Georgia Boy Choir Festival
This event draws more than 250 singers from across country. The Grand Finale Concert is 7 p.m. Feb. 21
at Peachtree Road United Methodist Church, 3180 Peachtree Road, Atlanta. Tickets: $15; $10 for students.
The Georgia Boy Choir invites boys grades three through twelve — even those who have never sung — to participate in rehearsals on Feb. 20 and Feb. 21 and perform in the Grand Finale Concert. The cost to participate is $55 and includes meals and a polo shirt.
Information: georgiaboychoir.org.
You may think that your son is no choirboy but maybe he has the right stuff after all. The typical choirboy is, well, a typical boy and a typical boy without a great voice to boot, says David R. White, artistic director and conductor of the Georgia Boy Choir. Most of the boys who audition for the choir are average singers starting out.
“We teach them how to use their voice,” White said. “Many parents who think their kid can’t sing are very surprised after he gives it a shot.”
Boys in grades three through twelve can give being a choirboy a shot at the Georgia Boy Choir Festival at Peachtree Road United Methodist Church in Buckhead on Feb. 20 and 21. This includes boys who have never sung before. The two days of rehearsals will culminate in the Grand Finale Concert.
“You put these boys in with the other members of the choir,” White said, “and they are able to achieve an amazing level of artistic achievement in a short period of time.”
Q: What kind of boy wants to be in a boys’ choir?
A: Your average boy who loves to play soccer and basketball and video games. Yet, he is fortunate enough to have been exposed to this opportunity. Our boys are well-rounded and well-balanced.
Q: Where do the boys come from?
A: The majority come from the metro area. We have boys come from as far as Cumming and Athens.
Q: How do you keep all those boys from wiggling and squirming?
A: The reason that kids wiggle and squirm is that they are interested in something else. Singing gives their body and their mind something to do. If they can learn to have that level of self-control for the time we are in rehearsal or performance, hopefully they can transfer that self-discipline to other areas of their lives now and in the future.
Q: So singing is a discipline?
A: It is very much a discipline like sports. I was a double major in physical education and voice performance for a while. Singing is not a sport but in some ways it is an athletic event. You are controlling the muscles in your body to create an artistic effect.
Q: What about when the boys’ voices change?
A: They can continue singing in our young men’s ensemble as our tenors and bases. This expands our repertoire and opens up all of choral literature. It also allows those young men to be mentors to the younger boys.
Q: Did you grow up singing in a boy choir?
A: I did not. My parents were both college music professors, my father a musicologist and pianist, and my mother a marvelous singer and voice teacher. I took piano lessons and violin lessons when I was young. I didn’t start singing formally until I was in high school.
Q: What are some of your favorite pieces that the boys sing?
A: Your article is not long enough. We sing a lot of English cathedral music, including “O Thou, The Central Orb” by Charles Wood and “God Is Gone Up” by Gerald Finzi. We also sing a lot American hymns and spirituals . Maybe the favorite of all the boys is a Russian piece,“Spaseniye Sodelal” by Pavel Chesnokov.
Q: Can you talk about the upcoming festival?
A: We invite boy choirs from around the country. We also invite boys from here to participate, no experience required. This is a great opportunity for someone who doesn’t know about the choir to learn if they would like it.
Q: Do you ever get blow back from the boys for not doing contemporary music?
A: I don’t. We don’t do a whole lot of pop music — they hear that music everywhere they go. The music we sing is unique and uniquely beautiful. The boys really appreciate its beauty.
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