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Mission & HistoryFounded by Artistic Director Dianne Berkun, the Brooklyn Youth Chorus Academy (BYCA) began in 1992 as a group of 45 children rehearsing in a donated space in downtown Brooklyn. By 2002, BYCA had evolved into a voice-based music academy and had purchased, renovated and moved into its own beautiful building in Cobble Hill. Today, BYCA is an internationally acclaimed, GRAMMY® Award-winning organization where nearly 300 students come each week to study, perform, and work together as an artistic community. At BYCA, students acquire music skills and gain confidence and self-esteem through training and performance in five progressively advanced ensembles. All choristers attend group rehearsal classes and participate in ensemble performances, and many take individual voice and instrument lessons through BYCA’s extensive electives program. Choristers study and perform a wide range of music—classical and non-classical—and BYCA has established an active commissioning program to develop new works for youth chorus across a variety of genres. Commissioned composers and arrangers include Pulitzer Prize-winners David Lang and Paul Moravec, Phil Kline, Fred Hersch, Andrew Lippa, Nico Muhly, Kirk Nurock, James MacMillan, Joel Martin, Jim Papoulis, Daniel Bernard Roumain, Jackson Berkey and Daniel Brewbaker. While based in Brooklyn, BYCA students are drawn from throughout New York City, with the resulting chorister body reflecting the city’s economic, racial and ethnic diversity. An active scholarship program makes BYCA accessible to all students regardless of ability to pay. Dedicated to its founding principles of Artistry, Diversity and Community, the Academy helps young people from all backgrounds realize their potential as musicians and as individuals. The Brooklyn Youth Chorus (BYC) is BYCA’s advanced performing ensemble. BYC is one of the country’s leading children’s choruses and is the ensemble of choice for collaborations with internationally renowned orchestras and artists. BYC has received wide acclaim from audiences, music critics and peers alike, and has been praised as “thriving and accomplished,” “innately musical” and “angelic” in its sound. Performance highlights have included the 2000 North American premiere of Philip Glass’ Symphony No. 5 with the Brooklyn Philharmonic under Dennis Russel Davies, and the 2003 New York premiere of John Adams’ El Niño with the Los Angeles Philharmonic under Esa-Pekka Salonen. In 2002 BYC debuted with the New York Philharmonic under Lorin Maazel in the world premiere of Adams’ Pulitzer Prize-winning On the Transmigration of Souls, for which the Chorus won a GRAMMY® Award in February 2005 for Best Classical Album. BYC has also performed under the batons of Marin Alsop, James Levine, Charles Dutoit, Robert Spano, Leon Botstein and many others. The Chorus has performed with renowned artists such as Elton John, Lou Reed, Judy Collins, Andrea Boccelli, Ray Davies, John Legend and the Mark Morris Dance Group. BYC has recorded with artists such as Grizzly Bear, Talib Kweli, Holy Ghost and Laurie Berkner, and the music of Philip Glass on his film soundtrack for Undertow. BYC choristers (ages 11–18) have toured Russia, the United Kingdom, Austria, Canada and Germany, and have performed at prestigious venues in the United States, including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall and the White House. BYC has received wide acclaim from audiences, music critics and peers alike. In 2001 the Chorus earned a gold medal at the prestigious Johannes Brahms International Choral Festival and Competition in Wernigerode, Germany, and has performed to standing ovations at Eastern Division conventions of the American Choral Directors Association in both 2002 and 2004. |
"In my opinion, the Brooklyn Youth Chorus is one of the best around. Their perfect intonation as well as their excellent musicianship touched the hearts of the audience and I hope to have the opportunity of working with this wonderful chorus again."
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