On June 14th, Premier Choir and Young Men's Ensemble gathered at Mount Ida College to perform at the Center for Arab Culture's (CAC) Graduation Ceremony. Not only was this a performance, but it was also an opportunity for singers to mingle with people from the center and try some Arab foods. Many different (and tasty) foods were tried, and a fun time was had by all! BCC has really appreciated the warmness and helpfulness of the CAC as they've been a great help in preparing BCC to tour to Jordan. As you can see, singers also wore their new tour uniform shirts for the first time, which will be worn for formal performances in Jordan. Check back soon to hear more about tour preparations!
On June 2nd, PC and YME had the honor of collaborating with young singers and dancers from Rwanda for a performance at UNICEF's Children's Champions Dinner, held at the State House. That evening, Rwandan President Paul Kagame and his wife Jeanette were presented with an award for their work in promoting education and economic development in Rwanda. Ben Affleck, Deval Patrick, Swanee Hunt, and others were rumored to be on the audience. But what made the night special was not the glamorous performance venue or the potential celebrity sightings, but the power of music as a universal language shown so clearly in action. A few days before the performance, BCC singers and the Rwandan performers met together to rehearse. Right from the start it was clear that there were few words all mutually understood, however there was one thing everyone could relate to: music. With warm smiles on their faces, the Rwandan youth taught BCC singers a song of their own. Although this might seem simple, the mutual knowledge of this one song brought about a feeling of closeness that few other things can. The pre-existing language barrier melted away, and a new found bond developed between the groups.
At the event, President Paul Kagame gave an address. His words proved to be very relevant to the power of this collaboration. He said: "Before I proceed, permit me to share something with you about the group of young girls who performed for us a few moments ago alongside their friends from the Boston Children's Chorus.
I was delighted to see these groups of children sing together although they live thousands of miles apart.
On April 7th of this year, Rwanda commemorated fifteen years since the 1994 genocide.
At this time, when - understandably - sorrow settles quite heavily across the country, these children we heard tonight sang songs to us - of hope and courage well beyond their years. Songs that embodied the spirit of Rwanda's resilience.
In essence, these children - and their peers back home - continue to inspire us to push against sometimes seemingly overwhelming odds to build the country they deserve, and they are the reason Rwanda will prosper." - President Paul Kagame
On May 30th, all nine of BCC's choirs participated in the season's final concert where the musical genre of choice was showtunes! Highlights included Treble Choir's rendition of, "It's a Hard Knock Life" from Annie, DHII and Lyric singing, "Pick a Little/Goodnight Ladies" from The Music Man, and YME/PC singing, "The Color Purple". A favorite moment was when the audience joined BCC in singing, "Make Them Hear You" from Ragtime, which BCC singers were sure to teach their parents at home prior to the concert. Fun was had by all!
On Tuesday, May 26th, BCC held a farewell celebration for BCC's Executive Director, Annette Rubin. A farwell video made for her was shown at the event, check it out below!
On May 15th, BCC's intermediate choirs, Dorchester House II and Lyric, performed with Westford-based Nashoba Youth Orchestra in North Chelmsford. This was an extra special performance because the fabulous Ray Daniels, BCC's Manager of Programs and Recruitment, additionally conducts the Premier Orchestra of NYO, which DHII and Lyric had the pleasure of working with. Together, the groups performed son Faure's "Pie Jesu", Saint Thomas Aquinas' "Panis Angelicus", and Bach's "Bist Du Bei Mir". This performance was thrilling for the DHII and Lyric singers because for most of them, it was their first opportunity to sing with full orchestra. The singers gave gusto-filled performance and thuroughly enjoyed working with the NYO musicians.
