CINCINNATI BOYCHOIR, CINCINNATI YOUTH CHOIR AND MAY FESTIVAL YOUTH CHORUS ANNOUNCE NEW COLLABORATIVE CHORAL EVENT
YOUTH VOICES UNITED TO TAKE PLACE SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 12 AT MEMORIAL HALL
CINCINNATI, OH (October 27, 2022) – Cincinnati Boychoir, Cincinnati Youth Choir, and the May Festival Youth Chorus are proud to announce Youth Voices United, a collaborative choral event taking place on Saturday, November 12, at Memorial Hall. Youth Voices United is a new event for youth singers in grades 8-12 which aims to celebrate and promote the rich culture of youth singing in Cincinnati, northern Kentucky, and southeast Indiana. Youth Voices United will be jointly led by Jason Holmes, Artistic Director of the Cincinnati Boychoir; Robyn Lana, Managing Artistic Director of the Cincinnati Youth Choir; and Matthew Swanson, Associate Director of Choruses and Director of the Youth Chorus for the Cincinnati May Festival.
The one-day event begins at 10 AM and will include rehearsals, social activities, and a guest appearance by Grammy-Award winning composer and conductor Craig Hella Johnson, music director of Cincinnati’s Vocal Arts Ensemble. The event is entirely free, with lunch, music, and t-shirts provided to participants at no cost. The day will close with a free culminating performance, open to the public, at Memorial Hall, beginning at 4:30 PM.
“Cincinnati is one of America’s great singing cities, due in large part to our strong legacy of school music education,” said Matthew Swanson, Associate Director of Choruses at the May Festival and Director of the May Festival Youth Chorus. “We are excited to host this event for the first time and to showcase the skills of the youth singers and choral music educators in our region.”
Echoing this sentiment was Jason Holmes, the Artistic Director of the Cincinnati Boychoir. “Youth Voices United is an exciting collaboration for me for a couple reasons,” said Holmes. “I am honored to present this festival with my highly esteemed colleagues Robyn Lana and Matthew Swanson who are so generous as people, skilled as teacher-conductors, and prodigiously talented as passionate musicians. Secondly, it's about time we got together again to sing and learn and have fun. Student participants should expect a fun, fast-paced, and deeply moving day of making music and friends at Memorial Hall!”
Robyn Lana, Managing Artistic Director of the Cincinnati Youth Choir, said students will experience “the joy of singing surrounded by youth who are once again lifting their voices in song. My treasured colleagues and I are thrilled to share the return of song to the Greater Cincinnati area.”
No auditions are necessary. However, pre-registration is required to ensure adequate amounts of student materials. Registration is open to all students in grades 8-12 in greater Cincinnati, northern Kentucky, southeast Indiana, and beyond. The link to register can be found here or by visiting bit.ly/YVUnited.
Cincinnati Boychoir
The Cincinnati Boychoir is a choir for male-identifying youth of all musical abilities from across the Greater Cincinnati Region. Founded in 1965, the Boychoir is a teaching and performing organization that offers musical enrichment, performance, and touring opportunities.
Our vocal ensembles are directed by professional music educators who teach a curriculum not only of musical skills but cultural appreciation, empathy, self-discipline, and leadership.
Boychoir is made up of students from grades 3-12, who attend weekly rehearsals and participate in performances around the Cincinnati area. Each week, all boys come together for a combined rehearsal in which older boys are empowered as big brothers to younger boys, teaching them about musicianship, hard work, and building a community. https://cincinnatiboychoir.org/
Cincinnati Youth Choir
It is the mission of the Cincinnati Youth Choir (CYC) to offer all children the opportunity to experience musical excellence in a creative environment. Participants demonstrate musical understanding, artistry, achievement and confidence through passionate performances and collaborations with premier ensembles and children's choirs throughout the world. The Cincinnati Youth Choir builds stronger communities by creating a comprehensive foundation that supports music educators and develops tomorrow's leaders. CYC has been uniquely situated as the Ensemble-in-Residence at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) Preparatory Department since 2001. This association with one of the premier conservatories in the nation, in the heart of Cincinnati’s rich choral music tradition, creates tremendous professional level performance opportunities for CYC’s young singers, and fuels CYC’s standards for excellence. http://www.cincinnatichoir.org/about/
May Festival Youth Chorus
The May Festival Youth Chorus connects, inspires, and educates young people through the study and performance of choral music, ranging from medieval era to world-premiere contemporary commissions. Since its founding in 1987, the Youth Chorus has appeared annually at the May Festival, performing choral-orchestral works with the May Festival Chorus, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and internationally renowned conductors and soloists. Additionally, the Youth Chorus performs a stand-alone concert series in collaboration with cultural institutions and organizations throughout Greater Cincinnati. The Youth Chorus has been featured on recordings with the Cincinnati Pops and has appeared on NPR’s From the Top, the preeminent showcase for America’s best young musicians. Alumni of the chorus have continued on as professional singers in Cincinnati and beyond. There are no costs associated with singing in the May Festival Youth Chorus; membership is entirely free. https://mayfestival.com/chorus/may-festival-youth-chorus/