The ACHS Chamber Choir will be performing two concerts this weekend with the Vallejo Symphony at the Empress Theatre.

Galen Kusic, Editor

The Vallejo Symphony is hosting its Concert III-Profound on March 30 and March 31 at the Empress Theatre in Vallejo. The Symphony and conductor Marc Taddei will be performing Beethoven, Leonore Overture No. 3, Sibelius, Symphony No. 7 and Faure, Requiem.

This is a special concert that will feature soloists Shawnette Sulker, soprano and Brad Walker, baritone. Alongside the Symphony will be the American Canyon High School (ACHS) Chamber Choir, directed by Music Director Jamie Butler. The ACHS Choral program is now in it’s ninth year since Butler left Napa High School to start the program at American Canyon.

This will be the first time the ACHS Chamber Choir has performed with the Vallejo Symphony and the students and Butler are excited for the opportunity.

“This is the first time our program has done something like this,” said Butler.

Jaime Butler is the Choir Director at American Canyon High School and has significantly grown the program in it’s nine years of existence.

ACHS Choirs have quickly earned a reputation for excellence on and off of the risers. Choirs at every level, from beginning to advanced, consistently earn top honors at the Napa Valley Choral Classic, California Music Educators Association Festivals and Worldstrides Music Festivals. ACHS’ top performance groups, Chamber Choir and Public Display of A Cappella (PDA), frequently perform at local charity events and festivals in the Bay Area.

Butler notes that a couple years back a colleague asked to sit in on a choir rehearsal. That resulted in an invite this past summer to perform in March with the Vallejo Symphony and Butler and the students were ecstatic.

The program started out in 2010 with just 63 students, but has grown to six different performing ensembles and 340 students. The ACHS Chamber Choir is made up of juniors and seniors who form the leadership of not just the choral program, but the school.

“It’s been a great challenge,” said Butler, who commends his students for being the backbone of the program and setting an example for the next group of choral students. “They’ve (students) helped a lot with recruiting. The goal is to get kids in middle school to see them perform and say, ‘I want to do that one day.’ It’s a program that helps sustain itself and attract the next generation of kids.”

Soprano soloist Shawnette Sulker will be performing with the Vallejo Symphony this weekend.

Along with their schoolwork, most of the students participate in school athletics and hold part-time jobs. Butler notes that his students have worked hard on this performance, building up their stamina by working on correct posture, standing for long periods and leg workouts. Students have been working hard on this performance since last fall.

Butler would like to especially thank Notes for Education, a non-profit that bought the scores of music for the students to read. The students will be able to keep the scores as a memory of their hard work. Without the $500 contribution, the program and students would have had to find a way to fund this necessary expenditure.

“We are so grateful to them,” said Butler. “The ACHS Chamber Choir is beyond excited and honored to collaborate and share the stage with the Vallejo Symphony Orchestra, our fabulous soloists and our amazing conductor, Maestro Taddei. This is rare for a high school. We hope to knock it out of the park.”

The first concert will be on March 30 at 8 p.m. and the second performance will be on March 31 at 3 p.m. For tickets and more information please visit www.vallejosymphony.org or call (707) 643-4441.

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