Kyndal Gray, Eric Villarreal, and Colton Norton. The students are pictured at right.

 

All-Northwest Tennessee Senior High Honor Choir

The 39 USJ students among the 180 members of the Senior High Honor Choir were …

• First Soprano: Carol Ann Head, Katie Beth Fesmire, Caroline Purcell, MacKenzie Paris, Rachel Thomas, and Chelsea Kee

• 2^nd Soprano: Kyndal Gray, Grace Howard, Courtney Byrd, Kirstie Finch, Madeline Crocker, Avery Cunningham, and Taylor Gaston

•1^st Alto: Rebecca Rogers, Kelsey Darnall, Brigham Short, Morgan Garner, and Clare Williams

• 2^nd Alto: Abbey Orr, Carey Beth Kirkland, Halle Priester, Caroline Haynes, Alexandra Phillips, Stephanie Kurth, Katherine Glover, and Brittany Spicer.

• 1^st Tenor: Christopher Elizer, Eric Dietz, Drew Brantley, Hamilton Moore, Caleb Self

• 2^nd Tenor: Nathan Grimm and Jacob Ragon

• 1^st Bass: Caleb West, William Teer, and Miller Martindale

• 2^nd Bass: John Villarreal, Eric Villarreal, Colton Norton, and Conor McMahon.

John Villarreal accompanied the senior high choir on the piano.

Jr. High All-Northwest Honor Choir

The junior high choir, filled with seventh through ninth graders from northwest Tennessee had 74 USJ students. “This is the largest number of students USJ has ever had in the junior choir,” said Dian Edleman, USJ Choral Director and Chairman of the Northwest Senior High Honor Choir. USJ  students in the junior high choir are …

1^st Soprano: Sierra Glosson, Angelica Marks, Olivia Baker, Caroline Purcell, Catherine Christie, Sydney Paris, Madison Perchik, Sarah Woodward, Rachel Giampapa, and Caroline Stallings

2^nd Soprano: Meredith Maroney, Hannah Aherrera, Hannah Russell, Kacee Russell, Marisa Mariencheck, Mattie Boyd, Elizabeth Glover, Lauren Randolph, and Eliza Edwards

1^st Alto: Lindsay Smith, Leah Strope, Abby Atkins, Natalie Allen, Bailey Howell, and Haley Daugherty

2^nd Alto: Claire Jaggers, Sally Sikes, Margaret Jones, Laura Harmon, and Sarah Bond

1^st Tenor: Chris Burton, Ben Ibach, Patrick Richardson, Austin Rolison, Sam Darnall, Austin Orr, Hunter Ross, Peyton Antwine, Peyton Vaughan, Ben Coffman, Jacob Denbrock, Connor Simmons, Christopher Nabhan, Adam Sills, Jansen Cupples, Michael Grant, Reese Antwine, Will Cobb, Lance McGee, Kyle Clifton, Ben Brauss, Elijah Mandle, Walker Teer, Ingram Northern, and Adam Glassman

1^st Bass: Ryan Sanderson, Christopher Weiner, James Markos, Govind Bindra, Reed Matheny, Cory Johnson, Chase Hensley, Ryan Garner, Peyton Fendley,  Gage Friedman, Sean Chaikowsky, Harrison Norton, Jackson Cain, Niall Harlan, Charlie Hughes, John Pierce

2^nd Bass: Austin Rogers and Graham Taylor

Hannah Aherrera accompanied the junior high choir on the piano.