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Spring/Fall 2005• UK Summer Tour
In many ways, the annual tour is the culmination of BYCA’s season, where we showcase our repertoire for enthusiastic new audiences, learn from watching other fine choirs and celebrate our year’s hard work. Here’s what BYCA Choristers had to say about their experience: “I don’t think we all truly realized how much BYC is a part of our lives until our trip to England and Wales. Being abroad allows us to discover new aspects of friendship, not to mention our voices. I love seeing our smiles spread when we know we’ve just given a truly amazing concert and delighted people in other countries and of other cultures…. But aside from giving exciting concerts, on tour we come together as friends … with a common interest: ‘to sing’.” “BYC has introduced me to a lot of new things while I’ve been in this chorus, but this trip has been the best by far. This trip to England has opened my eyes to a whole new world and understanding. This new experience taught me that I have the capability to not only depend on myself but to be able to depend on choristers, as well.” “My favorite part about staying in Llangollen was learning how to pronounce it and meeting kids from the other choruses, as well as people who had come from Spain or India to dance. I had so much fun learning about other people’s culture and watching them express it. Some [of their] performances were amazing and overwhelming. I hope to do this again soon!” “I’ve always wanted to go to London, but to go with people you love is really wonderful.” Brooklyn Youth Chorus Honored with GRAMMY® AwardThe Brooklyn Youth Chorus Academy enjoyed the extraordinary distinction of receiving a 2004 GRAMMY ® award in the Best Classical Album category last February. The award recognized the Chorus’s outstanding performance on the CD recording of John Adams’s On the Transmigration of Souls with the New York Philharmonic, Lorin Maazel conducting. Released in August, 2004, the CD is a recording of the Chorus’s debut appearance with the New York Philharmonic in live performances in September, 2002 premiering Adams’s deeply moving meditation on the September 11 attacks. The complex score, which involves orchestra, adult singers, BYCA’s Concert Chorus and taped sounds, was an extraordinary challenge for our young singers. Critics praised BYCA’s performance as “luminous,” “heartfelt [and] amazingly expert,” “mightily impressive,” and “exceptional.” John Adams’s On the Transmigration of Souls was co-commissioned by the New York Philharmonic and Lincoln Center’s Great Performers Series “in honor of the heroes and in memory of the victims of the attacks of September 11, 2001.” The Brooklyn Youth Chorus was joined onstage by the New York Choral Artists (Joseph Flummerfelt, Director.) The disc is available online at http://www.nonesuch.com and additional information on John Adams is available at http://www.earbox.com.
In remarks from the stage, BYCA Trustee Narcissa Titman praised Mr. Glass for his “lifetime of collaborating with artists in every field.” Referring to BYCA’s performance in the North American premiere of Mr. Glass’s Symphony No. 5 with the Brooklyn Philharmonic in 2003 and its recording of Mr. Glass’s soundtrack for the film Undertow, Ms. Titman said that BYCA was inspired to honor Mr. Glass “for supporting BYCA and giving the Chorus extraordinary opportunities to sing with a major contemporary composer.” BYCA Chairman Ed Cerullo lauded Ms.Witty’s longstanding dedication to BYCA and her critical support in the Chorus’ acquisition and development of its facility at 179 Pacific Street. Ms. Witty, whose son Charles is a BYCA alum, received honors for her “tireless efforts to ensure a bright future for the young people and the community of Brooklyn.” After the presentations and performance, guests enjoyed the silent auction and mingled over drinks and dinner in the Museum’s Beaux Arts Court. |
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BYCA’s Concert Chorus was back on tour in July, this time to the UK for a series of concerts in England and participation in the prestigious 59th International Musical Eisteddfod in Wales. During the six-day trip, choristers enjoyed sightseeing in London, Oxford and Stratford-upon-Avon and met new friends from around the world at the Eisteddfod, where accomplished singers from over 50 countries competed in categories including adult choirs, children’s choirs, folk ensembles and Celtic music. The Chorus performed to appreciative audiences in two glorious Gothic structures, Holy Trinity Church, where William Shakespeare is buried, and Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford. Other tour highlights included a shopping trip to London’s Covent Gardens and an afternoon with British teenagers at a performing arts school outside of London, where BYCA choristers and British students performed for each other, shared lunch and compared notes on music and what it’s like to be kids who just love to perform. 
There was nothing “minimal” to be seen or heard at BYCA’s annual Voices of Harmony Gala in May, where BYCA celebrated its association with two of its most distinguished partners, ground-breaking composer Philip Glass and community leader Joanne Witty. The Gala was the Chorus’ most successful to date, drawing a record number of fans and supporters to the Brooklyn Museum to toast honorees Glass and Witty and applaud the Chorus’ masterful performance of a challenging and musically diverse program. Mr. Glass accompanied the Chorus in a mesmerizing rendition of Knee Play 5 from his landmark opera, Einstein on the Beach, and folk-pop music icon Suzanne Vega, whose hits include Luka, Marlene on the Wall and Tom’s Diner, joined in the music-making as the “Narrator” of the piece.