Alumni concert planned at PVHS

A few years ago, Nathan Bankert, current music teacher at Pequea Valley High School (PVHS), contacted Mark Williams, who served as PVHS music teacher from the 1970s until 2014. "I realized this is the last year on this stage," recalled Nathan. "I said, 'I have to do something.'" The PVHS stage and much of the building will be torn down after the fall 2025 move into the newly constructed high school and middle school located adjacent to the current building.

"There have been so many years of excellent singing on that stage," noted Nathan. "We've got to bring people back together to sing on that special stage one more time." Together with Williams, Nathan began a Facebook group called the Pequea Valley Choral Alumni Association, with the goal of gathering past graduates together for one "final big sing." "It seemed like people were really excited about getting together and singing together, so that's what this is," said Nathan.

The final concert in the PVHS auditorium, 4033 E. Newport Road, Kinzers, will take place on Saturday, May 10, at 4 p.m. The public is welcome to attend. A freewill offering will be received to offset costs.

Performers at the 90-minute concert will include more than 180 PVHS alumni - coming from as far west as Arizona and as far east as Maine - and members of the current PVHS Chamber Singers. The alumni who will be performing will have opportunities to practice the music individually and as a group prior to the event. Nathan noted that the selections will present the singers with plenty of challenges with regard to levels of difficulty. "Some of the music is tough," he stated. "These aren't simple little pieces."

Songs will be conducted by Peter Jarjisian, who taught at the school from 1970 to 1980; Williams; and Nathan, who has taught there since 2014. Each of the teachers will conduct a segment of the program.

"A lot of the pieces we've chosen are about the importance of music and singing in our lives," said Nathan, who noted that a selection he is conducting is called "Music of Stillness." "(The piece) talks about how powerful music can be," he said, noting that a similar song called "Sing Gently" will feature his mother, Dolly Bankert, on the piano.

Williams will conduct Daniel E. Gawthrop's "Sing Me to Heaven," a song he has conducted previously at the funerals of choir members. "One of the things we want to do is remember and honor those folks who aren't with us anymore," said Williams. "We will also have opportunities for people to write the names of the people they want to remember."

"One of the pieces (Jarjisian) will conduct has a solo that will be sung by current student (Madeline Heverin)," noted Williams.

Other songs that will be performed will include "The Irish Blessing," "That Lonesome Road," and the PVHS alma mater. "It will be a heartfelt honoring concert that will share the importance of music and camaraderie," said Nathan. "(We are planning) a beautiful (tribute) of the connections (between) all these people over the span of six decades."

The ties between students and faculty over the years culminating in this final concert struck a chord with Williams. "I student taught with my predecessor," said Williams, who served in that capacity in the fall of 1977. Williams had moved on to a teaching position in Columbia when Jarjisian left PVHS to pursue his doctoral degree. Williams took over and taught the children of Jarjisian's students, including Nathan and his cousins. "Nate's mother, aunt, and uncle all sang for my predecessor," said Williams. "There's all this connective tissue from 1970 through today."

Having spent so many years teaching music and overseeing musical productions at PVHS, Williams said he has "tons" of memories, but seeing the list of the students who will return to sing in the concert has brought back specific instances from the past. "I started looking at the names, and that's when the memories came back," he stated. "I can see a student getting on the bus on a trip or singing a particular piece." Williams is also able to connect students to certain performances. "The most important thing is that I'm able to tie the music or the event to that person because of the music," he said, specifically recalling the growth he saw in many students while dealing with the intricacies of staging a spring musical. "There are all the hassles associated with doing a musical, but then you see how a student has changed from day one of practice until opening night."

Now, Williams is looking forward to seeing those students at rehearsals and on the night of the concert. "When I look at this list, I can't wait to see this person who has grown up to be a successful adult because I remember when they were freshmen and I had to try to get them to do something (they needed to learn)."