YOCNE was established in February of
2005 by Founder and Artistic Director,
Marie Stultz and is dedicated to the highest quality music education in both opera performance and choral music of children ages 8-18.
YOCNE began its first season with an ambitious performance of highlights of Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro in April of 2005 at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Andover, MA. They continued their busy season with an appearance at Andover Day with highlights from Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado.
During their Summer Vocal and Opera Workshop in July, they performed the touching opera Brundibar by Hans Krasa, which was first performed in the concentration camp at Terezin. They repeated their performance of Brundibar in August, with the Jewish music authority and renowned conductor and composer Robert DeCormier.
In August, 2005 YOCNE was the demonstration choir for the Choral Excellence Institute for choral professionals, directed by Piero Bonamico. They concluded with another stunning performance of The Marriage of Figaro.
For their holiday concert in November , they performed the opera Amahl and the Night Visitors and a selection of Christmas Carols at the historic Methuen Memorial Music Hall. In February 2006, they were again a demonstration choir in New York City at the ACDA Convention. In March, 2006 YOCNE performed Brundibar at Northeastern University and again during Holocaust week in April at Temple Emanuel in Andover. In December, 2006 The Young Classical Singers performed Uma's Journey under the direction of Richard Pittman.
In 2007 we were invited to perform Brundibar for the Jewish Federation of New Hampshire. We also added a one hour adaptation of Mozart's The Magic Flute to our repertoire, and were hired by Hillside Boy's School to perform Amahl & the Night Visitors as part of their education curriculum. We closed 2007 with another performance of Amahl as well as a Choral concert. In the spring of 2008, we were invited to perform in the Andover Events and ended the season with a performance of The Marriage of Figaro.
To begin the fall season in 2009 we were honored to perform the world premiere of an amazing new opera - The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by the up and coming composing couple, Dr. Mark & Alyssa Volker.
For our summer workshop in 2010 we were honored to collaborate with the New England Conservatory and put on a production of Mozart's The Magic Flute in Jordan Hall.
MARIE STULTZ has devoted her life to the training of young singers in the classics. A published composer as well as the author of Innocent Sounds~Building Choral Tone and Artistry in Your Childrens Choir~A Personal Journey, she is a leading authority on training treble voices. She has created an extensive choral literature website, Choral Literature for Treble Voices: Your Guide to the Worlds Finest Choral Literature for Choral Excellence. Stultz edits the choral series, Innocent Sounds for Treble Chorus, for Morning Star Music Publishers. She is the choral researcher at Spectrum Music in Lexington, MA, and has written for the quarterly newsletter, The Choral Room, for over 25 years. She is the Founder of three major arts organizations in the greater Boston area; The Treble Chorus of New England; The Young Opera Company of New England; and The Young Classical Singers. Stultz has received many commissions, including choral music with orchestra and chamber works, which have been performed worldwide. She has written numerous articles for music periodicals and has received an ASCAP recognition award every year since 1996. In June of 2002, she received the Teacher Recognition Award from the Presidential Scholars Program and the National Department of Education. She just recently received her second citation from the Massachusetts State Senate in recognition of her contribution to the arts. In 2006, she made treble voiced literature presentations at the ACDA Eastern and Southern Division Conventions and conducted the Georgia All State Middle School Girls Honor Choir. She has made numerous guest conducting appearances throughout the US and in Europe and now offers workshops worldwide. A proud member of the Andover Rotary Club, she has recently been awarded and recognized as a Paul Harris Fellow.
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Conducting Review of Marie Stultz
Maine District One Honors Festival: January, 2011
High School Treble Choir
"Ms. Stultzs work with our honors festival treble choir was nothing short of exceptional. In two short days, she fostered a warm, encouraging
rehearsal environment, all while demanding no less than 100% effort from the ensemble. Her selection of a challenging program, extensive knowledge of the treble voice, and infectious enthusiasm for beautiful singing translated into a stunning final performance."
Nathan Menefield, Choir Manager
