A concert benefiting

Courtney Atack
Oregon resident, musician,
and mother of four with
terminal brain cancer
Featuring Courtney Atack, McNary
High School, Whiteaker Middle School,
Straub Middle School and Cantus
Youth Choirs

Friday, February 28, 2014 at 7pm

Salem Allliance Church

Instrumentalists: Matthew Albright, Hannah Anderson, Rachel Aus-

tin, Joshua Bonn, Selbie Christensen, Brett Cowan, Austin Epperly,
Drew Faatz, Ryan Halvorson, Hyrum Kohler, Marissa Lane-Masse,
Cassandra Jones, Ryan Lopez, Erika McCauley, Tyler McCoin, Mi-
chelle Pedersen, Camryn Ronnow, Emma Snyder, Kai Steele, Andy
and Ashton Thomas, Emily Wade, and Maddie Weathers
Program
It Takes A Village Joan Szymko Perfect P!nk, Arr. Value Vocals
All choirs, directed by Ryan Amend Cantus Youth Choirs

Give Us Hope Jim Papoulis Dreamer Courtney Atack

Whiteaker Middle School and Cantus Youth Choirs, directed by Melody Paskett Courtney Atack

Shalom, Pacem, Peace Ruth Elaine Schram Homeward Bound Arr. Mack Wilberg
Straub Middle School, directed by Ryan Amend Cantus Youth Choirs, directed by Keith McCauley

Mairi’s Wedding Traditional Scottish, Arr. Bob Chilcott Pilgrim Song Arr. Ryan Murphy
Straub Middle School, directed by Ryan Amend Cantus Youth Choirs, directed by Erika McCauley

Atlas Coldplay, Arr. Ryan Amend Only Hope Switchfoot

Straub Middle School, directed by Ryan Amend McNary High School

A medley of 3 ethnic pieces celebrating life and music The Song of Peace Olaf Christiensen
Whiteaker Middle School, directed by Andy Thomas McNary High School, directed by Jim Taylor

Bela Ma Ma Anonymous This Little Light of Mine Arr. Jésus Gomez

McNary High School, directed by Jim Taylor
Amavolovolo Jeffery Bier

Hiney May Tov Iris Levin How Can I Keep From Singing Arr. Gwyneth Walker
McNary High School, directed by Jim Taylor

Laudate Dominum Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Hope Will Lead Us On Jésus Gomez
Whiteaker Middle School, directed by Andy Thomas; Sydney Gould, solo McNary High School, directed by Jim Taylor

The Whole World is Singing Arr. Tom Anderson Somewhere Over The Rainbow Harold Arlen, arr. Jesus Gomez
Whiteaker Middle School, directed by Andy Thomas Courtney Atack and all choirs, directed by Jésus Gomez

Just The Way You Are/Just A Dream Arr. Deke Sharon Anyway Martina McBride, arr. Tom Anderson
Cantus Youth Choirs All choirs, directed by Michelle Pedersen; Kylie Linton, solo

It’s Time Imagine Dragons, Arr. Tom Anderson

Thank you for coming! Donations can be made at the will call desk before and
Cantus Youth Choirs
after the show AND online at cantusyouthchoirs.com/songsofhope.
 Courtney Atack is a talented singer and
musician versed in many different styles:
classical, opera, jazz, broadway, and folk.
Her beautiful contralto voice has a unique
and matchless appeal.
Atack has an undergraduate and a mas-
ter’s degree from Brigham Young University
in vocal performance and pedagogy. She
participated in several choirs including the
University Singers group, and has held star-
ring roles in a number of university operas
and productions including Carmen, La Tra-
viata, The Merry Wives of Windsor, The Mer-
ry Widow, Into the Woods, and Hansel and
Gretel. During college she also performed
and recorded with the band Sibling Revelry,
a folk-pop trio of harmonious siblings.
Her credits also include three television
appearances, multi-state radio play, being
the alto soloist in Handel’s Messiah, singing
of the national anthem at a Portland Trailblaz-
ers game, and a long list of popular venues
where she has performed.
In 2010, Atack was diagnosed with an in-
curable form of brain cancer. After surgery
and recovery, she has continued to sing and
perform music as part of her therapeutic
treatment and coping mechanism. It is from
this place that her most recent music emerg-
es. Though she keeps her schedule pretty
low-key, she regularly performs with Cántico:
The Portland Chamber Singers and with the
Millennium Jazz Dance Band based in Lake
Oswego, Oregon.
McNary High School, located in Keizer,
Oregon, has a tradition of choral excellence.
McNary choirs have received 1st place at
the OSAA State Choir Championships and
the Best in the Northwest Choir Competi-
tion. Its highly-recognized director of choirs,
Jim Taylor, was recently awarded the 2014
President’s Award by the Keizer Chamber
of Commerce. In addition to teaching at Mc-
Nary, Taylor is an active choral clinician and
sings in Male Ensemble Northwest. He com-
pleted his music education degree at West-
ern Oregon State College and his Master’s in
choral conducting at the University of Arizo-
na with Maurice Skones. Between receiving
his two degrees, he was Choral and Drama
Director at Seaside High School and Broad-
way Middle School. While at UA, he was an
Assistant Professor of Jazz Studies and di-
rector of Vocal Jazz and Jazz History.
Whiteaker Middle School choirs are
directed by Andy Thomas, who currently
teaches 6 choirs (340 singers) that perform
a variety of selections from pop/jazz to the
classical masters. Thomas received his
Bachelor’s in Music Education from Western
Oregon University, and his Master’s degree
from Portland State University. Before com-
ing to Whiteaker Middle School, he spent six
years in Monmouth/Independence teaching
sixth through twelfth grade choir and drama.
Notable accomplishments include placing
first or finalist at Best in the Northwest, Pleas-
ant Hill Jazz Festival, and Clackamas Jazz
Festival. Also top honors at festival Disney
and Heritage choir festivals.
Straub Middle School’s largest audi-
tioned vocal ensemble, Concert Choir, is
comprised of 7-8th graders. With five vocal
ensembles, three orchestras and four bands,
the music department enrolls over 50%
of the student body. Choir Director, Ryan
Amend has taught in the Salem Keizer Dis-
trict since 2008, and his professional career
as a music educator spans fourteen years.
Ryan holds a BA in Choral Music Education
from Whitworth University and a Masters in
Choral Conducting from Central Washington
University where he was also a Graduate
Teaching Assistant. He taught for two years
as at Marist Brothers International School
in Kobe, five years at Robert Service High
School in Anchorage, and four years at Keiz-
er Elementary. Ryan attributes the framework
and inspiration for his chosen career path to
the late Becky Muir who was his choir direc-
tor at Leslie Middle School.
Cantus Youth Choirs is a non-profit com-
munity choral program in Meridian, Idaho.
Artistic Director and Founder, Erika McCau-
ley, graduated from Sprague High School
in 1997. McCauley taught choir at Crossler
and Whiteaker Middle Schools, and used
her experience teaching in the Salem-Keizer
schools to create Cantus, a program com-
posed of 230 four through 12th grade youth
from over 30 schools in Idaho’s Treasure
Valley. Cantus Youth Choirs has seven en-
sembles directed by Erika McCauley, Keith
McCauley, Melody Paskett, and Michelle
Pedersen. Ms. Pedersen, also a former Sa-
lem-Keizer music student, taught at Howard
Street Charter School, Waldo Middle School,
and Abiqua School.