Valley Conservatory celebrates silver jubilee with free Lyceum concert at UAH

HUNTSVILLE – For a quarter of a century, Valley Conservatory has sought to grow musicians through programs designed to develop mind, body and character. To celebrate the milestone, the studio that began as a home undertaking is hosting a jubilee. The event is open and free to the public.

Valley Conservatory says its 25th anniversary concert marks two-plus decades of “providing cultural enrichment from the heart of Huntsville through the Tennessee Valley.’’ The special Lyceum concert is scheduled for April 28 at 3:30 p.m. in Roberts Recital Hall on the campus of the University Alabama in Huntsville.

Founded by Dr. Beatrice Renee Collins in 1997, Valley Conservatory began as a home studio teaching violin, viola, and piano. By April 1998, the home studio began to grow and now has music service centers with programs in two locations – Huntsville and Brownsboro. Valley Conservatory has 400-plus students.

Valley Conservatory’s mission is to “Develop Better People Through the Medium of Music”  by teaching the aesthetics and technical aspects of music and providing concepts and principles from an academic, spiritual, and social realm.

Since its inception, the Valley Conservatory has exposed thousands of students and music lovers to the classical arts, and is a catalyst for cultural change, enlightenment, and opportunity. 

Conservatory services offered:

• Music lessons in piano, strings, brass, woodwinds, percussion, voice, guitar, and ukulele      from Pre-K to Adult students
• Music education programs, both extra-curricular and academic 
• Learning and exploration of the Arts through camps and workshops
• Customized art experiences for after school programs 
• Concerts, which include Lyceums, Jam sessions, VC Early Music Festival, and other Exhibits offered to the public
• Valley Conservatory Booking Agency – musicians for hire for any type of event or occasion
• Valley Conservatory Recording Studio

The 25th Anniversary Celebration Concert will include Baroque, Classical, Jazz, Art Songs and Spirituals, and will spotlight three of our students, all from different academic levels, accompanied by Valley Conservatory Lyceum Orchestra. They will be performing the 1st Movement of Beethoven’s Triple Concerto conducted by Dr. Renee Collins.

Concert featured soloist:

• Joshua Gaston – pianist, sophomore at Madison County Virtual Academy
• Emma Boyd – violinist, a junior at The New England Conservatory in Boston, majoring in violin performance
• Esther Benjamin – cellist, pursuing her doctorate degree in cello performance from the Hart School of Music in Hartford Connecticut.
•  Additional featured performers will be Dr. Iris Hankins, Soprano, and The Devere Pride Jazz Trio. Works by Corelli, Strauss, Rodgers & Hammerstein, and Pride will also be included.

The Valley Conservatory Lyceum Series encourages dialogue between artists and audience. Additional Information regarding this concert can be found at https://www.valleyconservatory.com/vc-25-anniversary.html or by calling 256-534-3131.