Summer Camp 2025: TBD
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Thanks to all our 2024 campers!
Click HERE to listen to our song recording
and watch our music video.
SUMMER CAMP 2024
Star in our music video!
What: 1-Week, Half-Day Morning Camp
Theme: Winter in July! Music Video Choir Camp
Who: Ages 5-13, co-ed (max 40)
Where: James Island Arts & Cultural Center, 1248 Camp Rd., Charleston, SC 29412
Dates: July 8-12, 2024 (Monday-Friday)
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Instructors: Regina Ruopoli, Danielle Loveless, Bill Gesin, Stephanie Easterling & Intern Assistant Harper Teague
Cost: $275 (Add a sibling for 10% off using discount code SIBLING.)
Description: Campers will be immersed in a musical funhouse with our “Winter in July” theme! The session includes the making of a music video for one of our original songs. Participants will learn how to unlock their best voice through singing games, technique development, and rehearsal of choral repertoire. Campers will also enjoy a music-oriented community craft project. This fun, exploratory camp is designed for singers of all levels.
Theme: Winter in July! Music Video Choir Camp
Who: Ages 5-13, co-ed (max 40)
Where: James Island Arts & Cultural Center, 1248 Camp Rd., Charleston, SC 29412
Dates: July 8-12, 2024 (Monday-Friday)
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Instructors: Regina Ruopoli, Danielle Loveless, Bill Gesin, Stephanie Easterling & Intern Assistant Harper Teague
Cost: $275 (Add a sibling for 10% off using discount code SIBLING.)
Description: Campers will be immersed in a musical funhouse with our “Winter in July” theme! The session includes the making of a music video for one of our original songs. Participants will learn how to unlock their best voice through singing games, technique development, and rehearsal of choral repertoire. Campers will also enjoy a music-oriented community craft project. This fun, exploratory camp is designed for singers of all levels.
SIGN UP IN 2 EASY STEPS!
Step 1: Make Payment Below
(Add a sibling for 10% off using discount code SIBLING.)
Step 1: Make Payment Below
(Add a sibling for 10% off using discount code SIBLING.)
Step 2: Complete Registration Form Below
CAMP INSTRUCTORS
Danielle Loveless is Music Director of the Palmetto Youth Choir. Prior to working with PYC Danielle taught elementary, middle, and high school choral and general music in South Carolina, Connecticut, and Colorado. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Music Education degree from Gettysburg College and a Master of Music in Music Education degree from the University of Utah. Previous choirs under the direction of Ms. Loveless have competed in choral festivals and received highest marks for their performances. She is a member of the National Association for Music Education, American Choral Directors Association, and has been a presenter at state and regional conferences. As a singer she has performed locally with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra Chorus. Danielle has taught private piano and voice lessons, directed musical theater, and is a student of Taiko Charleston, a Japanese Taiko drumming troupe. In addition to her lifelong love of music, Ms. Loveless is passionate about the outdoors, and she was a founding director of Loblolly Adventures, a nature-based education program in Charleston. Originally from Connecticut and having lived in multiple states (including a year traveling the country in an RV with her family), she now resides in Johns Island with her husband and three young children.
Regina Ruopoli is the Managing & Artistic Director for Palmetto Youth Choir. Regina earned a B.A. in Theatre from Marian University in Indianapolis, where she graduated with honors. She has worked as an actor, singer and voiceover actor for 25+ years, appearing in a wide variety of projects in stage, radio, film and TV. Regina is currently represented by Coastal Talent Agency for voiceover acting. She has taught and directed children's theatre and musical theatre in Indianapolis Public Schools, in Charleston County Schools, Engaging Creative Minds and Charleston Youth Company. She is also a private voice teacher. Regina has performed a broad range of musical styles, including jazz, blues, folk, Americana, pop, classical, spirituals and showtunes, and has performed in numerous concert choirs and show choirs. She has been the lead vocalist in multiple bands, performing locally and regionally at various venues, festivals and special events, including sold-out shows at the Piccolo Spoleto Festival. She has been a frequent performer at the popular "Women and..." concert series at Charleston Music Hall. Regina was voted Best Female Vocalist by readers of Charleston City Paper in 1999, and was a founding member of Jazz Artists of Charleston (now Charleston Jazz.) She has been a core performing member of Taiko Charleston, a Japanese Taiko drumming troupe, for 10 years, where she is also an assistant instructor. Regina has also enjoyed a successful career in marketing, PR, communications and event production, having worked for a wide variety of non-profits, corporations and freelance clients. She resides in the West Ashley area of Charleston, SC, with her creative genius husband and their amazing teenage son. They share their home with a little rescue dog, Trudy, who really runs the show. Originally from Indianapolis, Indiana, Regina has called Charleston home since 1992.
Bill Gesin is the Principal Accompanist for Palmetto Youth Choir. He teaches piano at Allegro Charter School of Music and is an adjunct online music instructor for Lighthouse Connections Academy. He also plays piano for The Unitarian Church in Charleston and accompanies for the Taylor Festival Choir in addition to being a freelance accompanist for performances ranging from school and university concerts to musical theater auditions, classes, and productions. He moved to Charleston from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 2016. While in Pennsylvania, Mr. Gesin was the music department accompanist and a private piano instructor at California University of Pennsylvania and the assistant organist at Calvary Episcopal Church in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Together with Chatham Baroque, Pittsburgh's renowned baroque ensemble and Calvary's Ensemble-in-Residence, Calvary performed several large works each year, including Handel's Messiah, Faure's Requiem, Durufle's Requiem, and Bach's St. John Passion. He also sang in the Bach Choir of Pittsburgh, known for its innovative programming, and was the accompanist and assistant director of The Three Rivers Choral Society. He has accompanied for festivals conducted by well-known conductors, composers, and arrangers such as Moses Hogan, Dr. Rollo Dilworth, and Dr. Lon Beery. As a middle and high school choir director in the Pittsburgh area, his choirs performed a wide variety of sacred and secular music and consistently earned Superior ratings at adjudication festivals. The choirs grew substantially under his direction, sometimes doubling and tripling in size. Mr. Gesin holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Music Education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Music degree in Music Education from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. While at IUP he was the winner of the annual concerto competition and was a featured soloist with the IUP Orchestra in a performance of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. At IUP he was a member of the inaugural class of the Robert E. Cook Honors College, and while at Duquesne he was inducted into Pi Kappa Lambda, a national music honor society. Mr. Gesin lives in James Island with his husband, Scott, an Infectious Diseases Physician and the Associate Hospital Epidemiologist at MUSC, their two sons, and their two rescue dogs.
Stephanie Easterling is the Administrative Assistant for Palmetto Youth Choir. She assists us with various administrative tasks as well as at events and rehearsals. Stephanie is a full-time Instructional Coach with a passion for empowering young minds at C.E. Williams Middle School, North Campus, by day, but she also brings her sparkle, harmony, and organization to the PYC as well! She is a proud wife to Tommy, and a blessed mom to Brayden, 13, and Jennie, 9, who is also a talented PYC member! She has called the South (South Carolina and Georgia) her home since 2008, but a piece of her heart still beats to the rhythm of Detroit's Motown sound where she was born and raised!
Harper Teague is an Intern and Summer Camp Teaching Assistant for Palmetto Youth Choir. She is a sophomore at the prestigious and highly acclaimed Charleston County Academic Magnet High School, where she is an honor student. She is the President and Founder of her own creative arts club, The Advocate, at her school. She has been a member of Charleston Youth Company and performed in many musicals, including Shrek Jr. Harper has been studying voice for 8 years with Regina Ruopoli, and has performed many different styles of music, including jazz, blues, Broadway, pop, and rock. She hopes to attend UNC Chapel Hill as a journalism major, and also plans to perform travel Broadway. Harper enjoys learning under the tutelage of the Palmetto Youth Choir leadership team, as well as assisting in rehearsals.
Check out last year's camp videos on YouTube and see photos in our Facebook album!
Kind Words
Summer Camp:
Choir:
- ”My child loved her time with you! She learned so much and became so much more confident in her singing! She’s very excited to join the choir!”
- “My daughter loved this so much! She loved the visiting musicians and came home every day sharing her experience with us. Thank you!”
- “We enjoyed the repertoire selections and the thorough, consistent email communication. I liked having all of the information and loved seeing the photos from each day of camp. Our camper had a lot of fun!”
- “It is a very good experience for the kids. They learned to sing three songs as a choir in a week which is amazing. The teachers really put a lot of effort into the kids and were very enthusiastic in teaching.”
- “Just so impressed with what you did in 5 days. A beautiful experience to be part of (for the parents and the children). Thank you!”
Choir:
- “My kids loved their experience this year! They learned so much about vocal technique and singing with a group. Their confidence grew throughout the year and by the end my oldest was saying she wanted to try out for a solo next year! You all were so organized and communication was great. Thanks for a great year!”
- ”I was so impressed by the caliber of the performance — I thought I would be teary-eyed seeing my kiddo on stage but was so shocked by the professionalism and quality of the performance that no tears were shed — I was too focused on their awesome singing to be a teary-eyed parent!”
- “My daughter has dabbled in a few sports and dance over the last few years but never found her thing. This year I watched her grow and blossom as a singer. She was practicing at home without being prompted, and even recording herself to play it back. It was so exciting to watch her find her thing! Thank you for opening up the world of music to my girl!”
- “What a great first season for PYC! We didn't really know what to expect when our daughter joined, but are thrilled to see the progress all of these kids have made and how comfortable and happy they are on stage. They sound AMAZING!”
- “My child demonstrated exceptional growth musically, she learned to commit and follow through. She has great memories!”
- “Organization and communication have been great. I love the way fun is incorporated into the mix!”
- “Outstanding program with the most amazing staff! Would highly recommend to anyone!”
- “Just so impressed with what you created in your first year. Thanks for providing a secular choir experience!”
- “My child really enjoyed learning to sing with a group! Great choices on who you collaborate with.”
- “Music changed my life as a child, and I have seen it do the same for my child this past year. I wanted to make sure she found that love of music and her place – and she did in the Palmetto Youth Choir.”
Our Space
We are so grateful to be holding our camps and choir rehearsals at the James Island Arts & Cultural Center! This beautiful facility is located at 1248 Camp Road, Charleston, SC 29412, near the intersection of Camp Rd. and Dills Bluff Rd. The new facility was recently renovated from a former library building into a new space, specifically designed to showcase local artists and James Island's rich history. They offer many artistic, cultural and programming opportunities! They opened their doors in August 2021. At the helm of the JIACC is Mrs. Caroline Self, Director of Development. We encourage you to visit this fabulous facility, and explore their exhibits and other community programs and events.
We are so grateful to be holding our camps and choir rehearsals at the James Island Arts & Cultural Center! This beautiful facility is located at 1248 Camp Road, Charleston, SC 29412, near the intersection of Camp Rd. and Dills Bluff Rd. The new facility was recently renovated from a former library building into a new space, specifically designed to showcase local artists and James Island's rich history. They offer many artistic, cultural and programming opportunities! They opened their doors in August 2021. At the helm of the JIACC is Mrs. Caroline Self, Director of Development. We encourage you to visit this fabulous facility, and explore their exhibits and other community programs and events.
