Elizabeth Mora Rodriguez vocalizes in preparation for her performance in Washington.

By Sharon Abercrombie
Staff writer

Five young girls from St. Martin de Porres Regional School in Oakland have been walking around with stars in their eyes. No wonder. They were about to sing for Senator Ted Kennedy during a private, invitation-only 77th birthday celebration for the ailing statesman at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. on March 8.

Their participation in this once-in-a-lifetime magical event was conjured up by the children’s beloved fairy godmother — Frederica “Flicka” von Stade, famed mezzo-soprano and parishioner at St. Joseph Basilica in Alameda.

Von Stade, a passionate proponent of music programs for all children, has been volunteering as a choir director at St. Martin de Porres for the past 18 months.

When the Kennedy family invited her to the senator’s party, the singer asked if she could bring along a few guests. After receiving the okay, von Stade began choosing songs for the five fifth and sixth graders who would accompany her. They will sing “I Told Every Little Star,” featured in Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II’s 1932 musical, “Music in the Air.”

Kennedy, who is suffering from brain cancer, will receive two gifts — a live performance by von Stade and the five youngsters and a videotape of the entire school choir singing a jazzy rendition of “You Can Make a Difference.”

During a rehearsal at Sacred Heart Church in Oakland, von Stade and her singers were going through their vocal paces with infectious vivacity.

Von Stade helps a choral student with her breathing.

“Music is so good for the soul,” said von Stade. “With music, you get stature, discipline, expression, and all of that is good for everybody.” Then she shrugged her shoulders sadly, saying modern society “has squeezed music programs out of the schools.”

The Washington trip was paid for through two fundraising events. Sacred Heart Sister Barbara Dawson, president of St. Martin de Porres, enlisted the help of students at the Convent of the Sacred Heart in San Francisco who donated to a Simple Gifts event. Von Stade staged a benefit performance at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco.

Sister Dawson will accompany the students to Washington where they will tour national monuments and museums in addition to their singing engagement.

Von Stade began volunteering at St. Martin de Porres after meeting Sister Dawson at a fundraising event for FACE (Family Aid-Catholic Education). When the singer learned that there was no music program at St. Martin de Porres, she offered to start one.

The two women have also staged joint fundraising events that have enabled the school’s two campuses, at Sacred Heart and St. Patrick parishes, to have a part-time paid singing teacher, Rachel Velen, who also instructs middle school kids on how to read music and play keyboards. Velen frequently helps with the choir as well.

Sister Dawson said von Stade and Velen have had a transforming effect on the students. “Music is the key to their getting energized. All of these months, I’ve watched how the kids come alive when they sing.”

Priscillia Alva, 10, affirmed Sister Dawson’s observations. “Music makes me very happy. When I sing a song to express my feelings, I feel better.”

Alva is one of the five girls making the trip to D.C. The others are Shannon Davis, Simone Gideon, Destiney Knuckles, and Elizabeth Mora Rodriguez.

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