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By Rose Hooper
"It was the opportunity of a lifetime," Haven Stephens
of Cullowhee said of the Voices in the Laurel Youth Choir performance
at Dollywood.
The choir, composed of youth from Haywood, Jackson and Swain counties,
served as the opening act for Dolly Parton in the Dollywood Christmas
Show during three performances in December.
Stephens, second soprano and daughter of Chet and Vickie Stephens,
said she never imagined she would "perform with someone as
well known as Dolly."
The
Swain and Jackson County contingent of Voices in the Laurel Youth
Choir gathered backstage at Dollywood to prepare for their opening
act for Dolly Parton. From left are, (front) Abby Jones and Courtney
Hornbuckle, Jackson; John White, Swain; Rebecca Snow, Jackson;
(back) John Baldwin, Jackson; Carrie Crisp, Swain; Kitty Taylor,
Emily Odiear and Haven Stephens, Jackson; Rachel Kolodski, Swain;
and Kaitlin Blaylock, Jackson. The choir's remaining members are
from Haywood County.
The concert was a fund raiser for the Dollywood
Foundation's major project, Imagination Library. In participating
communities this program provides one book a month for registered
children from birth to age 5 for a total of 60 books per child.
The millionth book was distributed the day before the first concert.
"This was an incredible opportunity for our choir,"
said Voices in the Laurel artistic director Martha Youngwood.
"I had a message from David Dotson, the director of the Dollywood
Foundation, on Nov. 6. When I returned his call the next day he
asked if the Youth Choir would be interested in performing in
three concerts on Dec. 12 and 13. If so, the choir would need
to submit a recording for review."
"We
were treated like royalty," members of the Voices in the Laurel
Youth Choir said of their performances at Dollywood. The choir,
shown here with Dolly Parton, center, served as the star's opening
act during three holiday performances.
When Youngwood indicated that the choir would be
interested, Dotson replied that he had checked the Web site and
saw from the performance schedule that the choir was available.
Intrigued that Dotson had visited the site, Youngwood asked how
the foundation knew about Voices in the Laurel. Dotson said that
a fan club member had posted that Dolly had signed an apron for
the Voices in the Laurel's fall benefit. He looked into it and
visited the Voices website and was impressed.
Youngwood mailed their most recent CD that very day, which was
a Friday. By Tuesday they were working out details to open Dolly's
concert.
"It was an incredible experience," said Anne-Marie Jones
of Sylva, whose daughter Abby sings alto. "We'd been to Dollywood
as a family to ride the rides and do the theme park, but this
time we were treated like royalty."
The highlight for many choristers was attending the VIP reception
where they got to meet and have their photo taken with Dolly.
"I was really surprised that Dolly took time out for us and
how personable she was," said choir president Shannon Mimms,
niece of Jeff Harlow of Sylva.
Several parents reported they could see Dolly backstage singing
along as the choir sang on stage.
"When she came out on the stage Dolly told them, ‘You
guys are great!'" said Jones.
"Dolly not only talked about how talented and professional
they were on stage, but how well behaved they were as a group,"
said parent Vickie Stephens.
"When the choir exited the stage Dolly turned to the audience
and said, ‘Ain't they sweet?" Jones said.
"I expected the audience to be tolerant - polite at best.
I mean, they were waiting for Dolly Parton to come out.
But they were great. Their applause was amazing and they even
whistled," said Young-wood.
The musical set worked out between Youngwood and Dollywood production
manager Paul Couch included The Bells, This Little Babe, a medley
of Away in a Manger and Silent Night and Carol of the Bells.
"The audience loved composer David Elliott's rendition of
Jingle Bells and a medley called Yule Be Swingin', which included
Holly Jolly Christmas, Let It Snow, and Rockin' Around the Christmas
Tree. Each performance ended with Let There Be Peace on Earth,
which resulted in tumultuous applause" Youngwood said.
Alto Michael Burson said that what he would always remember about
the trip was "how the people treated us like the main show."
When asked what the choir gained from the experience at Dollywood,
Youngwood said that "the level of professionalism we had
to rise to was a great challenge and a turning point for Voices
in the Laurel. We have always offered good choral music training,
but we had to rise to superstar standards. It was an educational
experience to be tied to a rigorous schedule, high performance
standards, and to be in the company of a celebrity. It was a true
honor and a chance of a lifetime."
For more information about Voices in the Laurel, call (828) 926-0568.
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