Jubilate Youth Choir gets new manager

Warwick native returns to join growing musical arts group Warwick — Warwick native Emily Thompson, has joined Jubilate Community Youth Choir of Warwick as its new choir manager. Jubilate, a 60-member youth choir under the direction of Dr. David Crone, is a countywide organization providing choral music education and performance experience for youth, grades 4-12. As the newest member of Jubilate, Thompson commenced her role on Aug. 1 with the first order of business planning an upcoming Sept. 11 performance on the Green at Railroad Avenue in Warwick. “We’re thrilled to have Emily, especially during this time of tremendous growth for the organization,” said Tracey Lemon, chair of Jubilate’s board of directors, in a press release announcing Thompson’s appointment. “She knows the community and understands the role the arts play in youth’s lives.” As a student at Warwick Valley High School, Thompson was a member of the school chorus, Women’s Choir and Meistersingers as well as the Drama Club and the Warwick Valley Chorale. “She has great energy and will bring many exciting ideas to the table,” Crone, the musical director, said in the press release. “We are looking forward to working with her as she helps bring Jubilate to the next level.” Degrees from American University and Syracuse Thompson recently graduated from American University in Washington, D.C., with her master’s degree in arts management. While living and studying in Washington, she worked for several arts organizations, including the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and Americans for the Arts, the nation’s leading arts advocacy group. Thompson received her undergraduate education at Syracuse University, earning bachelor’s degrees in art history and in public policy. At Syracuse her educational goal was to combine the two degrees in order to become an advocate for the arts and arts education, something she continued to pursue in her master’s program. “I am very excited and honored to be a part of such a wonderful organization,” Thompson said in the press release. “In the six years the group has been established, the choir has sung at Carnegie Hall, The Cathedral of St. John the Divine, and at St. Paul’s Chapel at Ground Zero. With such a high level of performance opportunities, I’m eager to provide the members of Jubilate with experiences of the same caliber.”