ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, June 6, 1996 TAG: 9606060013
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: N-17 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MARSHA GILBERT STAFF WRITER
Jennifer Angove has known what her career path would be since she was in 10th grade.
She had just finished playing the flute in the Easter Passion play with the Shenandoah Baptist Church orchestra.
"When the audience stood up and applauded, I couldn't see myself doing anything else," said Angove, now 17.
She's not just dreaming about a career in music; the straight-A student is already an accomplished musician. She's studied piano since the third grade and the flute since the sixth.
Angove, a member of Virginia's All District Band since the eighth grade, was named second chair in the Honors Band of the University of Tennessee when she auditioned in 1994.
She was recognized this year for her contributions to the school's music program by receiving the John Philip Sousa award.
Friday, she'll start an exciting, once-in-a-lifetime summer that makes her vision of a career in music even clearer. First, she'll don a cap and gown and march down the aisle as one of four valedictorians in Roanoke Valley Christian School's commencement ceremony at 8 p.m. at Shenandoah Baptist Church. The other valedictorians in the class of 46 are Elizabeth Clark, Amy Ford and Robert Shelton.
Then, before heading to Meredith College in Raleigh, N.C., where she received a four-year academic scholarship and a supplemental music scholarship, Angove will board a chartered bus for Atlanta on July 22. She'll be with 52 other Roanoke Valley Christian symphony band members, including her brother Bob. They'll perform for athletes and spectators during the Olympic games.
"I think it's a great opportunity," said Angove, whose ultimate goal is to be a symphony conductor. She was the student conductor in 10th and 12th grades and president of the music department in 11th grade.
"I'm excited. It's a challenge to prepare over the summer. And it's a good way to end my music career at RVCS."
The band, which includes nine other seniors, was among 42 bands picked to perform at the Olympics based on audition videotapes.
Of 3,300 school bands in the Southeast invited to try out, 90 responded, said Terreta Scope, special events officer for the mayor's office of marketing and communications in Atlanta.
A seven-member selection committee, from the Olympic band director to leaders of local high school and college bands, judged the groups on appearance, sound quality and audience appeal.
The symphony band will give two street performances on both July 23 and 24. During their 30-minute sets they'll play upbeat, traditional band tunes that include a medley of Korean folk songs and a collection of Disney tunes.
Getting chosen to perform turned out to be the easy part for the band.
Band members and parents started raising money for transportation, uniforms and food once they were notified of their acceptance in December.
Close to $3,000 of the approximately $8,000 needed has been collected, said band director John Furrow.
Band members washed cars, shoveled snow, baby-sat, mowed lawns, sold advertisements in the concert programs, prepared a spaghetti dinner and performed in an eight-hour play-a-thon to raise money, said Marsha Haines, head of the parents' group coordinating the events.
Their prayers for affordable shelter in the sold-out city were answered when the Killian-Hill Baptist Church in Stone Mountain, Ga., agreed to let them spread out their sleeping bags in its school's classrooms and gymnasium.
LENGTH: Medium: 77 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ERIC BRADY Staff 1. John Furrow conducts the Roanokeby CNBValley Christian School Concert Band during its spring concert. The
band is one of 42 selected to perform in Atlanta during the
Olympics.< 2. Angove (headshot)