Rainier Youth Choirs is a community-based organization in the Seattle area (Kent, Washington), offering children’s choirs and youth choirs for boys and girls in grades 3 through college. Members come from Covington, Kent, Maple Valley, Enumclaw, Auburn, Federal Way, Renton and surrounding areas. Each chorus reflects the evolving needs of students of different ages and musical development. The goal for the organization is to establish a world-class choral performance and music education program for children, emphasizing the development of vocal skills and music understanding through diverse, high-quality choral literature and an underlying reliance upon Kodály methods of teaching music. Our mission is to provide instruction designed to guide singers to attain the highest level of artistry in choral performance and music appreciation through an affordable program. It is our firm belief that all who qualify should be able to participate. RYC is a subsidiary of the non-profit choral organization, Rainier Choral Arts, which celebrated its 25th year by adding this exciting new youth choir component to their already successful adult program in the fall of 2007.
As well as presenting three major concerts throughout the school year, other community performances are scheduled regularly for each group. The Argosy Christmas Ship Festival will again include performances by the Concert Choir and Ensemble in 2008. Our Concert Choir will participate in the Pacific Rim Children’s Choral Festival in Hawaii in July 2009. The Concert Choir is featured on a CD being produced by the United Nations singing the theme song, “We Sing for the Children” by local composer, Janice Hannesson Moen, and with narration provided by Clay Aiken. Proceeds from the CD go to UNICEF. (Ordering information here.)
