CD Release! Documentary Preview! Fall Concert!

Last week was a BIG ONE for BCC. How many choirs can say they released a CD, held a documentary screening, and hosted a self-produced concert featuring over 400 kids, many of whom were on-stage for the very first time, in one week? Well... the Boston Children's Chorus can!



Our newest, soon-to-be-on-iTunes CD, titled "This is the Sound of Harmony" was released this past Thursday, and already, hundreds of copies have been sold and it is receiving rave reviews. The CD features songs of a variety of styles from the past three years, and accurately captures the amount of growth that BCC has experienced in so little time.

Additionally, members of the BCC community and the Boston community at large gathered in the Boston Public Libary's Rabb Hall to view a preview for Olivia Spaletta's documentary on our tour to Jordan this past summer. Watching the preview brought back great memories for singers and staff alike, and very accurately depicted the experiences and emotions of traveling to Jordan.



On Saturday, November 7th, BCC's first self-produced concert of the year, featuring all nine choirs of the Boston Children's Chorus, titled "A La Carte" was held at Tremont Temple. The concert was a tremendous success on all levels. For many BCC singers, it was their first time performing with the chorus and all singers really rose to the occasion. Managing 400 singers of course creates some logistical challenges, but thanks to wonderful planning and the help of City Year volunteers, the day ran very smoothly.



Finally, on November 8th, singers from Premier Choir had the joy of performing at Pine Street Inn's "Knit-A-Thon" where committed volunteers were able to create over 40 blankets for Pine Street's Supportive Housing Program.

October Performances

October was a busy month for BCC! In addition to performing at Blooming Arts, the Samaritan's 5k, and Fenway Alliance's "Opening Our Doors Day", BCC gave another four performances and hosted singers from the American Boy Choir, held three retreats, a leadership training session, and a parent's meeting! Whew!

On October 10th, PC performed at the American Academy of Arts and Science's Induction Ceremony. The event was in Sanders Theater, which is always a wonderful space to sing in -- the acoustics are incredible. Notable speakers at the event were Emmylou Harris and James Earl Jones. We hope they enjoyed our singing!

On October 23rd, PC performed for the opening event of the first annual Boston Book Festival! This event, at Trinity Church, was especially enjoyable for PC singers because instead of waiting backstage, PC was seated on-stage for the duration of the event allowing singers see the others special guests (Livingston Taylor, Benjamin Zander and Richard Russo) do their thing. PC's performance inspired our new friend, Livingston Taylor, to remark, "I'm on to you guys like cheap whiskey!". We had a great time.

October 28th was a double performance day for BCC. Villa Victoria Training Choir gave a wonderful performance at Boston City Mission Society's first Community Appreciation Night. The CMS, an urban social justice agency, is the oldest multi-service agency in New England, and strives to unite and strengthen the community by focusing on homelessness prevention, youth peace promotion, and faith and community. Additionally, at almost exactly the same time, Premier Choir performed for arguably the most well-known African-American rabbi in the U.S., Rabbi Capers C. Funnye, and the Synagogue Council of Massachusetts. What an exciting day!

Villa Victoria Performs at Fenway Alliance's Opening Our Doors Day!

On Columbus Day, Villa Victoria singers met at the Christian Science Plaza to perform at Fenway Alliance's Kick Off Event for their annual "Opening Our Doors Day". The Fenway Alliance is a group that aims to promote the arts in the Fenway area and foster collaboration between arts organizations and the community. VV's performance at this event was one of BCC's first performances of the year! All singers, new and old, did their part to give a great performance.

Premier Choir co-President Casey Accardi was recently featured in an article in "Teen Life."

Premier Choir co-President Casey Accardi was recently featured in an article in "Teen Life." Accardi, who has been with BCC for 5 years and is a volunteer with the Teen Life organization, which helps build self-esteem and confidence among teen girls. To read the full article, click here

Training Chorus Retreats

Saturday, October 10 was retreat day for the Training Choirs at BCC Central. Ms. Idichera worked with West End House and Central Training first. Singers focused on polishing music for the November 7 season opening concert and started on holiday music for the December 5th concert. Students had time to socialize over snacks that everyone brought to share. Singers also interviewed one another and asked each other what their favorite song to sing or listen to and what their goal for the year is.

The hand of the last person singers interviewed was traced on a poster signifying that all the singers were united to help each other be successful this year.

Dorchester House Training and Villa Victoria also met in the afternoon for their retreat. Ms. Adams also prepared November 7 and December 5 music. Thanks to all the singers and families that brought in snacks and helped throughout the day.

PC Performance at Samaritans 5K and YME Retreat/Performance at Blooming Arts!

Saturday, October 3rd was a big day for BCC! It started bright and early for Young Men's Ensemble with an all day retreat beginning at 9 am. However, not so long after, Premier Choir gathered at Artesani Park in Brighton to perform at Samaritan's "Run for Someoone Else's Life" 5K and Family Fun Festival. A non-profit organization, Samaritans is dedicated to reducing the incidence of suicide by befriending individuals in crisis and educating the community about effective prevention strategies. Through fundraisers like the 5K, Samaritans can make a greater impact on the lives of others. Premier sang as part of the awards ceremony in which race winners in seven categories were awarded medals. BCC was glad to be there to enhance the power of the event. Additionally, Wally the Green Monster was in attendance, and Ben Hires was lucky enough to grab a snapshot with him!



Later in the day, Young Men's traveled from BCC Central, to the Home of Cambridge resident, Swanee Hunt, to perform at Blooming Arts, a fundraiser focused on organizations working to provide youth with meaningful education in the arts. When asked about his day, Young Men's President, Grant Jones said, "Today is a great day for Young Mens. We were able to make significant progress on our new music, got to know each other better through retreat, and gave, in my opinion, a highly engaging and crowd pleasing performance at Blooming Arts. Overall, this is a great start to the season for us!"

PC Performance at Villa Victoria!

On Sunday, September 27th, Premier Choir gave their very first performance of the year at Villa Victoria. Villa Victoria Center for the Arts presents dynamic cross cultural collaborations in order to promote, preserve, and celebrate Latino culture. BCC performed as a part of their Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration. This was a wonderful opportunity for BCC because although one of BCC's training choirs rehearses weekly at Villa Victoria, this was the first time a BCC choir had the chance to perform at a mainstage Villa Victoria event. Premier choir sang some old favorites and new soon-to-be favorites; new singers to PC did a great job in performing music they'd just learned like pros. After singing, some singers were able to stick around to hear the special guests of the event, Puerto Rican Choir, Camerata Coral, sing beautiful music with Latino roots. Overall, it was a great start to the season!