2026 SUMMER SESSION
LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING IN CONCERT
Singers in grades 3–8 are invited to join our first-ever Pano Youth Summer Session—featuring an epic deep dive into the music of The Lord of the Rings. Over just 3 weeks in May and June, singers will learn selections from the iconic film score, culminating in a truly once-in-a-lifetime performance of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring in Concert with Texas Performing Arts at Bass Concert Hall on June 12–14. These spectacular performances will feature a full professional orchestra, a 100-voice adult choir, and the film projected on the big screen—all conducted by Howard Shore, the composer himself. Read more about the concerts below!
All singers are welcome in Pano Youth—NO AUDITIONS, NO PARTICIPATION FEES.
We have space for 50 singers, accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Singers must be available for at least 4 of the 7 “pre-concert week” rehearsals.
All dress/tech rehearsals and performances are required and non-negotiable. If your young singer is interested but has scheduling concerns, please reach out to us at youth@panoramicvoices.org before registering—we’re happy to help clarify expectations.
WE CAN ONLY ACCEPT UNCHANGED/TREBLE VOICES FOR THIS PROJECT. Because this is a Texas Performing Arts professional production for which we are hired guests, we must adhere to the parameters for the project: We will be working on late-summer offerings for our older singers & changed voices very soon!
We will provide practice tracks to help singers feel confident and prepared. Additionally, our rehearsals will be led by experienced youth choir directors AV Villarreal and Juli Orlandini, both of whom are lauded for their ability to create safe, affirming, joyful spaces for young singers, while quickly developing exceptional musical skills. (Learn more about the directors below!)
THE SCHEDULE
PRE-CONCERT WEEK REHEARSALS
Northwest Hills United Methodist Church
(Must be available for at least 4, but preferably 5-7):
Tuesday, May 19 – 5:00-6:30pm
Saturday, May 23 – 11:00am-12:30pm
Tuesday, May 26 – 5:00-6:30pm
Saturday, May 30 – 11:00am-12:30pm
Tuesday, June 2 – 5:00-6:30pm
Saturday, June 6 – 11:00am-12:30pm
Tuesday, June 9 – 5:00-6:30pm
DRESS & TECH REHEARSALS
Bass Concert Hall
(Must be available for ALL):
Wed Jun 10 OR Thu, Jun 11 — Time TBD
(This rehearsal will be scheduled by Texas Performing Arts—singers must be available for both days)
Friday, Jun 12 —12:00 - 4:00 pm
Dress Rehearsal and technical run through
PERFORMANCES
Bass Concert Hall
(Must be available for ALL):
Friday Jun 12 — 7:30 pm
Sat, Jun 13 — 7:30 pm
Sun Jun 14 — 2:00 pm
ABOUT THE CONCERTS
Composer Howard Shore brings J.R.R. Tolkien’s literary imagination to vivid life with his Academy®- and Grammy® Award-winning score to The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Shore’s music expresses Peter Jackson’s film as an immense symphonic work—a uniquely developed vision drawn from centuries of stylistic tendencies.
The music of The Lord of the Rings is counted among film music’s most complex and comprehensive works. This unique performance sets the score to the film, but allows the music to bear the narrative weight, creating a wholly new and dramatic live concert experience.
Shore’s score not only captures Fellowship’s sweeping emotion, thrilling vistas and grand journeys, but also echoes the very construction of Tolkien’s Middle-earth. Styles, instruments and performers collected from around the world provide each of Tolkien’s cultures with a unique musical imprint. In operatic fashion, these musical worlds commingle, sometimes combining forces for a culminated power, other times violently clashing…and always bending to the will of the One Ring and its own ominous family of themes.
MEET THE DIRECTORS
AV VILLARREAL is a maker of joyful noise in Austin, TX. They're a graduate of Texas State University, (Master of Music in Choral Conducting), and Arizona State University (Bachelors of Music in Music Education), and they believe that every person at every age deserves access to music-making opportunities that help them feel empowered, essential, and worthy.
AV has worked with youth throughout their career. They taught middle and high school choirs in Austin and Leander ISD from 2015-2019, directed the Texas State Treble Choir during their masters work in 2019-2020, served as the Assistant Conductor of Illumine Youth Choir from 2019-2024, and continue to lead youth and children's ensembles in their position as Music Director for University United Methodist Church, Austin.
JULI ORLANDINI is a passionate music educator and lifelong choral enthusiast dedicated to building joyful, affirming musical communities for young singers. She holds a degree in Music Education from Westminster Choir College and has taught general, vocal, and choral music at both primary and secondary levels. Juli previously served as Director of Training Choirs with the Denver Children’s Choir and as Children’s Choir Repertoire & Standards Chair for Colorado ACDA, experiences that deepened her commitment to accessible, high-quality choral education.
Juli is also the Managing Artistic Director of Panoramic Voices, where she leads the organization’s “music without borders” mission and collaborative programming across Austin. She is thrilled to support AV and the Pano Youth community during this special summer intensive!
THE FINE PRINT
ONCE YOU’VE READ THE SINGER AGREEMENT AND LIABILITY RELEASE & CONSENT FORMS, PLEASE REGISTER BELOW!