What’s Coming:
This season we are excited to be launching several bold new initiatives: Opus Nuovo, Master Artists, Listen In, and our first-ever Season Partner.
For years, BCC has been known for its unique and inspiring arrangements that fall outside of the typical choral canon. With that in mind, we are proud to announce our new commissioning project: Opus Nuovo. In an effort to broaden the scope of choral repertoire, we will engage BCC singers in a culturally responsive artistic process and share this work domestically and internationally. BCC is commissioning three composers each season to collaborate with singers and create new works that truly represent the diverse voices of our community. BCC seeks to position itself as a world leader in diverse choral programming through the publication of these pieces in a future Opus Nuovo Anthology. This season we are excited to share that our first Opus Nuovo Artists are Sydney Guillaume, Layth Sidiq, and Jazzmeia Horn.
Additionally, our singers will have the opportunity this season to perform with Master Artists in concert, including multi GRAMMY award-winning jazz singer, Gregory Porter, international opera star, Andrea Baker, and jazz and scat specialist, Jazzmeia Horn.
Our Listen In Speaker Series continues as we bring together voices from the community of Boston to share perspectives on our season theme and current events. We are pleased to share our confirmed lineup of speakers this season: Maureen Alphonse-Charles, Managing Director of Koya Leadership Partners; Amanda Fernandez, CEO and Co-Founder of Latinos for Education; and Alexandra Oliver-Dávila, Executive Director of Sociedad Latina.
Finally, we are excited to join with Sociedad Latina as our first-ever Season Partner. Throughout the season, our singers will share and hear from youth and leadership from Sociedad Latina, have joint Listen In sessions for the youth of BCC and Sociedad Latina, and work together on artistic and civic projects over the course of the season. Sociedad Latina will join us in hosting a pre-concert panel before our season finale: At the Table.
This will be a season like no other! Whether we are in person or online, we have an exciting lineup of artists, composers, and speakers that our singers will engage with and our audiences will hear. We hope you will join us this season for Waves of Change.
BCC 2020-2021 Season: Waves of Change
The movement of peoples, voluntary and forced, has shaped societies around the world. This season we highlight stories of migration, displacement, and immigration, engaging with the multiplicity of experiences that shape contemporary America. Through song and dialogue, we reflect on the centuries-long impact of colonization on the indigenous peoples of Massachusetts after the landing of the Mayflower in 1620. We examine the impact of oppression on generations of African-Americans following the arrival of the first slave-bearing ship, the White Lion in 1619. We celebrate the power and strength of this country's immigrant population and recognize the continuing challenges facing these communities today. Join us as we explore how the movement of people across time has made Waves of Change to the fabric of our society.
Classics Series Concerts
Hope Unbound
December 5, 2020
5:30 PM
Strand Theatre
The dawn of a new year brings reflections on the year passed and hope for the year to come. This holiday season, the voices of Boston Children's Chorus share their personal reflections and sing of their unbound hope for the year to come. Our singers will share their hopes and dreams through song, video, and art, bringing light and joy to the season.
Born on the Water: 18thAnnual Martin Luther King, Jr. Tribute Concert
January 17, 2021
5:30 PM
Symphony Hall
"They say our people were born on the water. They were made black by those who believed themselves to be white." -Nikole Hannah-Jones from the podcast 1619
Boston Children’s Chorus unites its voices to honor the resilience of a people that have formed the backbone of this country’s cultural heritage. In 1619, the first slave-bearing ship, the White Lion, arrived on the shores of North America, marking the onset of centuries-long injustice borne by black Americans. Drawing upon a rich artistic legacy, we share music that underscores the history of the African American experience and reflect on the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Hold Fast to Dreams: 14th Annual Weekend of Song and Professional Development
March 20, 2021
2:00 PM
Strand Theatre
Drawing on the words of Harlem Renaissance poet Langston Hughes, Boston Children’s Chorussingers share their dreams, small and grand, as forces of persistence through struggle. Honoring the experiences of Dreamers who have made their homes in the United States, our singers reflect on their own narratives and cast their visions for a bright future.
At the Table: Lift Every Voice Finale Concert
June 13, 2021
2:00 PM
Strand Theatre
Boston Children’s Chorus proudly celebrates the power of diversity in our culminating concert celebrating Waves of Change. In a nation formed out of the stories and labors of immigrants, we reflect on the strength and love achieved through unity. Together, we revel in the vibrant lived experiences that have gathered At the Table.
Additional Concerts
This Land is Your Land
When the Pilgrims landed in Plymouth 400 years ago, they did not settle on a vacant land—they settled on the land of the various Wampanoag peoples. The New World provided opportunities to many of those who came here, but those opportunities cost the lives of millions of people already inhabiting this land. Centuries later, the Wampanoag peoples are still fighting for the small piece of land they have left.
Time and time again, people have been conquered and land has been taken — in the name of exploration, war, and religious conquest. Today, America is known as a land of opportunity, the land of the free and the home of the brave. As we recognize the country and what it has become, Boston Children’s Chorus examines these claims and explores what it means to say, “this land was made for you and me."
Journey Song
Our history is marked with travel and migration of people groups. Stories of these journeys are often shared orally through song—stories of joy, hardship, hope, strength, adventure. Music captures those narratives in a way that shares lived experiences across geographic, language, and cultural boundaries. In this concert, Boston Children's Chorus delves into the rich history of songs of travel and explores music which accompanies our lives’ journeys.
