PUC’s Department of Music Hosts Unforgettable Festival

From March 5-8, Pacific Union College hosted nine academies for their music festival, with 171 students participating in the orchestra, choir, and wind ensemble. Schools that attended were:

• Central Valley Christian Academy
• Fresno Adventist Academy
• Lodi Academy
• Monterey Bay Academy
• Paradise Adventist Academy
• Pleasant Hill Adventist Academy
• PUC Preparatory School
• Rio Lindo Academy
• Ukiah Junior Academy

After the visiting students had settled in, the music festival commenced. During the week, students had six hours of rehearsals and sectionals each day preparing for Saturday’s performances.

Rachelle Berthelsen Davis, department of music chair and strings director, directed the Festival Orchestra, while Ronnie Zanella, department of music choral director, led the Festival Choir, and Will DeWitt, music teacher at Linda Vista Elementary School, conducted the Festival Wind Ensemble. Professional musicians from the community also coached sectional rehearsals alongside PUC music students, and academy teachers attending the festival.

While the primary purpose of the festival was for students to join together through music, the festival also featured its first-ever Showcase Concert: an opportunity for academy musicians to perform from their respective repertoires to show other schools the music they're working on. The Showcase ended with PUC ensembles performing for the academy students. Due to its popularity, PUC's department of music will include this Showcase at future music festivals.

Another modification the department of music included this year and will continue was combining high school and college students for vespers and church praise teams. The academy students enjoyed having mentors and helping lead worship in a college environment.

Outside of rehearsals, academy students had several opportunities to get a glimpse of the PUC experience. Activities included going on a guided trail run, attending a film screening and following Q&A, games and food, and campus interest sessions allowing a glimpse into the different academic departments.

"Our goal with this festival is not just to provide the students with a PUC music experience, but to expand their idea of what PUC is as a whole—to give them the chance to see themselves on this campus as a college student," said festival coordinator Becky St. Clair.

St. Clair shared that to achieve this goal, they asked the School of Nursing & Emergency Services, the School of Arts, Humanities, and Professional Studies, and the School of Sciences each to deliver a two-hour session on one afternoon for high school students interested in their programs.

"All three schools went above and beyond and created incredible experiences for these academy students," shared St. Clair. "Every single department had the chance to be featured and interact with the students interested in their discipline, with presentations, hands-on activities, and engagement with professors."

In the department of communication academy students tried their hand at podcasting. Other academy students learned Hebrew in the department of theology, tried the flight simulator in the department of aviation, studied the connection between plants and sound in the department of biology, and saw the new Anatomage table in the School of Nursing’s advanced labs. Faculty from the department of education also offered a continuing education workshop for visiting teachers, which generated positive reviews.

As the final event day approached, the ensembles played music for the Sabbath morning service at PUC Church and performed a concert of their own in the evening. "The students worked so hard to put together their repertoire throughout two and a half days," said St. Clair. "My co-coordinator Lewis Govea (PUC alum '21 and former enrollment counselor) and I noticed a marked difference between Wednesday evening’s rehearsal and Sabbath morning’s warm-ups, and it was so exciting to hear the growth happening throughout the festival."

From encouraging directors to supportive teachers and dedicated students, the music festival was a great success. Parents expressed gratitude to PUC for providing an excellent opportunity for their kids, and attendees shared they’ve never had such a positive festival experience like this one.

PUC's next music festival will be in 2027. Stay up-to-date by visiting puc.edu/music-festival.