History

History of Buffalo Valley Singers

Buffalo Valley Singers was founded in 1973 as the Mifflinburg Community Chorus, a group formed primarily of church choir members to help celebrate the 150th anniversary of the First Lutheran Church in Mifflinburg.  The name Buffalo Valley Singers was adopted in 1979, and the group became incorporated as a non-profit organization in 1984.

Directors

Charles Emerich, 1973-1982

The first director was Charles Emerich, who was the head of the Fine Arts Department at Mifflinburg Area High School.  The group practiced at the Mifflinburg Middle or High School and performed one spring concert a year. Charles had extensive experience in conducting both adult and student vocal and instrumental groups.  His wife, Mary, was a founding member of BVS and an elementary school teacher.

Thomas Ruhl, 1982 – 2003

In 1982 when Charles went to Connecticut to become the music director at the Kent School, Thomas Ruhl became the director of BVS and served through December of 2003.  A Mifflinburg native, Tom graduated from Bloomsburg College in education and Bucknell University in music education, directed the St. John’s United Church of Christ (Lewisburg) chancel and bell choirs from 1981-1995, and has performed as a baritone soloist.  He continued directing BVS after moving to Muncy when he became the director of major gifts at Lycoming College.  His wife, Karen, sang alto in BVS and was the group’s music librarian for 16 years.  Tom is currently director of development at Bloomsburg University and lives in Williamsport.  He still occasionally sings with or directs BVS ensemble groups for special occasions.

Rita Griffith, 2004 – 2010

Rita (Richard) Griffith was the director beginning with the 2004 spring season.  Rita grew up in Lewisburg where she was a member of the high school concert choir, student director of the marching band, and a star of school musical productions.  She earned degrees in music education at the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester (NY) and in choral directing at Yale University, where she sang in the glee club.  In addition to teaching music to grades 7-12 in the Midd-West School District and giving private voice and piano lessons, Rita has directed the Black Tie singing group in Mifflinburg and is the current choir director at St. John’s United Church of Christ in Lewisburg.  She and her husband, Brian, who is the superintendent of the Penns Valley School District in Centre County, recently moved from Mifflinburg to Spring Mills. They have two children – Keith, a 7th grader, and Ashley, a 5th grader.  Rita currently is an administrative assistant at Penn State.


Thomas Ruhl, 2011 - 2012

Connie Pawling-Young, 2012 - Present Day

Connie became the fourth director of Buffalo Valley Singers succeeding Tom Ruhl. Known to many area singers as the director of the annual pops concert at the Milton Harvest Festival for the last 25 years, she earned a bachelor’s degree in music (piano major and voice minor) from Mansfield University and did graduate work at Penn State and Westminster Choir College. She retired from teaching vocal music in the Warrior Run School District, but continues to direct junior and senior high county festivals. She has also been the choir director at the First Baptist Church of Milton since 1988.

Performances

In 1986 the BVS along with the Buffalo Valley Brass began performing annually during the Christmas season.  The Singers continue to offer concerts throughout the spring season, including one featuring sacred or classical music and one with popular or patriotic music in addition to an annual benefit concert.  From the beginning, an ensemble made up of an octet (later a group of 4-24 singers) performed various programs by invitation throughout the year.  Ensemble groups have performed at summer concerts and 4th of July and Victorian Holiday parades in Lewisburg, Christkindl Market in Mifflinburg, the Susquehanna Valley Mall, high teas at the Victorian Lady Restaurant, and other special events.  In addition to concerts held in local schools and churches, the full-size group (24-90 singers) has performed by invitation in Buck Hill Falls, Schuylkill Haven, Scranton and Bucknell University’s Weis Center.

Featured in various local festivities over the years, BVS helped to open the Union County West End Fair each year from 1982-1990.  Beginning in 1983 the group performed a concert in Mifflinburg High School Auditorium for several years as part of the Fourth of July activities in Mifflinburg (in 1992 dedicating the music to Mifflinburg’s Bicentennial), later changing this annual concert to occur with Mifflinburg Buggy Days on Memorial Day weekend.

Since 2005, BVS has all of its concerts at its home base, St. John’s United Church of Christ in Lewisburg.  To carry out the group’s commitment to offer a benefit concert yearly, BVS has performed for residents of local nursing homes and retirement homes, as well as Laurelton Center, Selinsgrove Center and Danville State Hospital.  For several years the full group has entertained for the Evangelical Hospice’s “Lights of Love” program in December and Memorial Service in April.  Benefit concerts have raised funds for Slifer House Museum, Hurricane Andrew relief efforts, the Lifeline and Hospice programs of Evangelical Community Hospital, the Union County Red Cross, SUN Home Health Pediatric Hospice Program, the Union/Snyder Habitat for Humanity, Mifflinburg Alumni and Friends, the Mifflinburg Area School District music program, the Blue Butterfly Fund, the Donald Heiter Community Center, the West End Library Building Fund, the Multiple Sclerosis Society and the Mifflinburg Area Military Moms Association.

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