2024 already promises to be an exciting year for the Statesboro Youth Chorale. The group, directed by Michael Roemer, benefits from his musical experience as they learn, practice, and develop new friendships.
“What we do is we are learning how to read the music, we’re learning basic singing technique,” Roemer says. “We’re also playing musical games together to have fun and build relationships within the choir.”
The treble choir, which has members as young as six to age 15, had a successful recital, “A Folk and Festive Concert,” on December 9th, and will begin preparing for two spring engagements after the holiday break. The first, in April, is a collaborative effort with the Georgia Southern University Opera. It is a children’s version of The Magic Flute, in which the Statesboro Youth Chorale will play the part of the chorus. The group of young performers will also have their spring concert in May.
Last semester, Roemer’s wife, Dr. Jennifer D’Agostino, who teaches a vocal pedagogy class at Georgia Southern, orchestrated a service learning project that allowed her class to partner with the Statesboro Youth Chorale to combine their theoretical knowledge of teaching singing with the practical application of assessing and critiquing students in a one-on-one setting. This experience of helping the young singers “find their best voice,” as Roemer puts it, is one they are eager to reprise in the upcoming 2024 semester.
Roemer, a native of Wisconsin, attended the University of Wisconsin, Whitewater, got his undergraduate degree in voice performance and his master’s degree in opera performance from University of Wisconsin, Madison, which is where he met his wife, Jennifer. Roemer freelanced as a singer and pianist in Chicago, and helped with a high school program to bring music from outside sources. He has served as an accompanist and a director. The couple relocated a year and a half ago so Dr. D’Agostino could accept a position at Georgia Southern.
In addition to directing the chorale, Roemer stays busy with additional positions.
“I’m currently the director of music and organist at Trinity Episcopal Church; I took that over just a couple of months ago,” Roemer says. “In the daytime, I’m working on my computer coding and doing web development for a company out of Wisconsin. It keeps me busy.”
Roemer plans to get the word out about the Statesboro Youth Chorale with the hopes of expanding the group’s performance opportunities. He also hopes to restore the chorale to numerous members, so the singers can focus on voice activities tailored to their age and experience.
“In the past, the youth chorale has split up into two groups, so one would be the younger kids, maybe 6 to 8, and a more age-appropriate repertoire for the higher elementary/middle school age. We rehearse all together, and we’re just trying that out until we get enough to split up again and provide a more challenging repertoire for the older age group,” Roemer says.
The Statesboro Youth Chorale meets at Pittman Park United Methodist Church in the choir room from 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM every Monday Bulloch County Schools is in session.
“They’ve been very gracious in hosting us and having us there,” Roemer says.
The Statesboro Youth Chorale teaches children to read music and cultivate their voices as well as giving them strategies they can continue to use as they develop their innate instrument.
“My goal is through having fun they’re able to learn how to read the music, so it becomes a joy; it becomes something that they can carry through life; it’s a skill and it’s not just a talent and I think that an important thing to know at a young age that they see that they could learn the skill and I think that’s what I’m interested in is getting music in front of them and challenging them but also having fun.”
Roemer has a long-term vision for the group of young singers.
“I think once we get big enough and are able to do some more challenging repertoires that I’d be interested in going to different festivals where they would invite different choirs and participate in different workshops like that. I think it would be a great experience for the students just to sing somewhere else and be exposed to other people who also are singing; I think that’s a cool thing,” Roemer says.
The group starts rehearsals on January 22, and they can offer two full scholarships courtesy of Ogeechee OBGYN, which will cover the cost of the entire semester.
For more information on the Statesboro Youth Chorale, please email Michael Roemer at [email protected], or visit their Facebook page “Statesboro Youth Chorale.”
