The All-Ohio State Fair Youth Choir (known as the AOSFYC or the All-Ohio Youth Choir) is a singing organization of high school students that meets every summer five days prior to the opening of the Ohio State Fair and performs as entertainment for the duration of the fair. Dubbed in 1965 as "Ohio's Singing Ambassadors of Goodwill" by Governor James A. Rhodes, the group is composed of singers from many of Ohio's 88 counties.
The Ohio State Fair is one of the largest State Fairs in the United States. The event is held in Columbus, Ohio during late July through early August. As estimated in a 2011 economic impact study conducted by Saperstein & Associates; the State Fair contributes approximately 68.5 million dollars to the state's economy. In 2015, attendance was 982,305, the Fair's highest 12-day attendance on record.
James Allen Rhodes was an American Republican politician from Ohio, and as of 2019 one of only seven governors to serve 4 four-year terms in office. Rhodes is tied for the fourth longest gubernatorial tenure in post-Constitutional U.S. history at 5,840 days.
A portion of the group also engages in a tour of Ohio during the summer.
History
The All-Ohio Youth Choir was founded in 1963 by Glenville D. Thomas. He created the group after directing the Greater Zanesville Youth Choir from 1959–1962 and using that group as a basis for the first All-Ohio Youth Choir, which performed for the first time at the 1963 Ohio State Fair. This gave high school vocalists the opportunity to share a musical experience that rivals that of the All-Ohio State Fair Band.[1]
The All-Ohio State Fair Band (AOSFB) was established in 1925 and was first directed by Jack Wainwright of Fostoria. Each year, over 200 Ohio high-school musicians come to the Ohio State Fair for two weeks and perform multiple shows on the fair daily. These performances include concerts at various fair landmarks, such as the Natural Resources Park and Kasich Hall, marching in the daily parade, and participating in special fair events, such as the Opening Ceremony. The band also occasionally performs outside the fairgrounds, annually at the Columbus Park of Roses, and biennially at the Ohio Statehouse. The band is closely tied with the All Ohio State Fair Youth Choir, the two groups perform in a number of joint concerts during the fair. The band concludes every concert with John Philip Sousa's The Stars and Stripes Forever, a tradition dating back to the band's first performance. The current director of the band is Brian Dodd. The All-Ohio State Fair Band is the only state fair band in the United States. The AOSFB serves as an opportunity for high schoolers to grow as people and musicians, and to make great memories and friends
In 1965, 122 members of the Choir embarked on the group's first European tour, following a day of performances at the New York World's Fair.
The 1964/1965 New York World's Fair was a world's fair that held over 140 pavilions, 110 restaurants, for 80 nations, 24 US states, and over 45 corporations to build exhibits or attractions at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City. The immense fair covered 646 acres (261 ha) on half the park, with numerous pools or fountains, and an amusement park with rides near the lake. However, the fair did not receive official sanctioning from the Bureau of International Expositions (BIE).
The Phil Donahue Show, also known as Donahue, is an American television talk show hosted by Phil Donahue that ran for 26 years on national television. Its run was preceded by three years of local broadcast in Dayton, Ohio, and it was broadcast nationwide between 1970 and 1996.
Leslie Townes Hope, KBE, KC*SG, KSS, known professionally as Bob Hope, was an American stand-up comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer, dancer, athlete, and author. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in more than 70 short and feature films, with 54 feature films with Hope as star, including a series of seven "Road" musical comedy movies with Bing Crosby as Hope's top-billed partner.
The White House Rose Garden is a garden bordering the Oval Office and the West Wing of the White House in Washington, D.C., United States. The garden is approximately 125 feet long and 60 feet wide. It balances the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden on the east side of the White House Complex.
In 1974 and 1975 the Choir was invited to perform in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. They used a custom-made portable amplification systems for each singer, known as "Voice-Paks", allowing the choir to become the first known marching choir.[citation needed]
The annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City, one of the world's largest parades, is presented by the U.S. based department store chain Macy's. The parade started in 1924, tying it for the second-oldest Thanksgiving parade in the United States with America's Thanksgiving Parade in Detroit. The three-hour parade is held in Manhattan from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Thanksgiving Day, and has been televised nationally on NBC since 1952. Employees at Macy's department stores have the option of marching in the parade.
In 1975, the choir went to Hollywood with the first trips to the Tournament of Roses Parade; they returned in 1978, and for the final time in 1988. In 1982, the choir participated in the Fiesta Bowl Parade.[citation needed]
Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California, notable as the home of the U.S. film industry, including several of its historic studios. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the industry and the people associated with it.
In 1982, the choir was the recipient of the Governor's Award at the Ohio Newspaper Association banquet.[citation needed]
In 1992, Charles R. Snyder became the second director of the choir. He had been director of music for the Highland Local Schools in Morrow County, and then for Coshocton Middle School, and was on the staff of The Presbyterian Church, Coshocton, Ohio as minister of music and education.
In 2014, Dr. Jon Peterson was appointed as the third director in the Choir's 52nd year of continuous performance.
In the late early 1980s two of the Choir's European tours included concerts at West Bromwich Town Hall, (England), organised by the Sandwell Cancer Research Campaign (Chairman John Shorthouse) - the local fund-raising committee of The UK Cancer Research Campaign.[citation needed]
In the mid 1980s The Choir performed two similar concerts at West Bromwich Town Hall, in aid of Sandwell Hospital Radio, and compered by actor, comedian & author Alton Douglas. These concerts were sponsored by Centro and Barclays Bank respectively, organized by Station Manager Ian Shorthouse, and broadcast live to hospitals in the borough of Sandwell.[citation needed]
Alumni Association
The Alumni Association serves as a booster club for the current choir and as an organization to keep the alumni involved and informed about the choir.[2]
Moanalua High School is a public, co-educational college preparatory high school of the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education and serves grades nine through twelve. Established in 1972, Moanalua High School is located in suburban Salt Lake near Moanalua in the City & County of Honolulu of the state of Hawaiʻi. Its first class graduated in 1975. The school is situated on an extinct volcano hillside overlooking downtown Honolulu at 2825 Ala ʻIlima Street. The campus boasts the bronze sculpture Moanalua by Bumpei Akaji and the ceramic sculpture Silent Sounds by Shigeharu Yamada.
Westminster Choir College is a residential conservatory of music located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Westminster Choir College educates students at the undergraduate and graduate levels for musical careers in music education, voice performance, piano performance, organ performance, pedagogy, music theory and composition, conducting, sacred music, and arts management; professional training in musical skills with an emphasis on performance is complemented by studies in the liberal arts. All students study with Westminster's voice faculty, the largest voice faculty in the world. The school's proximity to New York City and Philadelphia provides students with easy access to the musical resources of both cities.
Mona Shores Public Schools is a public school district located in Michigan, United States, in the western side of the state near Lake Michigan. The district includes most of the city of Norton Shores, which is just south of Muskegon. The superintendent is Bill O'Brien.
The American Boychoir School was a boarding/day middle school located in Hopewell, New Jersey, and the home of the American Boychoir. The school served boys in grades 4–8, many of whom came from across the United States and from many countries. It was one of only two boychoir boarding schools in the United States, the other being Saint Thomas Choir School in New York City. In 2002, the school was embroiled in a scandal due to allegations of sexual abuse of students by faculty and other students. The school served as the basis for a fictionalized choir in the 2014 film Boychoir.
Bexley High School (BHS) is a public high school located in Bexley, Ohio, a suburb of Columbus, Ohio. It is the only high school in Bexley City School system.
Jackson High School is a public high school located in Jackson Township, Ohio, United States, near Massillon. Part of the Jackson Local School District, it serves grades 9 through 12. The school's colors are purple and gold and the athletic teams are known as the Polar Bears. Most Jackson Students are either Wealthy or Upper Middle Class. The Standardized Test are almost always the highest in Stark County including Private Schools.
North Royalton High School is a public high school located in North Royalton, Ohio, United States, a suburban community in Greater Cleveland. Over 1,000 students attend the school. For athletics, North Royalton is a member of the National Division of the Suburban League. The school colors are purple and gold and athletic teams are known as the Bears.
Lima Senior High School, the only high school in the Lima City Schools District, was established in 1955, in Lima, Ohio. There are approximately 4,500 students currently enrolled at Lima Senior.
Grove City High School is a high school in Grove City, Ohio, United States. It is one of the five high schools in the South-Western City Schools district. It houses about 1,900 students in grades 9-12. Formerly Jackson High School, Grove City High School moved from the former Park Street building in 1970, where it had been located since 1929. Grove City High School was chartered in the fall of 1895. The average classroom experience of GCHS teachers is 15.89 years. 46 teachers have bachelor's degrees and 63 have master's degrees or beyond. Special training has included TESA, Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) training, site-based leadership training, integrated learning, alternative assessment, and alternative classroom management. Grove City High School has been A School Of Excellence for five years now.
Lakota East High School is a high school in the Lakota School District which comprises both West Chester Township and Liberty Township in the suburbs of Cincinnati, Ohio. The high school is for ninth through twelfth grades, though there are separate buildings for ninth grade students and tenth through twelfth grade students.
Lakeview High School in Cortland, Ohio, is the only high school in the Lakeview School District. Prior to 2004, Lakeview High School taught grades eight through 12; in 2004, the 8th grade was moved to Lakeview Middle School. Since 2009, due to financial issues and the closing of Cortland Elementary School, Lakeview High School again accommodates grades eight to 12. A new gymnasium, cafeteria, and band room were added in 1971, and Raidel Auditorium was constructed in 1996.
Amanda-Clearcreek High School is a public high school in Amanda, Ohio. It is the only high school in the Amanda-Clearcreek Local School District. The school nickname is the Aces.
Woden Valley Youth Choir is a community choir based in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. It performs not only in Canberra but also across Australia and internationally during regular tours. The name derives from the Woden Valley district of Canberra.
The DC Youth Orchestra Program (DCYOP) is an American instrumental music education program in Washington, D.C. A leading music education resource for the region, it serves nearly 800 students annually and offers 17 times more classes than any other DC-area youth orchestra organizations.
Northeast Early College High School is a public, co-educational secondary school in Austin, Texas. It is part of the Austin Independent School District. Northeast High School opened in 1965 and was originally named for John Henninger Reagan, a 19th-century U.S. Senator from Texas and the postmaster general of the Confederate States of America. Northeast High School was renamed before the 2019-2020 school year.
Philadelphia Boys Choir & Chorale is a boys' choir and men's chorale based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, currently under the direction of Jeffery R. Smith. They are known as "America's Ambassadors of Song" and are considered to be one of the best boys choirs in the world. They have performed in concert venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Sydney Opera House, the Kimmel Center, Notre Dame de Paris, King's College Cathedral, and Philadelphia's Academy of Music.
The Ohio State University Men's Glee Club is an all-male choral ensemble at The Ohio State University. Officially founded in 1875, the Men's Glee Club is one of the oldest student organizations on Ohio State's campus and is the 12th oldest collegiate glee club in the United States. The group has garnered many accolades, most notably winning Choir of the World 1990 from the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod. They were the first all-male choir and the first choir from the United States to do so since modern competition began in 1987.
Wong Tai Sin Children's Choir (黃大仙兒童合唱團) is a children's choirs in Hong Kong.
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.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
