Joyful Voices

The Van Nuys High School Chorale program’s Bella Voce competes in the A Cappella Festival.

Joyful+Voices

By Jessica Eusebio, Entertainment Editor


The Van Nuys High School Bella Voce participated in the 14th annual A Cappella Scholarship Festival at Glendale High School, John Wayne Performing Arts Center on April 28.

The Bella Voce tied for fourth place with Irvine High School and received a $5,000 cash scholarship for the school vocal program. The Bella Voce competed against 14 other schools, including Valencia High School and Providence High School. The women’s vocal group performed 2 acapella songs, “Bill Bailey, Won’t You Please Come Home,” and “Makedonska Humoreska.” The schools were judged by an adjudicatory panel, and the choir directors represented their schools by receiving the awards on stage.

It was a new and fun experience for me because the A Cappella Festival required an audition instead of an entrance fee compared to the Heritage Festival, so all our hard work was paid off.

— May Nguyen, Bella Voce

The festival is hosted by Verdugo Hills Chorus, a community-based and educational vocal program for female singers.

The A Cappella Scholarship Festival was created when the Verdugo Hills Chorus received a grant from the John C. Hench Foundation in 2005.

The purpose of the festival is to present public and private middle school and high school vocal groups in the Los Angeles County with cash scholarships and trophies to retain art programs in schools.