BOSTON CHILDREN'S CHORUS INC

BCC ACCOMPLISHMENTS (2024-2025 SEASON) IN THE 2024-2025 SEASON, PEOPLE, GET READY, BOSTON CHILDREN'S CHORUS (BCC) SERVED MORE THAN 2,900 YOUNG PEOPLE THROUGH PERFORMANCES, SCHOOL PARTNERSHIPS, REHEARSALS, AND COMMUNITY PROGRAMS ACROSS GREATER BOSTON. BCC CONTINUED TO USE THE POWER OF MUSIC TO UNITE DIVERSE COMMUNITIES, AMPLIFY YOUTH VOICES, AND CREATE TRANSFORMATIVE ARTISTIC EXPERIENCES. THIS SEASON'S THEME, PEOPLE, GET READY, EXPLORED THE WAYS MUSIC INSPIRES SOCIAL CHANGE, UPLIFTS COMMUNITY VOICES, AND EMPOWERS YOUNG ARTISTS TO SEE THEMSELVES AS LEADERS IN BUILDING A MORE JUST WORLD. PROGRAMS HIGHLIGHTED RESILIENCE, PROTEST, AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT, AND FEATURED NEW COMMISSIONS THAT DEEPENED THE REPERTOIRE FOR YOUTH VOICES. ACROSS THE YEAR, BCC PRESENTED APPROXIMATELY 41 PERFORMANCES IN VENUES FROM NEIGHBORHOOD STAGES TO SYMPHONY HALL. MLK TRIBUTE CONCERT - BCC'S 22ND ANNUAL DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. TRIBUTE CONCERT, ROAD TO FREEDOM, WAS A SOLD-OUT PERFORMANCE AT SYMPHONY HALL ATTENDED BY NEARLY 2,000 AUDIENCE MEMBERS. THE PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTED THEMES OF LIBERATION AND RESILIENCE THROUGH REPERTOIRE SPANNING SPIRITUALS, CONTEMPORARY WORKS, AND PROTEST SONGS. GUEST ARTIST ANASTASIA TALLEY JOINED BCC IN THIS POWERFUL MUSICAL CELEBRATION. BIG SING - SPONSORED BY THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF ARTS AND CULTURE, THE 2025 BIG SING WAS THE LARGEST IN BCC HISTORY, CONVENING MORE THAN 700 STUDENTS FROM 10 BOSTON PUBLIC AND CHARTER SCHOOLS AT THE STRAND THEATRE. GUEST ARTIST TAMAR GREENE (BROADWAY'S HAMILTON) JOINED THE EVENT, WHICH BROUGHT TOGETHER CHILDREN ACROSS NEIGHBORHOODS TO SING AND BUILD COMMUNITY. COMMISSIONS AND PREMIERES - AS PART OF THE OPUS NUOVO COMMISSIONING PROJECT, BCC PREMIERED NEW WORKS BY VICTOR C. JOHNSON AND DR. TRACY WONG, EXPANDING THE REPERTOIRE FOR YOUTH VOICES WITH POWERFUL MUSIC ROOTED IN COMMUNITY AND IDENTITY. ARTISTIC COLLABORATIONS - PARTNERED WITH THE BOSTON ARTS ACADEMY SPIRITUALS ENSEMBLE FOR THE NEW ENGLAND PREMIERE OF WEATHER BY ROLLO DILWORTH. COLLABORATED WITH BOSTON LYRIC OPERA ON A COMMUNITY PRODUCTION OF BRITTEN'S NOAH'S FLOOD AT SYMPHONY HALL. SHARED THE STAGE WITH THE MILLENNIUM GOSPEL CHOIR FOR BCC'S SEASON FINALE CONCERT AT THE STRAND THEATRE. TOURING AND EXCHANGE - BCC'S UPPER CHOIRS TOURED TO NEW YORK CITY AND WASHINGTON, DC, WHERE SINGERS PERFORMED, ATTENDED CULTURAL PROGRAMS, AND EXPLORED THE INTERSECTION OF MUSIC AND SOCIAL CHANGE. BCC PARTNERED WITH THE CHILDREN'S CHORUS OF WASHINGTON IN AN EXCHANGE HIGHLIGHTING THE POWER OF YOUNG VOICES TO SHAPE A MORE JUST AND COMPASSIONATE WORLD, CULMINATING IN A PERFORMANCE ON SIRIUSXM DC'S 'SYMPHONY HALL' PROGRAM. NOTABLE PERFORMANCES - BCC RETURNED TO THE NATIONALLY TELEVISED BOSTON POPS FIREWORKS SPECTACULAR FOR THE FIRST TIME IN OVER A DECADE, PERFORMING ALONGSIDE TONY AWARD-WINNER LESLIE ODOM, JR. THE SEASON ALSO INCLUDED CONCERTS AT THE GARDNER MUSEUM, SHALIN LIU PERFORMANCE CENTER, AND SYMPHONY HALL, AMONG OTHERS. SINGER DEVELOPMENT - BCC DEEPENED ITS INVESTMENT IN THE GROWTH OF YOUNG ARTISTS THROUGH RETREAT EXPERIENCES. HIGH SCHOOL SINGERS PARTICIPATED IN AN OVERNIGHT RETREAT AT THE RON BURTON TRAINING VILLAGE, WHILE LOWER CHOIR SINGERS GATHERED AT THE BLUE HILL BOYS & GIRLS CLUB FOR A DAY RETREAT CENTERED ON TEAM-BUILDING, ARTISTRY, AND COMMUNITY. SERVING THE COMMUNITY - BCC CONTINUED TO STRENGTHEN ITS DECENTRALIZED REHEARSAL MODEL, OFFERING REHEARSALS IN LOCATIONS ACROSS BOSTON. IN THE 2024-2025 SEASON, THE ORGANIZATION EXPANDED TO TWO NEW SITES: THE MENINO ARTS CENTER IN HYDE PARK AND THE PSF COMMUNITY CENTER IN BRIGHTON. THESE PARTNERSHIPS, ALONGSIDE EXISTING SITES IN THE SOUTH END, JAMAICA PLAIN, AND ROXBURY, ENSURE THAT MORE CHILDREN CAN ACCESS HIGH-QUALITY MUSIC EDUCATION IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS AND COMMUNITIES WHERE THEY LIVE. SOCIAL INQUIRY PRIME - BCC BEGAN ITS VENTURE INTO DEFINING WHAT SOCIAL INQUIRY MEANS TO BCC, AND WHAT IT'S FUNCTION WITHIN OUR MISSION IS: BCC DEFINES SOCIAL INQUIRY AS AN APPROACH THAT "VALUES THE EXPLORATION OF QUESTIONS, GATHERING INFORMATION, AND REFLECTING ON/EVALUATING THE FINDINGS" (WOOD, 2013). THIS APPROACH WHEN EMBEDDED INTO NONPROFIT ORGANIZING AND MUSIC EDUCATION WILL DEEPEN THE "CONCEPTUAL, CRITICAL, AND AFFECTIVE UNDERSTANDINGS ABOUT HOW SOCIETIES OPERATE AND HOW INDIVIDUALS CAN PARTICIPATE AND TAKE SOCIAL ACTION AS CRITICAL, INFORMED AND CONFIDENT CITIZENS" (MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, 2007, P. 2). THE CORE OUTPUTS ARE TO "SUPPORT INFORMATIONAL AND TRANSFORMATIONAL/CITIZENSHIP OUTCOMES" (WOOD, 2013) FOR BCC'S YOUTH, CONDUCTORS, AND STAFF. SOCIAL INQUIRY IS ROOTED IN THE FRAMEWORKS OF SOCIAL JUSTICE LEARNING STANDARDS1AND AESTHETICS PERSPECTIVES2. BBC'S SOCIAL INQUIRY PRIME SERVES TO FOCUS TEAMS AND DISCUSSIONS BACK TO THE IMPACT OF CHORAL ORGANIZING, CONDUCTING, AND BCC'S MISSION. BELOW IS A LIST OF DOMAINS AND GUIDING QUESTIONS THAT ENSURE ACCOUNTABILITY IN DECISION MAKING INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO PARTNERSHIPS, PROGRAMMING DESIGN, HR POLICIES & PROCEDURES, AND/OR PROMOTING." IN THE COMING YEAR, WE WILL UTILIZE THIS STANCE TO DEFINE OUR YOUTH EVALUATION AND IMPACT GOALS.