The Boston Children's Chorus is proud to announce two awards at the national level!

First, BCC has won the Margaret Hillis Award for Choral Excellence from Chorus America! The award is presented annually, but youth choruses are only eligible every three years. Winners demonstrate artistic excellence, a strong organizational structure, and a commitment to outreach, education, and/or culturally diverse activities.

Ann Meier Baker, President & CEO of Chorus America declared, “The Boston Children’s Chorus, founded with a social as well as artistic mission, demonstrates daily the power of choral music to unite young people from different backgrounds and foster success skills.”

Founder Hubie Jones accepted the award for BCC during Chorus America's annual conference in June in San Francisco, CA. An engraved plaque and cash prize of $5,000 accompanies the award.

Second, BCC has been selected as a Finalist for a National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award from the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities!

We are one of 50 finalists out of 471 nominations from 48 states. This selection recognizes BCC as one of the top arts and humanities-based programs in the country! The application is being reviewed by a national jury and we expect to learn if we receive one of approximately 15 awards by the end of June. We also congratulate five other finalists from Massachusetts: amplifyme, Care Center, Revolving Museum, Urbano, and ZUMIX!

 

About Chorus America and the Margaret Hillis Award

This award honors the memory of Margaret Hillis, founder of the Chicago Symphony Chorus and its conductor for 37 years, for her more than 40 years of professional achievement and outstanding contributions to the choral art.

Chorus America is the advocacy, research, and leadership development organization that advances the choral field, providing tools, training, peer networking, and access to help choruses contribute to their communities.

About the President's Committe on the Arts and the Humanities and the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award

Created in 1982 under President Reagan, the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (PCAH) is an advisory committee to the White House on cultural issues. The PCAH works directly with the three primary cultural agencies—National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Institute of Museum and Library Services—as well as other federal partners and the private sector, to address policy questions in the arts and humanities, to initiate and support key programs in those disciplines and to recognize excellence in the field. Its core areas of focus are arts and humanities education, cultural exchange, and creative economy.

The National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award is the Nation's highest honor for out-of-school arts and humanities programs that celebrate the creativity of America's young people, particularly those from underserved communities.

Photo credit ©Kristen Loken