The ninth annual WinterSongs concert, which raises money for the Shelter for Help in Emergency, will once again host an audience after years of being livestreamed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The concert, which will feature performances by eight local schools, will take place on Saturday, February 25, at 5 p.m. in the Monticello High School auditorium. The performance also will be livestreamed.
WinterSongs brings together women’s choruses from schools in Albemarle and Louisa counties as well as Charlottesville for a stirring program that culminates with 200 vocalists on stage for the finale. Since its debut in 2015, WinterSongs has raised more than $30,000 to assist women in crisis in the local area.
“We are so happy to finally be able to safely welcome an audience back to our ninth WinterSongs performance,” said Craig Jennings, who directs the choral program at Burley Middle School. “Students are excited to be able to share this important event, which has always been a student-driven effort to uplift the community, with their loved ones. This annual tradition began at a time when there was tremendous concern over incidents of violence against women in Charlottesville, and our students wanted to use art to inform as well as to raise money for the Shelter for Help in Emergency. Welcoming an audience back into the room will tremendously energize all of these efforts,” he said.
Joining the Burley Bearettes Treble Chorus a week from tomorrow will be Albemarle High School’s Advanced Women’s Ensemble and No Fella A Cappella, Monticello High School’s Women’s Chorus, as well as Charlottesville High School’s Knightengales and vocalists from Louisa High School, Lakeside Middle School, Buford Middle School, and Walker Upper Elementary School. Each choral group will perform songs prepared over the last few months, followed by an ensemble performance of Jess Glynne’s 2018 song, “I’ll Be There.”
There is no admission charge to attend the concert, but tax-deductible donations to the Shelter for Help in Emergency are encouraged. The Shelter’s mission is to end domestic violence in the community by “providing a safe, supportive, confidential and respectful environment” that empowers survivors of domestic violence. Each year it provides services to more than 400 adults and children.
The concert also coincides with Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month. Each year, 1.5 million high school students nationwide experience physical abuse from a dating partner. The National Resource Center on Domestic Violence has established online resources to promote healthy dating practices and greater community involvement in prevention at https://nrcdv.org/.
Earlier on Saturday, the Shelter will conduct a series of workshops for the participating vocalists at Monticello High School on building healthy self-esteem, creating awareness about messages that erode self-esteem, and developing strategies to counter those messages.
More information can be found at https://wintersongs.org/. Those who would like to watch the concert via livestream can do so through the following link: http://streaming.k12albemarle.org/ACPS/acpsevents.htm.
CONTACT: Helen Dunn, Deputy Public Affairs and Strategic Communications Officer
PHONE: 434-249-8379