Just a few weeks ago, two local students from Union and Caldwell, West Virginia enjoyed an experience not shared by many… performing live, onstage, at Carnegie Hall in the busy heart of New York City.  Sarah Miller, a 2017 graduate of Greenbrier East High School, and Maddie Mohler, a 2019 graduate of James Monroe High School, took to the stage at Carnegie as members of the Radford Singers, a by-audition-only all girl collegiate choir of Radford University.  Both girls are currently majoring in Music Therapy at Radford. (Pictured above:  Maddie Mohler, left, of Union, and Sarah Miller, of Caldwell)

At the famed New York City music venue, the forty-member Radford Singers participated in a National Concerts program entitled, “What is Home?” They opened the program by performing three selections on their own.  After performances by two additional groups, the Radford Singers then participated in five additional vocal selections as part of a large ensemble choir which also included students from Asbury University Women’s Choir, Wilmore, Kentucky; the Harvard-Westlake Chorus, Studio City, CA; the Franklin Vocal Women, Elk Grove, CA; and the Mt. Mansfield High School Women’s Madrigals, of Jericho, VT.

While in the Big Apple, the Radford students also had the opportunity to attend an opera at the Metropolitan Opera House, take in a Broadway Show, and visit Times Square, Central Park, and other attractions in Uptown and Downtown Manhattan.

Sarah is the daughter of Ken and Janet Miller, of Caldwell.  Maddie is the daughter of Craig and Susan Mohler, of Union; and the granddaughter of Dale Mohler, of Union.  The two girls first met three years ago when as high school students, both were selected for the WV All-State Honor Choir and performed together in Charleston.

The Radford Singers are conducted by Dr. Meredith Bowen who, in addition to being Director of Choral Music at Radford, also serves on the faculty for the Virginia Governor’s School for Visual and Performing Arts and Humanities.  She holds a Masters and a Doctorate in choral conducting from Michigan State University.

– Craig Mohler w/ The Monroe Watchman. March 2020.

The Monroe Watchman is a weekly newspaper in Union, West Virginia, USA covering local news, sports, business and community events. The newspaper is published once a week on Thursday.