Theater/Classical Music

Ever since budgets cuts cost Moreno Valley's elementary schools their music program more than five years ago, Jim Wilson has become the district's last hope for serious vocalists.

As the choir director at Valley View High, the only high school in the city with a comprehensive performing arts program, Wilson offers many freshmen their first experience with music theory.

"It's tough to give a crash course and play catch-up," he said.

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Kurt Miller / The Press-Enterprise

"Open that mouth and get that wet mattress, the tongue, out of the way," choir director Jim Wilson tells his students at Valley View High in Moreno Valley. The group has received superior ratings in competitions despite struggling to meet the financial goals that school choirs encounter.

But Wilson, 43, has succeeded in turning his advanced choir, the Madrigals, into a sought-after group of singers whose pitch-perfect harmony moves listeners to tears.

An audition landed them a gig in San Diego last December, the only choir in the state chosen to perform before 2,500 members of the California School Board Association. Last February, the 24-member student choir received a superior rating at an event in Flagstaff, Ariz., that was one of the largest choral festivals in the country.

The downside, Wilson said, is the scramble to raise money for transportation and lodging. The three-day trip to Flagstaff cost $240 per student, including $150 just for the charter bus ride.

But nothing, save graduation, would force Brandi Davis, 18, to give up the group. The alto/tenor said she's learned how to read music and will continue singing in college.

Meagan Daoust, 17, a soprano, said Madrigals has improved her singing and the way she presents herself. Her dream is to become a solo artist.

Joslene Tuldanes, 17, is an alto who joined freshman year.

"This choir has so influenced my whole life," Tuldanes said. "Most of my musical experience comes from here."

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"He's not like other teachers. He relates to us. He's a father figure," one Madrigal says of Wilson, who often lets the students pick their music.

Denny Ho, 17, loves the camaraderie as much he loves singing. Bound for college next fall, he said it's going to be tough to leave the Madrigals.

"We're extremely close, like a giant dysfunctional family," he said.

At a recent rehearsal, the choir sounded anything but dysfunctional. No one was cutting up, chewing gum, whispering or texting. Everyone was studying the score.

Wilson is demanding but tempers criticism with humor: "Don't sing 'fa-la-la' like a lazy Californian," he scolded. "Open that mouth and get that wet mattress, the tongue, out of the way."

He lets students audition favorites, from pop tunes to spirituals, to incorporate into the Madrigal medley.

"They can do solos, quartets, anything they want, just as long as they prove it's doable," Wilson said.

Sophie Tait, 18, sings and accompanies the group on the piano.

"He's not like other teachers," she said. "He relates to us. He's a father figure. Occasionally, we have arguments, but they don't last."

Reach Laurie Lucas at 951-368-9569 or llucas@PE.com