Cincinnati Children's Choir Goes Gold

Cincinnati Children's Choir directed by Robyn Lana

The Cincinnati Children's Choir, which begins its 20^th anniversary season this year, did just that Saturday (July 7) at the 2012 World Choir Games in Cincinnati.

In ceremonies at U.S. Bank Arena, the CCC was awarded the gold medal in the WCG Champions Competition (upper division of the WCG).  They took the top prize in the Youth Choirs of Equal Voices category (comprising girls and boys with equal voices, either all sopranos/altos, or all tenors/basses).  Their score was the highest for any U.S. choir in this category and fifth highest in the world.

Led by founder/artistic director Robyn Lana, the Cincinnati Children’s Choir has been ensemble-in-residence at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music since 2001.  The 70-voice choir, accompanied by Jan Corrothers on piano, performed a special concert Monday (July 9) in CCM's Corbett Auditorium for members of the World Choir Council, advisory board for the World Choir Games.

They sang four numbers heard during their competitive rounds:  "Panta Rhei" by Jim Papoulis, "Cantate Domino" by Paul Ayres, "Holy is the Lord" by Jeffrey Ames, and "Ave Maria" by César Alejandro Carillo.  Also on their program were “Up on the Mountain” by Paul Caldwell/Sean Ivory and a bevy of folksongs, including “The Water is Wide” (English), “Carrickfergus” (Irish) and “Ṽéniki” (Russian).  It was easy to see why the judges were impressed.

The first thing that strikes the listener in hearing the CCC is the transparency and purity of their sound. This was evident in “Panta Rhei” (Greek for “All Things Are in Flux”), a charming, a capella contemporary work where they were also called upon to clap, strike bamboo staves on the ground, and at one point, sing in a nasal voice.  Their vocal sheen and ensemble unity were displayed to even greater effect in “The Water is Wide,” where they began in unison, then broke into full-voiced harmony before tapering off to a subdued ending.  Katie Hayward, a UC graduate intern with the CCC, led the achingly nostalgic "Carrickfergus," which employed considerable imitative (contrapuntal) writing.

CCC assistant director Olga Artemova, a native of Moscow and a CCM doctoral candidate in choral conducting, said she had been looking forward to conducting a piece in Russian.  She got her chance – and how – in “Véniki” (meaning “Brooms”), a nonsensical Russian tongue-twister that had the kids spitting out syllables and sealing them with a hearty clap at the end. There was more clapping in Caldwell/Ivory’s catchy “Up on the Mountain,” conducted with relish by Lana.  They were joined here by a costumed U.C. bearcat (mascot of the University of Cincinnati) who posed with them for photos.

The precision of the young singers was highlighted in Ayres’ rhythmically charged “Cantate Domino” and in Carillo’s a capella “Ave Maria,” with its complex, close harmonies.  For their finale, Lana led them in a swinging, finger-snapping performance of Ames’ “Holy is the Lord,” which featured outstanding solos by Rachel Tracy and Greg Miller of the choir.

The CCC is a composite organization, with six resident choirs, graded according to skill level, six satellite (community) choirs and the newly-founded Cincinnati Public Schools Honor Choir.  The CCC tours, sponsors festivals, commissions new music and has performed and recorded with the Cincinnati Symphony and Pops Orchestras.   For further information, visit www.cincinnatichoir.org

For more about the World Choir Games, visit www.2012worldchoirgames.com