Chorale Readies March 31 Concert
The Rockbridge Youth Chorale (RYC) is preparing for its spring concert, as part of its ongoing celebration of the ensemble’s 25th anniversary, reflecting on the group’s history and people that have built the program over the years.
On Tuesday, March 31, the RYC will perform in Lexington Presbyterian Church. The Children’s Choir and the Youth Choir will both perform, beginning at 7:30 p.m.
Combined, the two choirs include more than 40 singers and are led by artistic director Lacey Lynch and Children’s Choir director Katelyn Roll. But both choirs also receive support from student interns from Washington and Lee University.
Roll was a former RYC intern herself. She studied music education with an emphasis in choral conducting at Southern Virginia University. She served as interim director of the Children’s Choir during the COVID season and said she knew that she wanted to continue forward conducting with the RYC.
“It is special because of the kids and their passion for music,” Roll said. “Also being able to serve in the arts world for our small community is such a privilege.”
Lynch, now in her 17th year as artistic director, started the RYC internship program in 2015 with W&L student (now alumna) Olivia Arnold ’17 as the first intern. Since then the internship program has grown, providing students with an opportunity to gain experience teaching young musicians.
Interns come from both W&L and Southern Virginia University. But this year, all four are W&L students: Kailesh Amilcar ’26, John Paul Hammond ’27, Paris Guerrero ’27 and Maggie Eaton ’28.
“The program has dramatically grown and it’s a really big benefit,” Lynch said. “It shows the youth chorale singers the potential that they could continue in music beyond their years in the RYC but it is also a fantastic opportunity from the internship perspective because it gives them real life, practical experience that helps them as they go off after graduation.”
The interns help lead warmups, organize rehearsals, draft concert programs, coordinate volunteers and conduct the youth choirs. Amilcar and Eaton work primarily with the Youth Choir while Guerrero and Hammond are more focused on the Children’s Choir.
Hammond, a European history and music double major, said he loves to work with kids and uplift singers just beginning to find their voice.
“Working with the RYC is an amazing way to bring the gift of music to a new generation,” Hammond said. “Welcoming musical communities such as RYC are some of the best places for young people to learn and grow, both in the knowledge of themselves but also how to build things in tandem with people.”
Guerrero, a music major, is in her second year as an RYC intern. She said seeing the singers’ progress has been especially meaningful.
“I love watching them grow into their personalities, and into better musicians with each coming week,” she said. “It’s been one of the most rewarding experiences in the last two years.”
Eaton is studying music education and said she loves seeing how much the kids enjoy singing, bringing a fun energy to every rehearsal.
“No one is being forced for a class requirement; everyone is there just because they love to sing,” Eaton said. “I can tell it’s their favorite time of the week, and it’s become one of mine as well.”
Amilcar is a physics and music major who helps the RYC both as a singer and pianist. He has been with the program for three years.
“Working with Professor Lynch has taught me so much,” he said. “The ability to work with such a delightful, bright and talented group of kids for three years is an experience I will treasure forever.”
Lynch said all of the interns bring positivity and a strong work ethic to the choirs. She said Amilcar is especially inspirational to the boys in the choir.
“He just oozes energy and the students love him,” Lynch said. “Our baritones really look up to him because he’s a model of positivity especially at that age when their voices are changing and doing all sorts of wonky things.”
Looking forward, the RYC singers will present some of the songs from their spring concert, at the Rockbridge Choral Society‘s April 18 gala program, an event celebrating 50 years of the Rockbridge Chorus and 25 years of the Youth Chorale. At the gala concert, the young singers will be joined by the Rockbridge Chorus in a famous chorus from Verdi’s opera “Nabucco,” a piece the Youth Chorale first performed about 20 years ago.
“They’re going to reclaim it with the interns and also be joined by the full chorus at the end,” Rockbridge Chorus artistic director William McCorkle said. “That collaborative piece will be a special moment in the program.”
Lynch said she is looking forward to the two concerts and is very grateful for the help of the student interns over the years and the opportunity it has brought to both young singers and college students.
