Rainier Youth Choirs perform in South King County and beyond

Monday evenings are for rehearsals as some of South King County’s youngest choir singers get together to let their voices be heard.

Rainier Youth Choirs is a Kent-based community youth and tuition-based, non-sectarian 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that provides space and opportunities for students to be a part of a choir that is not connected to any schools, with current members hailing from Renton, Kent, Auburn, Maple Valley, Federal Way, Covington and more. The choir is open to anyone in King County.

“A lot of these kids are homeschooled or their high school doesn’t have a choir class,” said Rainier Youth Choirs Executive Director Karen Fulmer.

Serena Grassley, 11, attends The H.O.M.E. Program in the Renton School District and is now in her fourth year with the choirs. “I like how it makes me feel,” she said. “I feel no stress or bad feelings.”

Grassley, who has been in other choirs before, says that none compare to Rainier Youth and she says that it is a place for people who are “willing to have fun, make friends and work hard.”

Grassley is part of the earlier rehearsals on Monday evenings, which are for the youngest singing groups, Primo Voce — for 2nd through 4th graders — and Bella Voce, which is for 4th graders through 6th graders.

When the Primos and Bellas head home for the evening, the Colle Voce (middle school) and Consonare (high school) ensembles arrive to Cedar Height Middle School in Covington for Monday night rehearsals.

During one of the first rehearsals of the Choir’s 19th season, Primo Voce was practicing “Winter Wonderland” while Bella Voce was working on “Simple Melody” when Consonare Director Brian Hoskins gave the students a treat by showing them some rag time songs. Hoskins, who is currently a teacher and the choral director at Lindbergh High School in Renton, brightened the room with his music, with the kids clearly connecting with the live piano, laughing along as he played.

As the younger ensembles exited the music rooms, the Colle Voce and Consonare ensembles entered, preparing for their ice breaker activities and their animated warm-ups, with the Colle group going wild when their director Jackie Grant taught them their own “brain rot warm-up.”

Grant, who taught middle school choir in the Tahoma School District for 20 years, had the Colle group warm up their vocal chords with popular slang among kids right now. As soon as she began singing the words, the kids became instantly mortified hearing phrases like “6 7” or “sigma” or “rizz” come from their instructor’s mouth.

The music rooms are filled with joy — and untapped talent — as the two ensembles began their work for the evening, making it obvious that these students will become great friends.

“I like singing with other people, making friends, the cool music,” said one Conosonare member named Dennis Mottern, a Kent Laboratory student who began singing with the Choirs in 2nd grade. “It’s a big community and friends are made quite easily.”

Fellow Consonare Elijah Thomas, a student at Kentwood High School in Covington, joined when he was in 3rd grade and agrees that the community is his favorite part of being part of Rainier Youth Choirs, along with the older ensembles getting to travel each year to Disneyland to be part of the WorldStrides Anaheim Heritage Festival.

For many involved parents, Rainier Youth has proven to be supremely beneficial.

“They learn about leadership and teamwork and you can’t sing together if you’re not in sync,” said Jackie McWalter, a parent is part of the organization’s board. “I really like the atmosphere and that there’s something in the south end [of the county].”

Parents whose kids are part of the Choirs are strongly encouraged to volunteer their time and to help bring in donations in order to keep costs affordable and traveling possible.

“I’m so impressed with the organization and the high expectations of the kids,” said choir parent and board member Tamara Carnevale.

For the 2025-2026 season, the Rainier Youth Choirs will be performing throughout King County and beyond.

• Saturday, Dec. 6: Covington Tree Lighting at 4 p.m. in Covington.

• Sunday, Dec. 14: RYC Concert “Beyond Ourselves” at 3 p.m. at New Hope Presbyterian Church in Kent.

• Sunday, March 15: RYC Concert (with guest choirs) “Beyond Borders” at 3 p.m. at New Hope Presbyterian Church in Kent.

• Thursday to Sunday, April 9-12: Colle Voce and Consonare at WorldStrides Anaheim Heritage Festival at Disneyland.

• Sunday, May 17: RYC Concert “Beyond Imagination” at 3 p.m. at New Hope Presbyterian Church in Kent.

• Monday, May 18: Colle Voce and Consonare at Retirement Home performance at 6 p.m.

• Saturday, June 6: Primo Voce and Bella Voce at Music in the Parks Festival at Wild Waves in Federal Way.

• Late spring: Singing the National Anthem at a Tacoma Rainiers game.

For more information, visit rainieryouthchoirs.org.

Colla Voce director Jackie Grant gleefully teaches her ensemble a mortifying warm-up. Photo by Bailey Jo Josie/Sound Publishing.

Colla Voce students cringe as their director shows them how to do the “brat rot warm-up” at the beginning of rehearsal. Photo by Bailey Jo Josie/Sound Publishing.