Boys Choir of Harlem | |
---|---|
Choir | |
Also known as | Harlem Boys Choir |
Origin | Harlem, New York City |
Founded | 1968 |
Founder | Walter J. Turnbull |
Disbanded | 2007 |
Genre | Classical, gospel, jazz |
Headquarters | Church of the Intercession |
Rehearsal space | Arthur Schomburg School |
Awards | National Medal of Arts (1996) |
The Boys Choir of Harlem (also known as the Harlem Boys Choir) was a choir located in Harlem, New York City, United States. Its final performance was in 2007 and the group folded shortly thereafter due to several controversies, including a large budget deficit, and the death of its founder.
Founded in 1968 by Dr. Walter Turnbull at the Ephesus Seventh-day Adventist Church in Harlem, the choir grew to be more than just a performing group. Drawn from inner-city children in the neighborhood, the majority of the choir's members were African-American or Hispanic. In its early years, Rev. Frederick B. Williams gave them a base at the Church of the Intercession at 155th Street and Broadway.
The choir established a professional school incorporating a regular academic curriculum, the Choir Academy of Harlem. It was supervised by the New York City Department of Education; at its peak, it had a student body of over 500 boys and girls. Because of staff misconduct, the group lost use of the school facility in 2006. [1]
Performers received rigorous voice training and performed many types of music, including classical, hip-hop, R&B, jazz, and gospel music. The choir was internationally known, with over 150,000 people seeing it live each year across the United States as well as in Canada, France, Japan, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. Unlike its Austrian cousin, the Vienna Boys Choir, the Boys Choir of Harlem did not include only boys who had not reached puberty. The range of music performed was such that it required both natural boy sopranos whose voices had not yet changed and more mature voices of teenagers who could sing tenor and bass roles.
The choir performed for Presidents at the White House and dignitaries at the United Nations. It also performed live for the visits of international dignitaries such as Nelson Mandela of South Africa and Pope John Paul II.
The choir was recorded for soundtracks of films, including Glory, Malcolm X, and many Spike Lee films. It performed on Chicago rapper Kanye West's song "Two Words". The boys' voices have also been part of albums with Michael Jackson, Kathleen Battle, Luciano Pavarotti, Quincy Jones, Kiss, and more. The choir also performed "America the Beautiful" to open WrestleMania XX. In 1994, the choir recorded the original song "Christmas Time Uptown" with Alvin and the Chipmunks for the holiday album A Very Merry Chipmunk .
The choir has also sung verses of WNBC Channel 4's campaign jingle, "We're 4 New York" in both 1992 and 2002. [2]
Following the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center, the choir was invited to sing "God Bless America" at the Cantor Fitzgerald memorial service in Central Park. [3] This was filmed in the documentary In Memoriam: New York City 9/11/01. They also performed "This Little Light of Mine" with Odetta on the Late Show with David Letterman, appearing on the first show after Letterman resumed broadcasting, after having been off the air for several nights, following the events of September 11. [4] During the Prayer for America memorial service at Yankee Stadium (1923), the choir, with the Girls Choir of Harlem, performed "We Shall Overcome".
In 1995, they performed as Munchkins in The Wizard of Oz in Concert: Dreams Come True , [5] a musical concert at Lincoln Center to benefit the Children's Defense Fund. The performance was originally broadcast on both TBS and TNT. [6] It issued on CD and video in 1996. The choir collaborated with R&B singer Joe on his song "Ghetto Child".
Since its inception, The Boys Choir of Harlem featured first-class Piano Accompanists. The Principal Accompanist for the choir was always a pianist who needed to be extremely versatile in order to play the range of music styles from Classical to Spirituals to Gospel to Jazz and Pop music. Also, the touring group featured a "Jazz Band" which included a drummer, bassist, guitarist and keyboard player (in addition to the Principal Piano Accompanists who sometimes doubled on keyboards). The Girls Choir also featured a Piano Accompanist. Among the many talented musicians that toured with the choir included Eric Reed, Keith Burton, Willard Dyson, Isaac ben Ayala, Darryl Smith, Aleeza Meir, Joseph Joubert, Doug Jordan, Harry Miller, Glenn Pearson, Robin Pitre and many more throughout the years.
The choir for many years enjoyed the sponsorship of the City of New York; former NYC Mayor David Dinkins authorized their free use of the Arthur Schomburg School on East 127th Street in Harlem. The choir director lost this support through a series of scandals. [7]
First, his lack of financial controls led to the program's running up a $5 million deficit. Second, in the spring of 2001, a 14-year-old student came forward to founder and director Walter Turnbull and reported that the choir's chief counselor, Frank Jones Jr., [8] had been molesting him for years. Turnbull failed to notify the police and did nothing to investigate the allegations. [9]
It was later revealed that Turnbull and his brother, Horace, the choir's executive vice president, allowed Jones to stay in contact with students even after city officials explicitly banned him from the 650-student academy (a public school that is overseen and financed in part by the Department of Education). Jones was allowed to remain so close to students that he was called upon by the Turnbulls to chaperone at least eight overnight choir trips. A city school official reported to investigators that Horace Turnbull had complained to her that barring Mr. Jones was "a hardship," because he was "an integral part" of the program. [9]
The silence regarding the allegations against Jones was eventually broken when the 14-year-old student's mother went to the authorities. [10] That fall Jones was arrested, tried and sentenced to two years in prison for multiple counts of third-degree sexual abuse and endangerment of a child. [8]
As a result, the city school system's investigative arm recommended that the Department of Education "sever all ties" with the academy if the Turnbulls remain. Shortly after, the Department of Education did just that and evicted the choir from the city-owned school property where they had been operating rent-free since 1993. [11] The Choir relocated to the Metropolitan Community Methodist Church.
Walter Turnbull died at age 62 on March 23, 2007, in a New York City hospital after suffering a massive stroke. [12]
In 2009 choir alumnus Terrance Wright announced at the Metropolitan Community Methodist Church that the Choir was officially closed down. [13] [14]
In 1996, the Choir was awarded the National Medal of Arts. [15]
Irving Lahrheim, known professionally as Bert Lahr, was an American stage and screen actor and comedian. He was best known for his role as the Cowardly Lion, as well as his counterpart Kansas farmworker "Zeke", in the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer adaptation of The Wizard of Oz (1939). He was well known for his quick-witted humor and his work in burlesque and vaudeville and on Broadway.
Odetta Holmes, known as Odetta, was an American singer, often referred to as "The Voice of the Civil Rights Movement". Her musical repertoire consisted largely of American folk music, blues, jazz, and spirituals. An important figure in the American folk music revival of the 1950s and 1960s, she influenced many of the key figures of the folk-revival of that time, including Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Mavis Staples, and Janis Joplin. In 2011 Time magazine included her recording of "Take This Hammer" on its list of the 100 Greatest Popular Songs, stating that "Rosa Parks was her No. 1 fan, and Martin Luther King Jr. called her the queen of American folk music."
The American Boychoir School was a boarding/day middle school located in Princeton, New Jersey, and the home of the American Boychoir. The school originated as the Columbus Boychoir in Columbus, Ohio. In 1950, the school relocated after receiving property in Princeton, New Jersey from the Lambert estate. The relocated school was renamed the American Boychoir School. It remained in this location until the sale of Albemarle in 2012. 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. The school provided opportunity to boys from across the world to experience the rich world of music. The Boychoir toured across the contiguous United States, through Canada, as well as internationally, allowing students to gain diverse cultural perspective while performing at the professional level. The American Boychoir performed with numerous orchestras, frequently including the New York Philharmonic as well as the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra.
Carole Denise Fredericks was an American singer best known for her work in French music. She was the younger sister of Taj Mahal.
Saint Thomas Choir School is a boarding school located in Manhattan, New York, one of three world-wide that exclusively educate boy treble choristers, while requiring them to board at the school.
Hunter High School is a public high school located at 4200 South 5600 West, West Valley City, Utah, United States. It was opened in 1990 with its first graduating class graduating in 1991. During the first school year (1990–1991), the enrollment was below capacity, largely because seniors and juniors were allowed to choose whether to come to Hunter or complete their high school education at their current schools. The school celebrated its 25th anniversary at the end of the 2014–2015 school year.
Dr. Walter Turnbull was an American musician and the founder of the Boys Choir of Harlem. Turnbull graduated from Tougaloo College where he studied classical music and vocal performance.
The Morriston Orpheus Choir, based in Morriston, near Swansea, Wales, is a male voice choir, one of the best-known in the UK.
The British International School of New York (BIS-NY) was established in 2006 at Waterside Plaza, an upscale development on the East River in the Kips Bay neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. The student body is a mix of British expatriates, American nationals and students from a mix of other countries, and includes both boys and girls. The school serves students from age three up to upper school. Its facilities include a swimming pool, secured playground, gymnasium, and Smart Boards in every classroom. The school offers rolling admissions, so that children can enter the school throughout the year, as long as there is space available. This is particularly helpful for families who have been transferred internationally at short notice.
Harlem School of the Arts (HSA) is an art school located in the Harlem section of Manhattan, New York City, United States. Opening its doors in 1964, HSA serves ages 2 through 18.
Forest Park High School is a public high school in Woodbridge, Virginia, unincorporated Prince William County, Virginia, United States. It is part of Prince William County Public Schools, and is located on 15721 Forest Park Drive. The school's name references adjacent Prince William Forest Park, one of the largest natural parks in the Washington metropolitan area.
Aaron Davis Hall is a performing arts center in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City. It opened in 1979 and is located on the campus of the City College of New York, between West 133rd and 135th Streets on Convent Avenue, one block east of Amsterdam Avenue. and is the northern extension of Morningside Avenue beginning at 127th Street. It consists of the Marian Anderson Theatre, named after the American contralto, and Theatre B, a black box theater.
Lakeview High School in Cortland, Ohio, is the only high school in the Lakeview School District. Prior to 2010, Lakeview High School taught grades eight through 12; in 2010, 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. Since the opening of the K-8 in the 2018-19 school year, Lakeview High School now teaches grades 9th through 12th. A new gymnasium, cafeteria, and band room were added in 1971, and Raidel Auditorium was constructed in 1996.
"This Little Light of Mine" is an African-American song from the 1920s. It was often reported to be written for children in the 1920s by Harry Dixon Loes, but he never claimed credit for the original version of the song, and researchers at the Moody Bible Institute, where Loes worked, said they have found no evidence that he wrote it. It was later adapted by Zilphia Horton, amongst many other activists, in connection with the civil rights movement.
The Wizard of Oz in Concert: Dreams Come True is a 1995 television musical performance based on the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. The book and score of the film were performed on stage at Lincoln Center to benefit the Children's Defense Fund. The concert featured guest performers including Jackson Browne as the Scarecrow, Roger Daltrey as the Tin Man, Natalie Cole as Glinda, Joel Grey as the Wizard, Jewel as Dorothy, Nathan Lane as the Cowardly Lion, Debra Winger as the Wicked Witch, and Lucie Arnaz as Aunt Em. The Boys Choir of Harlem appeared as the Munchkins, and Ry Cooder and David Sanborn performed as musicians.
Charlie Smalls was an American composer and songwriter, best known for writing the music and lyrics for playwright William F. Brown's 1975 Broadway musical The Wiz and the 1978 film version of the same name.
A boys' choir is a one made up of boys who have yet to begin puberty and so retain their high-pitched childhood voice. Members are known as trebles or meanes, depending on their range. Boys' choirs of churches or cathedrals on both sides of the Atlantic may sing alongside and train with men, who provide the tenor and bass parts, in a tradition that dates back traceably to the 7th century, in the case of York Minster, and probably much further.
Robert Mitchell was an American organist and choir director whose career spanned 85 years, from 1924 to 2009. He was one of the last original silent film accompanists, having accompanied films from 1924 to 1928. Mitchell revived the art from 1992 until his death in 2009, usually to wild acclaim. During the 1930s, he organized the Robert Mitchell Boys Choir, who were cast in many films from the 1930s to the 1960s.
Sun Valley High School is a public high school in Aston, Pennsylvania, a part of Delaware County in the Philadelphia suburbs. It is the only high school in the Penn-Delco School District.
Joyce Mathis was an American soprano who was a concert artist, recitalist, and opera singer from the 1960s into the early 1990s. She is considered a part of the first generation of black classical singers to achieve success in the United States; breaking down racial barriers within the field of classical music. She won several notable singing competitions, including the Marian Anderson Award in 1967 and the Young Concert Artists in 1968. In 1970 she recorded the role of the High Priestess in Verdi's Aida alongside Leontyne Price and Plácido Domingo. Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Ned Rorem wrote his song cycle Women's Voices for her in 1975. In 1976 she created the role of Celestina in Roger Ames's opera Amistad at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. She appeared frequently in performances with Opera Ebony and the Boys Choir of Harlem in addition to touring widely as a recitalist and concert soprano.