NWS & Grove City

New Word Singers and Grove City High School
April 24th, 5:00 PM
Gethsemane Lutheran Church

Presented with generous support from:
The Greater Columbus Arts Council, The Ohio Arts Council, and The Columbus Foundation

Harmonia
Ann Johnson, director
Brennan Harris, piano

Hexenlied (Witches’ Song)…………………………………………………………….………Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
My True Love Has My Heart (Sir Philip Sidney 1554-1586)………………………………………………..Eugene Butler
You Are the Song (poem by Robert Bode)………………………………………………………………………Jacob Narverud
Las Amarillas (Traditional Mexican)………………………………………………………………………arr. Stephen Hatfield

New World Singers
Jeanne Wohlgamuth, director
Nate Terry, piano

Ascribe to the Lord…………………………………………………………………………………………………..Rosaphyne Powell
Ave Maria………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………Zoltán Kodály
Walk Together Children………………………………………………………………………………………………arr. Stacey Gibbs
Goin’ Up a Yonder……………………………………………………………………………………………………….Walter Hawkins
Things that Never Die……………………………………………………………………………………………………..Eleanor Daley

Ann Johnson, Director of Choral Activities
Grove City High School

​Ann received her Bachelor of Vocal Music Education (B.M.E.) from Ohio Wesleyan University and Master of Music Education (M.M.) with Kodaly Certification from The Kodaly Institute at Capital University. Her career has spanned many facets in and out of the classroom. She is an Adjudicator for the Ohio Music Education Association (OMEA) and has served on the Ohio Choral Directors Association (OCDA) Board.

The choirs under the direction of Ms. Johnson have consistently received Superior ratings and various awards at regional and state level OMEA Adjudicated events and show choir competitions.  Throughout the last decade Ann has served as a Presider for the OMEA Professional Development Conference and Regional Conductor for the OMEA All-State Choir. For the past three years Ann has served on the OMEA adjudicated events repertoire selection committee.

She enjoys serving as a Substitute Conductor for the Columbus Children’s Chorus New World Singers. She spent a summer studying choral methods at the Juilliard School in New York City. 

For multiple years Ms. Johnson has served as a Regional Conductor for the OMEA All-State Choir.  She has been a finalist nominee for the Columbus Symphony Orchestra Music Educator of the Year and the Columbus Parent Educator of the Year awards  Her choirs have been selected to perform for the OMEA Professional Development Conference virtuallyand in-person.  This summer the Grove City advanced choirs will present a solo concert on the Carnegie Hall stage.

Prior to her appointment at Grove City High School, Ann served as the Director of Choirs at Whitehall Yearling and Buckeye Valley High Schools both in the Central Ohio are.  While at both schools she grew the programs in numbers and began competitive show choirs.  She enhanced the concert choir programs from beginning to advanced receiving consistent “Superior” ratings at OMEA adjudicated events.

Ms. Johnson is honored to work with the students of the GCHS Vocal Music program and help them achieve all of their various accomplishments and continued hard work and dedication to excellence.

Jeanne Wohlgamuth, Artistic Director
Columbus Children’s Choir

Throughout her forty year career, Jeanne has been a tireless advocate for children at all levels from kindergarten through collegiate. She recently retired from Dublin Jerome High School as Director of Choirs and Performing Arts Chair and currently serves as the Artistic Director of the Columbus Children’s Choir where she oversees the artistic vision of the organization and directs New World Singers, the top performing ensemble, and Una Voce. Throughout her public school career Jeanne’s Class A middle school and AA high school choirs have earned an unprecedented twenty-two years of straight ones on the performance floor and in the sight-reading room during their appearance at the Ohio Music Educator’s Large Group Adjudicated Event.

In 2019, under her direction, New World Singers won the American Prize, a national award celebrating American excellence in the arts. Both her Jerome choirs and New World Singers have had the honor of performing for the Ohio Music Educator’s State Conference, the Organization of American Kodály Educator’s National Conference, and the Ohio Choral Director’s Summer Conference. Both groups have traveled internationally performing for audiences in Austria, Hungary, Germany, and Spain. The New World Singers have sung with the Vienna Boy’s Choir, were featured performers at the Granada International Music and Dance Festival in Granada, Spain, and the demonstration/performance choir for the International Kodaly Seminar in Kecskemét, Hungary.

New World Singers and Una Voce recently participated in the Rimini International Choral Competition where both groups were awarded first place in their division and invited to sing in the final Gran Prix competition. Una Voce was honored to win the Gran Prix and earned the title of best choir of the competition.

Ms. Wohlgamuth serves as President-Elect of the Ohio Choral Director’s Association, Vocal Affairs Chair for the Ohio Music Education Association, and sits on the repertoire and resources committee for the Ohio Choral Directors Association as the Community Children’s Choir Resource and Repertoire Chair. She has served as the Secondary Choral Advisor, National Children’s Choir Coordinator and Secretary for the Organization of American Kodály Educators as well as holding the office of Treasurer for the Tri-City Kodály Music Educators and Creative Affairs Chair for the Ohio Music Education Association. In addition, Jeanne has served as quest clinician for the Indiana Elementary All-State Honor Choir and numerous district high school and middle school honor choirs throughout Ohio.

Ms. Wohlgamuth is proud to be the recipient of the 2021 Best Choral Conductor of the Rimini International Choral Competition and the Professor Beneta Vicheva International Conductor’s Mastery Award, the 2020 National Teacher of the Year from the Organization of Kodaly Music Educators as well as the Teacher of the Year award from Dublin Jerome High School, Karrer Middle School, Wright Elementary, and Bowen Elementary School in Kentwood, Michigan. She was also honored with the Golden Shamrock Award for Excellence in Education from Dublin City Schools and the Community Champion Award presented by the Dublin Chamber of Commerce. In 2021 she was inducted into theDublin Jerome High School Hall of Fame and in 2023 Ms. Wohlgamuth will lead her first choral festival/residency at Carnegie Hall with singers from around the United States.