The All-American Boys Chorus started as a small church choir in Orange County, California in 1970 and has grown into a 501(c)(3) non-profit, internationally-touring, non-denominational chorus that fosters the creative and leadership development of over one hundred boys each year.
Based in Santa Ana, California, the chorus is under the artistic direction of Wesley Martin. The Chorus attracts youth from 26 cities throughout Southern California, from diverse cultural and religious backgrounds and economic status. Programs require a small tuition payment, however no child is turned away based on need.
The chorus program progresses through different stages of cognitive development, transforming an individual from a beginner vocalist to a seasoned performer while instilling leadership skills through peer-to-peer mentoring. All choristers participate in after school and weekend music lessons with rehearsals at the Santa Ana campus as well as performances, recordings, national and international concert tours, and an annual week-long summer camp.
Most choristers remain in the program for approximately four years, with some students continuing by joining the graduate chorus or as part-time staff and interns. All Saturday four-hour rehearsals combine periods of time for breaks, recreation, games, music education, and vocal learning.
For over 40 years, the group worked out of rented space at the Orange County Fairgrounds. [1]
The Orange County Fair, abbreviated as the OC Fair, is a 23-day annual fair that is held every summer at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa, California. The 2019 OC Fair is from July 12, 2019 to August 11, 2019.
David Bryan Benoit is an American jazz pianist, composer and producer from Los Angeles, California. Benoit has charted over 25 albums since 1980, and has been nominated for three Grammy Awards. He is also music director for the Asia America Symphony Orchestra and the Asia America Youth Orchestra.
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, United States. It originated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and developed from roots in blues and ragtime. Jazz is seen by many as "America's classical music". Since the 1920s Jazz Age, jazz has become recognized as a major form of musical expression. It then emerged in the form of independent traditional and popular musical styles, all linked by the common bonds of African-American and European-American musical parentage with a performance orientation. Jazz is characterized by swing and blue notes, call and response vocals, polyrhythms and improvisation. Jazz has roots in West African cultural and musical expression, and in African-American music traditions including blues and ragtime, as well as European military band music. Intellectuals around the world have hailed jazz as "one of America's original art forms".
BYU Vocal Point is a nine-member, male a cappella group at Brigham Young University (BYU). Founded by students in 1991, Vocal Point operates under the direction of BYU's Performing Arts Management (PAM).
"Go the Distance" is a song from Disney's 1997 animated feature film, Hercules. It was written by composer Alan Menken and lyricist David Zippel, and originally recorded by American actor Roger Bart in his film role as the singing voice of Hercules. American singer-songwriter Michael Bolton recorded a pop version of the song for the film's end credits. In the Spanish version, the song is performed by Hercules voice actor Ricky Martin, both in the movie and in the credits; this version is included on Martin's album Vuelve. Both the song and its reprise featured in a stage production of Hercules, performed upon the Disney Wonder during 2007/2008.
Hercules is a 1997 American animated musical fantasy comedy film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation for Walt Disney Pictures. The 35th Disney animated feature film and the eighth animated film produced during the Disney Renaissance, the film was directed by Ron Clements and John Musker. The film is loosely based on the legendary hero Heracles, the son of Zeus, in Greek mythology.
Phoenix is the capital and most populous city of Arizona, with 1,660,272 people. It is also the fifth most populous city in the United States, and the only state capital with a population of more than one million residents.
Caleb Lee Hutchinson is an American singer-songwriter, and runner-up on the sixteenth season of American Idol.
Madeline Mae "Maddie" Poppe is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and the season 16 winner of American Idol. She is a multi-instrumentalist playing the guitar, piano, and ukulele. Prior to winning American Idol, Poppe released an EP titled Songs from the Basement. In 2015, she had also auditioned for The Voice.
A boy soprano or boy treble is a young male singer with an unchanged voice in the soprano range, a range that is often still called the treble voice range when talking about children.
Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA), colloquially called "OH-sha", which is retained from a pronunciation of the previous acronym for the previous name of the school, is a 7th–12th grade public charter school located in downtown Santa Ana, Orange County, California, United States. The school caters to middle and high school students with talents in the performing, visual, literary arts, culinary arts and more. The educational program prepares students for higher education institutions or employment in the professional arts industry. Both the academic and arts program have prompted recognition in the US News' "Best High Schools" program. In 2012 the school changed its name from "Orange County High School of the Arts" (OCHSA) to "Orange County School of the Arts" to reflect the inclusion of middle school students.
San Francisco Girls Chorus, established in 1978 by Elizabeth Appling and celebrating its 40th anniversary during the 2018-2019 Season, is a leading regional center for music education and performance for young women, ages 4–18, based in San Francisco. Each year, more than 300 singers from 45 Bay Area cities participate in the SFGC’s programs. The organization consists of a professional-level performance, recording, and touring ensemble and a six-level Chorus School training program. A leading voice on the Bay Area and national music scenes, the Chorus has produced award-winning concerts, recordings and tours, empowered young women in music and other fields, enhanced and expanded the field of music for treble voices and set the international standard for the highest level of performance and education. The Chorus has been the recipient of 5 GRAMMY Awards, 4 Chorus America/ASCAP Awards for Adventurous Programming of Contemporary Music, and the Margaret Hillis Award for Choral Excellence from Chorus America. SFGC's Chorus School has been described as "a model in the country for training girls' voices" by the California Arts Council.
A Thorn for Every Heart is a post-hardcore band from Chino Hills, California.
Los Angeles Children's Chorus (LACC) is a children's choral youth organisation based in Los Angeles. LACC has appeared in more than 300 performances with such organizations as the Los Angeles Opera, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Master Chorale, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.
Chicago a cappella is a non-profit organization devoted to furthering the art of ensemble singing without any instruments. The group of professional singers began in 1993 by Jonathan Miller and conduct a series of performances annually. The organization displays a yearly subscription series for Chicago residents, produces studio recordings as well as live and broadcast-media musical content, and performs on tour and in special arrangements. The ensemble is known for their outstanding vocal abilities, innovative programming, and have a reputation of being a leader within the choral field. Expanding from a collection of a Gregorian chants to the Beatles and beyond, the singers are known for their wide repertoire including early works, vocal jazz, and spirituals. The ensemble is also a champion of performing works by living composers.
The Land of Lakes Choirboys is a nonprofit boy choir organization based in Elk River, Minnesota in the United States. Consisting of six individual choir ensembles, the organization performs in local, national, and international locations. Through a series of training programs, choristers are taught arts of music, leadership, respect, honor and other elements of human integrity. Known for singing works of various musicians such as Bach and Antonio Vivaldi, the choristers sing religious and secular music. The Land of Lakes Choirboys are supported by various organizations and individual donors.
Symphony Hall is a multi-purpose performing arts venue, located in Downtown Phoenix, Arizona, United States.
The Chicago Gay Men's Chorus (CGMC) is a choral organization in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1983 with fifty-five singers, the chorus currently consists of approximately 150 singing members and over 200 members in total.
St. Paul's Choir School is a Catholic choir school located at the Church of St. Paul, Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1963, the middle school for boys in third through eighth grades is the only boys' choir school in the United States of America affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church. The Choir School educates and trains the choirboys who sing soprano in the choir of St. Paul's, a choir of boys and men. The choir sings for liturgical services at St. Paul's Church and performs primarily in and around the Boston area. It is located within the Archdiocese of Boston.
Velma Middleton was an American jazz vocalist and entertainer who sang with Louis Armstrong's big bands and small groups from 1942 until her death.
Hans Olson, is an American musician and songwriter. He is a singer and plays an amplified acoustic guitar and a harmonica in a neck rack. He is known as one of the best "harp-in-a-rack" players in the world. Olson helped to establish and organize the Phoenix Blues Society (1988), the Arizona Green Party (1991), the Arizona Blues Hall of Fame (1995), the Arizona Music Heritage Foundation and the Arizona Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame (2002). In 1996, Olson was inducted into the Arizona Blues Hall of Fame. Both Phoenix Magazine and Phoenix New Times named Olson as one of the most influential musicians in Arizona.
Alvin Wayne Casey was an American guitarist. He was mainly noted for his work as a session musician, but also released his own records and scored three Billboard Hot 100 hits in the United States. His contribution to the rockabilly genre has been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.
The Phoenix Boys Choir is a Grammy Award winning boys choir based in Phoenix, Arizona and the largest boys' choir in the United States.
The San Diego Children's Choir is a nonprofit organization committed to providing high quality music education and performance experiences to a diverse range of youth from the San Diego, California area. Founded in 1990, the San Diego Children's Choir is the area's oldest and largest choral training program serving more than 500 children ages four–18 at locations throughout San Diego County. It was incorporated as a non-profit public benefit corporation in 1990. Rehearsals and performances of fine music literature form the foundation of instruction and provide the youth of San Diego opportunities for artistic and personal growth through choral music performance.
The Ragazzi Boys Chorus is a boys' and young men's chorus in the San Francisco Bay Area and is known for winning a Grammy Award for Best Classical Album in 2000 for its participation in Perséphone with the San Francisco Symphony. The chorus was formed in 1987 with 6 boys, and it now includes more than 170 singers from 86 schools in 26 Bay Area communities including San Mateo, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties. The choir has placed highly in numerous international competitions. It also auditions the most singers to either national or state American Choral Directors Association honor choirs each year.
The Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus is a boys' choir based in Tucson, Arizona, which performs locally, nationally, and internationally. Founded in 1939 and incorporated as a non-profit educational organization in 1945, its mission is to facilitate music education and social development among Tucson youth ages 6 to 21. The chorus, presently numbering 150 members, sends out touring companies of 30 boys each who sing folk songs, Western ballads, Mexican songs, Christmas carols, spirituals, pop music, classical music, Broadway show tunes, and American patriotic songs. The boys also perform rope tricks. The chorus has performed in major venues around the world as well as on television and radio, and in collaboration with symphony orchestras and arts organizations. It has released albums both under its own label, TABC Records, and with Capitol Records, United Artists, and C.P. MacGregor.
"Christmas Time Is Here" is a popular Christmas song written by Lee Mendelson and Vince Guaraldi for the 1965 TV special A Charlie Brown Christmas, one of the first animated Christmas specials produced for network TV in the United States. Because the song became a hit, two versions were included on the album A Charlie Brown Christmas: an instrumental version by the Vince Guaraldi Trio and a vocal version by choristers from St. Paul's Episcopal Church in San Rafael, California.
The National Children's Chorus of the United States of America (NCC) is a private, non-profit organization, and one of the largest children's choruses in the world. It has 700 choristers and its members are between the ages of five and eighteen, and divided into Junior Division and Senior Division across its three chapter cities - Los Angeles, New York, and Washington, D.C..
The Tucson Girls Chorus is a girls' choir based in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1984, the non-profit organization accommodates girls aged 6 to 18 in six main choirs and numerous satellite choirs in low-income communities. Chorus members perform locally, nationally, and internationally. The chorus has released several CDs. In 2017, the organization opened the city's first public choir for girls and boys with special needs.