FORUM
Winston-Salem Youth Chorus
gets education in Vienna, Austria
BY L0R1PRESCOTT
SPECIAL TO
How many children
ages 10-18 have the oppor
tunity to sing major choral
musical works with full
orchestra and other adults
in a foreign country?
Thirty-one members of
the Winston-Salem Youth
Chorus (WSYC) just had
that once in a lifetime
expe
rience
this
past
June
when
they
performed Vivaldi's
"Magnificat," Shubert's
"Mass in G," Haydn's "Te
Deum," Beethoven's
"Choral Fantasia" and
Handel's "Hallelujah
Chorus" in Vienna, Austria.
Dr. Sonja Sepulveda,
Artistic Director, had the
honor of conducting a few
of the pieces in addition to
other renown guest con
ductors as a part of the
Vienna music festival per
formed in the historic St.
Peter's Church and
Minoriten Church.
"A performing tour of
Europe really bonds *a
group together. It is an
opportunity for shared
experiences, musical and
spiritual growth, learning,
exploring, fun and fellow
ship," Dr. Sepulveda said.
"It was indeed an experi
ence of a lifetime for these
students of diverse back
grounds and ages. It also
fulfills one of our missions
as ambassadors for
Winston-Salem, North
Carolina and America. We
represent all that is good
and best in American
young people and from this
area of the country."
Dr. Sepulveda reflected
on the trip, saying, "The
majestic churches where
we sang, the orchestras, the
musical works, the artists,
the choirs and historic
places where we stood, cre
ated sounds and feelings
that were almost too much
to take in."
Each singer that partic
ipated from the Winston
Salem Youth Chorus not.
only grew musically, but
each had their own person
al or spiritual growth that
will stay with them forever.
Here are some of their
reflections on their experi
ences.
Hannah:
"My dream is to travel
the world and sing and per
form, and I was able to live
that dream at IS years old.
[It is] A privilege I know
that many will never know.
How is it that people from
all over the world can cre
ate music together and
bring such light into this
dark world? One of our
coordinators said, 'When
words and music come
together, it turns darkness
into light' and that is exact
ly what we did, every day,
every time we opened our
mouth and every time the
sound rose when we sang,
so hard our bodies shook
with the effort, we made
the darkness turn into
light."
Tyler:
"This trip has been
especially fantastic! I
enjoyed all of the repertoire
that we sang and enjoyed
the ability to sing these
works in the beautiful
cathedrals that they were
meant to be performed in.
This and an appreciation
for this type of choral
music are the two things
that are difficult to fnd in
the U.S. The comradere of
our chorus just shows that
music can bring together
people from all walks of
life."
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Carmen:
"This trip did amazing
things for me, more than I
expected it to do. I found
my connection. I found
once again the reason I
started to sing and the rea
son my love for music was
so strong. This trip also
helped me step out of my
comfort zone and create
friendships that will last a
lifetime. One of my
favorite things that Dr.
Sonj said during the trip
was 'It's not just about the
music, it's about the life
lessons you will learn and
the long lasting friendships
you will make.' We all
came from different places
but we came together as
one big group and bonded
through our love or music."
Lori Prescott is execu
tive director of The
Winston-Salem Youth
Chorus, which starts it's
new season on Aug. 29.
For more information
about how to be a part of
the Winston-Salem Youth
Chorus, call 336-703-0001
or visit the website at
www.wsyouthchorus x>rg.
Some members of the Winston-Salem Youth Chorus
take a break in Vienna, Austria. They are (left to
right): Sophia Espenilla, Tyler Zickmund, Dr. Sonja
Sepulveda, Sierra Davis, Adria Faulkner, Kim
Faulkner, Sarah Hair, Hannah Hair and John
Tahtinen.
Photo provided by Winston-kaUrm Youth Chorus
Biles and Manuel
showed their
skills and talents
t. - - *? *
at the Olympics
James B. The 2016
? . Summer
Ewers Jr. Olympics
recently con
Guest eluded and
Columnist ^ did not
disappomt.
while
much was said and rightfully so about the
health hazards and infrastructure issues,
the city of Rio de Janeiro was a magnifi
cent host. Kudos and congratulations to
them for pulling off an event that some
months ago seemed almost impossible.
If you believe in diversity like I do, the
Olympic Games set a really high bar. Men
and women of all colors and shades gave
us their very best and performed with great
athleticism and passion.
Just watching the opening ceremony
made me realize that the color of a per
son's skin doesn't matter nearly as much
as some of us think it does.
Thank you International Olympic
Committee for giving our minds, our eyes
and our ears a brief respite from social jus
tice issues.
Thank you International Olympic
Committee for not posting security guards
at the-bathroom doors to determine the sex
of those who used them. This issue seems
to be especially troubling to the state of
North Carolina, which is my home state.
The Olympic Games were designed to
showcase superior prowess in a sport and
they gave us enough highlights to last us
for a long time.
Give Michael Phelps a standing ova
tion, as he could be the greatest Olympian
of all time. His swimming skills are just
incredible! He's a bad man as he has won
twenty-three gold medals in his Olympic
career. By any barometer or scale, Phelps
has produced at levels most or us thought
were impossible.
I am proud to have Jamaican roots, so
when the announcers said the name Usain
Bolt, I paid particular attention. He is again
the fastest man in the world in the hundred
meters and won three gold pedals at the
Rio Olympic Games. Every time Bolt
races, he carries an entire country on his
shoulders. He loves the competition and
responds to the pressure each time.
There were a lot of Olympic champi
ons and they represented their individual
countries well. Refugees who performed
under the Olympic flag were represented
and performed admirably.
As I watched each night, two athletes
gave me some of the most thrilling and jaw
dropping moments. First, Simone Manuel,
an African-American swimmer who
attends Stanford University was the first
African-American female to win an indi
vidual gold medal. That was simply out
standing as she brought home a total of
four medals.
Simone Biles, an African-American
gymnast is being called the greatest gym
nast of all time. She collected four gold
medals, three of them individual gold
medals. Biles is 19 years old so her future
is bright in whatever she wants to do when
her career is over.
Manuel and Biles have carved out a
permanent place in the Olympic record
books.
In my opinion, what is so compelling
about their Olympic run is the sports they
competed in to win their gold medals.
If you are a parent, especially a parent
of a child of color, don't stop at the basket
ball court or the football field; go to a
swimming pool, a tennis court or a gym
nastics center. Manuel, Biles and the
Williams sisters are showing us that suc
cess in these sports is possible.
Not only is it possible, you can become
a star and rich, too. "The Simone Biles net
worth total of $2.1 million has grown
1000% in 2016 from gigantic endorsement
deals built on her gymnastics fame and
excellence," Money Nation explained to
readers earlier last week. The publication
added, "Just three years ago in 2013, Biles
had a net worth of $60,000."
I am sure that neither Simone thought
about medals and money when they started
out. Like most of us who started out play
ing any sport, it was just to have fun.
Their fun has obviously turned into
fame and fortune. Their desire to compete
increased at every level, so now here they
are being beloved by millions of people.
A lot of boys and girls are involved in
sports. Some of them will want to contin
ue. As parents and grandparents, we will
be involved in that decision-making
process.
Sports, in my opinion, should always
be fun. Learn to laugh at yourself, be a
good teammate and don't get too
depressed when you lose. You noticed I
said when you lose, not if you lose.
Now the Summer Olympics of 2016
are over and Simone Biles was selected to
carry the American flag at the closing cer
emonies. The next Summer Olympic
Games will be held in Tokyo in 2020. You
know someone at this very moment is in a
gymnasium, on a court or in a swimming
pool practicing to get ready.
That is the beauty of sports. The prac
tices are what you do when the cameras
aren't rolling and the reporters are writing.
Let us wish all of those who are chas
ing the Olympic dream good luck. Who
knows as they may be standing on the
podium in 2020.
James B. Ewers Jr. Ed J), is a former
tennis champion at Atkins High School in
Winston-Salem and played college tennis
at Johnson C Smith University where he
was all-conference for four years. He is the
President Emeritus of The Teen Mentoring
Committee of Ohio and a retired college
administrator. He can be reached at
ewers ,jr56 @ yahoo .com.
<&o2ot6
^Mmon^Manue^^
Curry
from page AI
"Working with NNPA
interns was one of his
pleasures. He wanted our
young people to develop a
zeal for getting the facts
right and putting the story
together with depth and
clear understanding. Our
profession will forever
miss George Curry .,v
The publisher of the
Wilmington Journal,
another NNPA member
paper, also remembers
Curry fondly.
"George Curry was a
part of NNPA's effort to
gain pardons for the
Wilmington Ten," recalled
publisher Mary Alice
Jervay Thatch, who is also
president of the N.C. Black
Publishers
Association. "On the day
NNPA announced at the
National Press Club our
intent to secure those par
*
dons, George interviewed
Wilmington Ten leader Dr.
Ben Chavis onstage. It
brought tears to our eyes,
including Ben's. Later, Ben
had to admit that this was
the most emotional inter
view he had experienced
and the first time he had
cried in public!
"Once we placed the
request for pardons on
[then] Governor Perdue's
desk a year later," Thatch
continued, "George was
there to ensure that our
story was being told
through NNPA's newswire
service"
North Carolina U.S.
Rep. G. K. Butterfield (D
NC-1), chairman of the
Congressional Black
Caucus (CBC), was one of
those elected black leaders
who appreciated Curry's
devotion to the truth, and
commitment to shining a
light on important issues.
"The Congressional
Black Caucus joins with
i
members of the press" from
around the country to
mourn the loss of George
E. Curry, a pioneer in civil
rights and journalism,"
Butterfield wrote.
"George E. Curry was a
giant in journalism and he
stood on the front lines of
the Civil Rights era and
used his voice to tell our
stories when others would
not. The CBC offers our
sympathies and condo
lences to his friends and
family, his readers from
around the country, and to
the countless number of
individuals he mentored in
the art of reporting and
journalistic writing until
his untimely death."
Irving Joyner, law pro
fessor at North Carolina
Central University's
School of Law in Durham,
and chairman of the N.C.
NAACP's Legal Redress
Committee, expressed his
respect for a civil rights
veteran who built bridges
by chronicling history.
"I was shocked and
deeply saddened to learn of
the transitioning of this
giant in our journalistic
world," Joyner said. "As a
committed African
American journalist,
George presented the truth
and nothing but the truth in
the many articles and news
analysis which he
authored. He was very
committed to his craft and
possessed a keen knowl
edge of the African
American community and
never ducked an opportuni
ty to better explain our
position and view of things
which impacted us and our
community."
Even former Secretary
of State Hillary Clinton
took time from her run for
president
to pay tribute to the
veteran black journalist.
"I am saddened by the
loss of an outstanding jour
nalist and supportive
friend," Hillary Clinton
said. "George E. Curry was
a pioneering journalist, a
tireless crusader for justice,
and a true agent of change.
With quality reporting, cre
ativity, and skillful persua
sion, he influenced count
less people, including me,
to think beyond their nar
row experience and expand
their understanding.
George may be gone, but
he will not be forgotten.
My thoughts and prayers
are with his loved ones."
George Edward Curry,
a media pioneer and long
time advocate for the black
press and civil rights, will
be laid to rest Saturday,
Aug. 27, in his hometown
of Tuscaloosa, Alabama,
with the Rev. A1 Sharpton,
founder and president of
the 'National Action
Network, delivering the
eulogy at Weeping Mary
Baptist Church, 2701 20th
St., Tuscaloosa, Alabama
35401.
1
Dr. Charles Steele,
president and CEO of the
Southern Christian
Leadership Conference
and lifelong friend of
George Curry, announced
the arrangements. The two
leaders grew up in the seg
regated South at a time
when Jim Crow laws were
the order of the day. They
made a pact early in life to
never forget their upbring
ing and to work to help lift
others, Steele said.
"We wanted to tell our
stories, because we knew it
could inspire and impact
others," Steele said. "We
were two fellas from
impoverished back
grounds, where African
Americans endured sec
ond-class citizenship. We
were able to overcome and
find success. We will cele
brate that success in
remembering the life of
George Curry this week
end."
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