December 15, 2025
A performance years in the making, Prince George High School’s renowned choir showcased its immense talent to an audience of music educators from across the commonwealth as they performed during November’s Virginia Music Educators Association Conference in Hampton Roads just before Thanksgiving.
Led by choral director Mr. Storm Burks, the choir served as one of the few choral ensembles selected to perform at the 2025 annual conference. While this year’s invitation is the choir’s second in recent years, 2025 marked the first time Burks and the school’s choir performed in person at the event.
In 2020, Prince George High School was invited to the conference for the first time; however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was held virtually rather than in person. Demonstrating resilience at that time, Mr. Burks and his students adapted, delivering a pre-recorded performance from the school’s auditorium that was shown during the 2020 online event.
“Doing this a second time, and being able to go to the event and have our students perform at the event, just feels like a huge milestone,” Mr. Burks shared. “It feels like a big deal to me, both as an educator and a musician, and also to this program, to this county, and to these families and kids. I couldn't be prouder of their work and all the things that they've done."
In order to have the opportunity to perform at the statewide conference, prospective choirs have to submit a total of four recordings, two each from the previous two years. These recordings must be free of anything that could identify the school, its location, or its director; they must be purely their voices. Through adjudication, a panel selected the ensembles that will perform at the VMEA conference.
Throughout the fall, the ensemble demonstrated its incredible musical proficiency and vocal range in performances at the high school, including the exciting “Disney Spectacular,” an evening of music featuring iconic Disney tracks, and the district's Program for Artistically Advanced Services (PAAS) vocal music festival.
Prince George High School’s choir has been a fixture of the performing arts in Prince George County, regularly performing at district events and traveling beyond the county’s borders.
The vocal ensemble hopes to travel to Florida during the school year for a competition and workshop experience to further develop their talents. In recent years, the chorus has traveled to multiple locales, including Florida, Tennessee, and Washington, D.C. In 2024, the chorus also had the unique opportunity to perform at the renowned Riverside Church during the New York Heritage Festival, a venue that has hosted the likes of Rev. Dr Martin Luther King, Jr., and Nelson Mandela.
The choir is also a multi-time VMEA Blue Ribbon award-winner, reflecting their achievement of earning "superior" ratings at assessment.
"I think it's a community that is hungry and really enjoys the arts," Mr. Burks reflected. "Other than Fort Lee and Prince George High School, there's not a whole lot of opportunity for the arts in the area, so we are kind of the epicenter for the arts. Whether it's the Spring Fling, or a spring musical, a fall play, a band concert, or watching the marching band on a Friday night, our community really rallies around our programs."
In recognition of Mr. Burks’ commitment to the arts and encouraging his students to be their best and grow in their craft, he was honored with the division’s Pathfinder Award in May 2025.