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Our singers have been very much in demand.
November and December were especially full of
activity. Recent performance highlights:
Fall Family Kick Off Concert On November 11th we celebrated our 2007- 2008 season with our first annual Fall Concert held at Roxbury Community College. It was truly a magical evening as singers from all nine choirs took the stage and performed for a standing room only crowd. Tufts University Choir
On November 15th BCC's Premier Choir performed at Tufts University with the Tufts University Choir. Macy's Tree Lighting
On November 23rd BCC singers from various choirs joined together at the Annual Macy's Tree Lighting appearing with Grammy Award winning singer John Secada. Czech Choir Collaboration
On November 29th the Premier Choir hosted the Carmina Czech Choir for the Boston leg of their U.S tour, culminating in a spectacular performance at the First Church of Boston. (Keep reading for one of the host family experiences) Boston's Official Tree Lighting
The Concert Choir performed at Boston Common for the city's official tree lighting on November 29th, broadcast live on WCVB-TV Channel 5. Boston Center for the Arts Tree
Lighting
On December 1st the Villa Victoria Choir performed in the South End for the Boston Center for the Arts annual tree lighting. |
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A few weeks ago the BCC hosted Carmina, a
children's choir from the Czech Republic. This cultural
and artistic exchange was an incredible experience for
our singers and our visitors. BCC's Bailly family, who
hosted two choir members at their home, share their
experience:
We had the privilege and pleasure of hosting the only
two "guys" participating in the BCC/ Carmina Choir
exchange - Voyta and Jon. We all seemed to hit it off
on the first night - language barriers and all - going
between English and French (fortunately, we have two
native and one struggling French speaker within the
Bailly household.) Initially, Voyta took on the role of
translator for Jon as he studied French as a third
language at school. By night two, the boys were tired
but gave me a good idea about who they were and
what they liked during the 32 mile one-way commute
to and from Boston. By night three and four, we were
ready to adopt the guys as they quickly adjusted to the
daily routines and shared bits of the usual teenage wit
familiar to our household. We found that we shared a
mutual passion for food, laughter, world music,
bands, and guitars.
We also learned that the capacity to "mother/parent" is
a global experience that really does not require one to
speak the same language. The capacity to
worry/express concern about the happiness, health,
and safety of kids is a parental experience. It's just
second nature to ask, do you have your hats/gloves,
are you sure that coat is warm enough, are you sure
you're not hungry? I knew a connection was made
when Voyta and Jon simply dismissed my repetitive
inquires. All was good, they were now family. In
many ways, it was easier to add two more boys to the
two (often three) that I have (Cautchy, Ateha and
Tohouri/dad) as it kept me organized! It also made
me realize how much I appreciated being a part of
a "guy" house. They were so easy to accommodate
and we felt so lucky to host these boys.
Even one week after "our" boys left for their journey to
Amherst and New York, they remain in the hearts and
minds of the Bailly family. After they left, we wondered
if they were sufficiently warm, fed, and comfortable
during the last half of their journey in America. The
only downside to the entire experience was that it was
too short - so much to share/learn AND so little time
between scheduled activities and commuting to/from
Boston. The good news, we came home to a
wonderful email confirming their safe return to the
Czech Republic today. Thank goodness!
The Bailly boys' perspective
Cautchy (Young Men's Voice Class, age 16.6): "One thing that I learned through this experience is despite some of the differences between the US and the Czech Republic the singers we hosted weren't much different from my friends here in the U.S. They were friendly, polite and eager to learn as much about us as they could. Each singer was able to take care of himself to a certain degree and made sure to fit into our daily routines. The singers exemplified what hard work can do. Overall, I believe that the experience was very pleasant for all parties involved. AtÉha (Dorchester House 1 Choir, age 10.11):
"One thing that I
learned
while the Czech Republic singers were in the USA
was the different sports they played ---like hockey
and soccer. I also learned about the language and
the food they eat."
- The Bailly Family |
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Casey Accardi, Premier Choir singer, reflects on a
recent collaboration with students from Tufts
University.
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.
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Your generosity helps BCC continue to bring the
community
together through music!
The BCC has
grown beyond our wildest dreams during the past
year with over 300 singers participating in our nine
choirs. In our fifth performance season our singers
continue to be "Ambassadors of Harmony" to the city
of Boston.
As you make your charitable giving choices this
holiday season, we ask you to consider a donation to
the
BCC. We rely on the generosity of our supporters to
help continue our commitment to excellence and to
the community building power of music.
For more information about making a tax-
deductible donation to the Boston Children's Chorus,
call Mary Ann Brennan Newcomb at (617) 778-2242
ext. 230, or email
at
mbrennannewcomb@bostonchildrenschorus.org
Thank you to everyone who has already
responded to our year end appeal!
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The Boston Children's Chorus recently began a
relationship with Boston Cares, and had volunteers
help with distribution of poinsettias earlier this month
for our annual Poinsettia Sale Fundraiser. The
volunteers worked for four hours on Saturday morning,
December 1st, helping to unload, organize and
distribute the almost 1400 plants sold by BCC
singers! For many of the volunteers, this was their first
time hearing of the Boston Children's Chorus. Others
were familiar with the organization from the 4th of July
performance with the Boston Pops, the MLK concert
and the recent Boston
Tree Lighting performance. At the end of their shifts,
the volunteers shared lots of positive feedback about
their experience volunteering with BCC and asked
about future opportunities to help. We look
forward to furthering our relationship with Boston
Cares and its volunteers at our annual Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr. Concert in January.
Boston Cares is a non-profit organization that
matches volunteers with team-oriented volunteer
opportunities for Boston-area schools, non-profits and
corporate businesses. They provide flexible
volunteering in a very diverse range of projects.
Founded in 1991, Boston Cares is one of the largest
volunteer service organizations in New England,
providing more than 100 volunteer projects each
week. To learn more about Boston Cares, please visit
their website: www.bostoncares.org. While you are
there, make sure you check out the postings for
Boston Children's Chorus!
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State Street's relationship with the Boston Children's
Chorus began in 2003 and will continue again in 2008
with sponsorship of the Martin Luther King concert
in January. We are proud to be a part of this event,
which promotes Dr. King's message in a meaningful
and insightful way.
State Street Corporation strives to be a community
leader. We have a long history of supporting the less
advantaged in areas where the company has a
business presence. The corporation actively engages
its communities through philanthropy, volunteerism,
employee contributions and community development
investing. Our goal is to improve the lives of those in
need by providing support to charitable organizations
around the world.
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May the joy of this Holiday Season surround
you
and
may your New Year be
filled with
music and wonder Best wishes
from the Boston Children's Chorus |
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