Joint Concert and Hosting Experience with Carmina from the Czech Republic!

Guest Writer: Nina Goodman, Premier Choir

With this being my second year in BCC, I am still surprised by all the great things that we are able to do. When my mother and I arrived at the airport to pick up the six Czech choristers from the Czech choir, I had assumed that it would be like when the choir from Chicago had stayed with my family the past year. But, to my astonishment, it was an entirely different cultural experience. While at the airport every one was trying to imagine what the visiting singers would be like… would they be as excited about meeting us as we were to meet them? The answer to that was yes.

With rehearsals every day and all sorts of other tourist-y experiences planned for the Czechs, they got just enough sleep to get through to the next activity. We managed to have a great deal of fun and perform wonderfully under the hectic circumstances. It seemed that the best time that we were able to have together was at the potluck dinner the Mia Ferguson and Sherylynn Sealy (Premier Choir Vice President and President) put together. With music, food and a small craft to break the ice, we all got along great. As we made traditional paper hand turkeys, Sherylynn shared some information about thanksgiving and although the language was somewhat difficult, we got to share an aspect of our culture with the visitors.

During the second to last night of the Czechs visit, they showered us with gifts from their homeland, which included embroidery, chocolates, chocolates, and more chocolates. We gave them Boston red sox jackets so that they could say that they were official Bostonians.

The next night was the concert that was filled with all sorts of fun suprises. Carmina wowed us with their expressiveness and enthusiasm on stage, however the highlight was when the whipped off their regular performance outfits and performed some classic Czech folk songs in traditional Czech clothing. The song that I believe we had the most compliments on was “Freedom Trilogy”. All in all I think that it was a great concert and a fabulous experience through out the whole thing.

BCC Fall Concert!

Fall Concert 2007

This year, for the first time ever, BCC held a fall concert for the general public. It was a enjoyable evening filled with excitment radiating from all of the BCC choirs, as well as from the warm and welcoming audience. In order to represent the real singer perspective, interviews have been conducted with members from various choirs within the BCC, telling of the fall concert experience from many point of views! Read on!

Laura Potter, age 15, represents Premier

What is your favorite aspect of being in BCC?
LP: This is my second year singing in the Boston Children's Chorus. The best part of being a member of the chorus is being around the most talented, encouraging, and inspired people, both staff and fellow singers, that I have ever met. In such a rigorous yet supportive environment, I have been able to grow as a musician and to make friends. The BCC community is singularly unique in this way; we adapt as a group to fit every singer's individual needs, and the product of our work is extraordinary.

BCC: Which selections did your choir perform at the Fall Concert?
LP: At this year's Fall Concert, the Premier Choir performed five pieces. We opened the program with "Lift Thine Eyes" from "Elijah" by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, followed by "Can You Hear" by Jim Papoulis. Then, we sang "In Paradisum", a Gregorian chant and "Eternity" by Michael Bojesen. We then walked out to "Mu ku ki La may", an African melody that we learned on our retreat to New Hampshire at the beginning of the season.

BCC: Were you nervous before the performance?
LP: No, I was not particularly nervous before the performance. There were a song or two in our selections that we, the PC, were concerned might not be as polished as we might have liked, but on the whole we were more excited than worried. I think everybody gets last minute jitters right before going on stage, but as soon as we start to sing everyone feels more comfortable and relaxed.

BCC: What was your favorite part of the performance?

LP: My favorite part of the performance was the effect of our semi-circle formation for the last selection, "Eternity". During the Gregorian chant of "In Paradisum", the PC split into three groups, and two of these groups processed out into the aisles of the audience, creating a long arc of singers, while the other group remained on stage. This piece is, as our conductor and Artistic Director Mr. Trecek-King described to the audience that evening, about reflection, thought, and finding comfort in something as solid and quiet as a stone from the beach. After singing the three verses at the beginning of the piece, the choir converges on one singular note, and slowly, one by one, small groups of singers begin to diverge from this note and sing hauntingly beautiful melodies, reaching a full and glorious climax before returning to that same note in unison at the end. Because the choir was spread throughout the audience as well as the stage, the effect was an enveloping, perpetually sustained, flowing sound that reached the audience from not one but three directions. Our performance of "Eternity" was, therefore, a success and my favorite piece that PC sang that night.

Laura Davis, age 17, gives us the Concert Choir perspective..

BCC: What is your favorite aspect of being in BCC?

LD: I have been in BCC since last year, and I love coming into Boston every week, and I have learned SO much about music, in fact way more than my violin teacher taught me when I took violin for four years.

BCC: Which selections did your choir perform at the Fall Concert?

LD: We sang "Feel Good" composed by L. Craig Tyson

BCC: Were you nervous before the performance?

LD: I wasn't nervous because I'm used to performing, but I was slightly nervous for my choir because sometimes we have trouble paying attention through the whole performance, but it came together quite nicely!

BCC: What was your favorite part of the performance?

LD: Well, I am not sure what the audience would say, but it was really fun to see my supportive friends taking snapshots from the front row as we sang!

Charlotte Del Col represents Villa Victoria

BCC: What is your favorite part of being in the BCC?

CDC: I have been in BCC for two years now, and I really like being with my friends from the choir.

BCC: What pieces did your choir sing at the Fall Concert?

CDC: Let's Sing Altogether, Thank you for the World So Sweet and Seagull.

BCC: Were you nervous before the performance?

CDC: Right before the performance I get a little nervous. Once we start to sing, I'm not nervous.

BCC: What was your favorite moment of the Fall Concert?

CDC:When everyone claps I feel proud. I also like when we take our bows.

Performance at Tufts University!

Guest Writer: Casey Accardi

As soon as I took a first look at the piece, “O Daedalus, Fly Away Home” composed by Trevor Weston, I knew that we were in for a real treat. The Premier Choir of BCC was invited to sing the children’s chorus part of this masterpiece, along with the Tufts University Chamber Choir singing the adult parts, conducted by Andrew Clark. We began rehearsals at once, improving each time we ran a section. The energy within the choir built as we realized just how thrilling of a piece “O Daedalus” was. As the few short weeks passed, it became time for us to finally rehearse with the Tufts Chamber Singers, (who are truly magnificent!) and get the piece up and running. “O Daedalus” tells the story of slaves trying to escape back to Africa by using a beautiful poem written by Robert Hayden. Trevor Weston explained to us the story behind the song and inspired us to perform to a different level as we became aware of what we were singing about.

The day of the performance, there was a flurry of energy within the choir as we prepared to take the stage. We would be performing at the Granoff Music Center at the Tufts University campus. The moment we entered the space, it was clear that it was no ordinary concert hall. It managed to incorporate tremendous acoustics as well a very sleek and classy design. We had the opportunity to not only perform “O Daedalus” but also selections from our own repertoire. We got into formation on stage and began to practice. The moment we began singing, a wonderful energy whizzed through the choir as we realized that the Hall was one in which our sound felt controlled but explosive, a great feeling.

Quickly, it became time for us to take to the stage and perform our individual set. We began with the engaging piece, “Aint-a That Good News” which was such fun to perform in the space because our sound bounced off the walls, giving us the perfect tone. We then did “Lift Thine Eyes” and “We are…”, both old favorites of ours. At last we transitioned into positions to perform my personal favorite “Eternity”, an eight part piece designed to bring back memories to the minds of the audience.

We were then joined by the Tufts Singers on stage as we got ready to perform the piece of the night. We got of to a great start sailed through all the troubling parts of the song. The sounds of the two choirs collaborating was enormous and thrilling to be apart of. At the end of the piece, the audience erupted into applause, and one could tell by the look on the faces of the composer and conductor that it had been a great success. It was fulfilling to be apart of and left us all with a feeling of pride, not to mention, we had a great deal of fun putting the remarkable piece together!

Performance: Partnership with Emmanuel Music!

Guest Writer: Kasey Fahy. Premier Choir

On October 14, 2007 the Boston Children’s chorus had the privilege to sing with Emanuel music at Emmanuel church. This was the second year we were invited to sing a Bach cantata with the choir and it was even better than the first year. Singing with the professional choir at Emmanuel was both fun and rewarding. We were able to learn from the choir as we hope they were able to learn from us. When we were not singing we were able to listen to the enthralling solos and duets by some of Emmanuel music’s finest singers. The gracious members of the church were warm and inviting and a neighborhood choir even made cookies for us, when they found out we would be performing this weekend! The small orchestra we sang with was exquisite, and even with the tight quarters on stage they were extremely professional. Before we sang the cantata the Boston Children’s Chorus sang Lift Thine Eyes to the members of the church. Even with only a small number of Sopranos the song went well. We sang with heart and hopefully our singing warmed the chilly church. After we sang Lift Thine Eyes we walked out to a fabulous solo of In Paradisum by Miriam. This concert was both exciting and enchanting and hopefully we will be invited back to sing for many more years!

Performance: Superintendant Welcome!

Guest Writer: Mia Ferguson

On September the 25th, the premier choir joined with various organizations throughout Boston to welcome our new superintendent of the Boston Public Schools, Dr. Carol R. Johnson. After one rehearsal only, music filled the chapel of Trinity Church in Copley Square. All three performing groups, the Boston Community Choir, the Trinity Choir, and our very own Premier Choir of the Boston Children’s Chorus, performed with passion and energy individually, but when the groups joined in song together, a true unity and power encompassed the room. Not only was this event musically rewarding for us, after all we did learn a new song from Dr. Carol Johnson, it was an opportunity to experience many of our fellow students in our city. Speakers of all ages took the podium, including the Central Treble Choir’s young singer Christina Yee. In spite of her young age, Christina gave an incredible speech that was certainly memorable and exceptionally well delivered and written. Her words echoed throughout the night as the importance of education in both academics and the arts was emphasized. Another benefit of the evening was to see the red jackets of the City Year corps members filling the pews of the chapel. Their spirit and pride definitely fired up our passion and motivation to sing and spread the word about music. We now all have a confidence that Dr. Carol R. Johnson shares our commitment to music and musical education, and know that we’ll have many more brilliant students from the Boston Public School system heading our way to join us in our choirs.