News : VS choir invited to Music Festival at Wisconsin Shrine; fund-raising begins

A new fund-raising effort has begun in order to help the Vinton-Shellsburg Chamber Choir to cover the expenses of a trip to Wisconsin in the spring of 2016.

VSHS Choir Director Michala Martin explains the concert, and how it came to pass after a V-S choir performance last year.

"Last winter, at our annual Onalaska contest, the choir inspired someone -- this someone happened to be Andrew Brannon, the financial director of the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in LaCrosse, Wisc., who stopped me after our performance just to beg me to stop by the Shrine on our way home the next day and sing in the big church," says Martin. "He thought they were wonderful and knew their sound would be perfect in that space. He was not wrong! We did stop, and we had an amazing experience that none of us will soon forget. That one moment set in motion a chain of events that led to the Shrine developing a new Music Festival, which we have been asked to attend since we were a large inspiration for the event. This takes place in April, and we're really looking forward to going."

The event's official title is the Guadalupe Festival of Sacred Music.

But because the choir department has already planned other trips for this year, there is a need for extra fund-raising efforts for the Wisconsin event.

This week, the choir has begun a Yankee Candle fund-raising campaign, and would also welcome donations for the trip.

To order a candle, contact any choir member or email Martin at michala.martin@vscsd.org

If you'd rather order online, visit the website below and your order can be shipped directly to your door! https://www.yankeecandlefundraising.com/ Once at this site, scroll down to the tan box that says Start Shopping and enter the following group # - 990038068. Once there, you can order away and 40% of your order will go directly to the VSHS Chamber Choir.