WVC Chamber Singers tour the San Juan Islands May 29-June 2

Media Contact: Juel Iwaasa, music program director, 509.682.6757, or Libby Siebens, community relations executive director, 509.682.6436 (Mon. – Thurs.)

The Wenatchee Valley College Chamber Singers will tour the San Juan Islands May 29 to June 2 to participate in concerts, service projects and a recording session.

The tour begins Thursday, May 29, with a recording session at Paradise Sound Recording Studio in Mt. Index, where WVC student Danielle Heins will record her composition, "Someday."

Heins is a pianist and theory student, as well as a composer and songwriter. WVC music director Juel Iwaasa encouraged Heins to write a piece that the choir could perform on tour. "For young composers, getting pieces performed is a barrier. Getting a good recording is even more difficult. Having both of these experiences will help Danielle grow as a composer. Having performances and recordings of one's work are a signal to future teachers that they are looking at a serious potential student," Iwaasa said.

Following the recording, the Chamber Singers will perform on Friday, May 30, on the M/V Sealth ferry from Anacortes to Orcas Island at 9:15 a.m., give a workshop at Shaw School at 1:30 p.m., and perform at the Shaw Community Center on Shaw Island at 5 p.m. All proceeds from these events will benefit Shaw Island Community Center.

On Saturday, May 31, the singers will perform at St. David's Episcopal in Friday Harbor at 2 p.m., with all proceeds benefiting the Friday Harbor Public Schools Music Program.

Sunday, June 1, at 5 p.m. the singers will perform at Lopez Island Center for Community and the Arts, with proceeds benefiting the community center.

The singers will perform a cappella on the M/V Sealth Ferry from Orcas Island to Anacortes on Monday, June 2, at 7:35 a.m.

"Tour is an indispensable experience for collegiate choir members," Iwaasa said. "The focused effort of preparing for tour, and then rehearsing, performing and serving while on tour causes choir members, and the ensemble as a whole, to grow exponentially as musicians and leaders."

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Wenatchee Valley College enriches North Central Washington by serving educational and cultural needs of communities and residents throughout the service area. The college provides high-quality transfer, liberal arts, professional/technical, basic skills and continuing education for students of diverse ethnic and economic backgrounds. Visit our website, www.wvc.edu.