History

Founded in 2003 by Artistic Director Emerita Peggy Spool and a group of dedicated parents, Vivace Youth Chorus is a high-quality choral music education organization that has grown from four choirs and one summer program to eight choirs, four summer programs, and several music enrichment programs. Each program balances age-appropriate vocal training, music literacy and theory, and performance practice, while providing exposure to various world musics and musical genres. 

Vivace’s pedagogical approach is based on the Kodály concept, developed in the mid-20th Century by Zoltán Kodály specifically to improve the music education of children and recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural organization as an “intangible cultural heritage.” It allows students to progress naturally from our training choirs to our advanced performing ensembles. Children at the youngest levels benefit from our structured and fun way of teaching music through games. Before we put musical notes on a staff, students play with high and low sounds (the melodic contour) on their bodies, on their fingers and with cloth stars. Students gain a fluent and natural relationship to the rhythms we teach in dances and clapping games. Once these concepts are thoroughly understood, we introduce musical symbols and give the concepts names. In this way, the knowledge "sticks."

Vivace’s advanced performing ensembles frequently participate in artistic collaborations, choral festivals, and international tours. Vivace regularly performs with the South Bay’s finest ensembles, including The Choral Project, San José Chamber Orchestra, Opera San José, San José Symphonic Choir, Peninsula Cantare, Resounding Achord, Nova Vista Symphony, and San José Wind Symphony. Recent collaborations have included performances of Vaughan William’s Hodie, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Rutter’s Mass of the Children, Bizet’s Carmen, Puccini’s La bohème, Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci, and A Charlie Brown Christmas with GRAMMY®-nominated pianist/composer/arranger David Benoit. In addition to collaborative performances, Vivace frequently sings at civic events, such as the City of San José’s Make Music Day and Experiments in Sound series.

Founder

Artistic Director Emerita Peggy Spool founded Vivace Youth Chorus in 2003. She has worked with youth choruses in the San Francisco Bay Area for over 25 years, including having prepared children’s choruses for Opera San José, San José Symphonic Choir, and Mission City Opera. Prior to founding Vivace, she was a music director at Cantabile Youth Singers in Los Altos, California. She maintains a private vocal studio, teaches the children’s choir at Stone Church of Willow Glen, and performs regularly with Resounding Achord.

Ms. Spool received a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Boston University, a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and a Certificate in Kodály Music Education from Holy Names University. She is a member of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) and has served as the Children’s Repertoire and Resources Chair for both the California Choral Directors Association and the Western Division States ACDA. She is also a member of National Teachers of Singing and the Organization of American Kodály Educators.