Leesville Road High Chorus Named Area’s Top Youth Chorus
May 1, 2008 - Capital Pride, the honors vocal ensemble of Leesville Road High celebrated today as they were named the winner of the Triangle Youth Chorus Trophy for 2008. The group, directed by Diane Covington, is an auditioned choir of 42 juniors and seniors. Covington receives check of $750, part of the prize for winning the Triangle Youth Chorus Trophy. |
 Diane Covington directs chorus for a number they sing in thanks to judges who presented them the Triangle Youth Chorus Trophy and their brand new t-shirts. |
The Leesville students were surprised with a visit by Carol Robbins of Triangle Sings, Trophy Board advisory members and chorus teacher Joe Lupton and his students from Jordan High in Durham County, who won the trophy last year and brought it into Covington’s classroom today, placing it on her piano.
“We were very surprised,” said Covington. “The award is verification of the fact of how great these students are, how much they’ve worked, how hard they worked their discipline and their skill level. I am extremely proud of them.”
Robbins presented Covington a $750 cash grant to use for the choir, its members or the school’s choral music department. Capital Pride received the opportunity for a professional recording from engineer/photographer Mark Manring and a $300 credit for purchase of music from Hinshaw Music Company. Each choir member received a Trophy T-shirt.
Capital Pride and four Triangle groups receiving honorable mention will be featured at 8 a.m. on “Great Sacred Music” on WCPE-FM, on Sunday, May 11th. All five choirs will participate in individual master classes at their schools with distinguished area conductors later in 2008. The four Triangle groups receiving honorable mention include Millbrook High School’s Madrigal Singers, Chapel Hill High School’s Chamber Choir, Durham School of the Arts’ Advanced Women’s Choir and Durham County’s Northern High School Knight Sounds.
“Most of these students have worked with me for three or four years at this point,” said Covington. “They have been working on their vocal technique, on music reading and on exposure to different types of music and appreciation of different types of music. That makes us able at this point in their lives to be able to do the level of music that we able to do and to enjoy it.”
Capital Pride studies and performs a richly varied choral repertoire of classical works and contemporary compositions; it has sung at numerous school and community events. Diane Covington founded the group when she became Leesville Road High’s choral director in 1994, the school’s second year of operation; her choral department now includes three ensembles and 180 singers. Capital Pride has received consistent Superior ratings when participating at local and national music festivals. Earlier this school year, the group was invited to be part of the Inaugural London International Choral Festival. In London, they presented a concert of their own and joined in a Westminster Cathedral performance of John Rutter’s Requiem, conducted by the composer.
Established in 2004, the Youth Chorus Trophy is presented each spring to a school choir in Wake, Durham, Orange or Chatham County. The purpose is to encourage and promote choral singing in the public schools, and to recognize the achievements of local youth ensembles and music educators.
An Advisory Board of educators, conductors, reviewers, singers and choral enthusiasts evaluates written material and performances to select the winner. They focus on musical excellence and other accomplishments – such as the choir's development, and its impact on members, the school and the community.
Previous winners include the Sandpipers of Sanderson High School, directed by Marshall Butler; Raleigh’s Chamber Choir of Enloe High School, directed by Ann Huff; Jordansound of C.E Jordan High School in Durham, conducted by Joe Lupton.
More information about the Triangle Youth Chorus Trophy and Triangle Sings is available at www.trianglesings.org
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