VAS students showcase ‘Broadway or Bust’ at recital

The Weiser VAS music program held its end-of-year showcase recital at the Snake River Heritage Center.

 The VAS program is run by Victoria Arriero and she has run the program for nearly 15 years. The program started small with it only having a little over four students but now the program has grown substantially.

 Today, the program has 98 students total in varying age ranges with some as young as 3 and some as old as 36 this year.

 This is not even the highest the program has had. At its peak, the program had over 120 students!

 The people who run VAS  are all volunteers with some being the parents of the students who participate and others being Arriero’s own family.

 Over the years, VAS has done many recitals, so many that even Arriero can’t remember every single one.

 “Over the years we have done more performances than I can count! Which is fun to think about. This was our fourth end of the year showcase with the theme ‘Broadway or Bust,’” Arriero said.

 This year during their recital, they had 36 performances. Some of them were done as choirs, some were solos, some were duets and some were medleys featuring various songs from various musicals.

 The medleys included songs from “The Greatest Showman,” “Matilda the Musical,” and “Les Miserables.”

 Arreiro’s goal with VAS is to teach every one of her students the magic of the performing arts and to have students learn to work together.

 The Victoria Arriero Studio’s mission is to provide exceptional education in the performing arts in Weiser and surrounding communities! We wish to create students who love, support, and uplift one another while becoming the best artists they can be! Everyone has a place within the arts and the spotlight!” Arriero said.

 The next recital isn’t planned out yet. Arriero still plans to have more this year and many more years to come. Let’s hope that the next performances continue to be successful and these kids continue to have a great experience in this program.