Philadelphia Boys Choir & Chorale

The Philadelphia Boys Choir & Chorale was founded in 1968 by Dr. Robert G. Hamilton. It is a choir that consists of over one hundred boys and also men who are either alumni, fathers of boys, or friends. They are based at the Drexel University campus in Philadelphia. They have been featured on shows such as Saturday Night Live and Backstage with Barry Nolan. They have performed many world premiers and have sung with Pavarotti and other famous singers. They are now under the direction of Jeffrey R. Smith and are celebrating their 40th anniversary.

History

The choir was founded in 1968 by Robert G. Hamilton. They sang their first concert in Carnegie Hall in New York City to a sold out audience. That year they went on their first tour to Mexico, the first of many. They sang with the Moscow Boys Choir in a Battle of the Bands and won. The choir featured people such as Ukee Washington and Shaun Stockman (Boyz II Men). Boys in the choir have been asked to perform on Broadway. The choir over the years has become a household name in the Philadelphia area. In 1992 they sang at the Sydney Opera House to a sold out audience. The choir has sung in many operas at the Academy of Music with famous singers. They have also sung at the White House for four presidents. Recently, the choir sang for Laura Bush at the Cityline Hotel in Philadelphia. Now the choir celebrates its 40th anniversary with a concert at the Academy of Music and a tour to Spain, a first for the choir.

Tours

1968 MEXICAN TOURTasco, Mexico City, Guadalupe

1970 EUROPEAN TOURUSSR, Sweden, Denmark, Finland

1972 SOUTH PACIFIC TOURAustralia, New Zealand, California

1974 AFRICAN TOURBelgium, Kenya, Mombasa

1975 JAPAN TOUROsaka, Kyoto, Kibe, Tokyo, Hawaii

1977 WORLD TOURJapan, Thailand, Singapore, Denmark, England

1978 UNITED STATES TOURDenver, San Francisco, Las Vegas, St. Louis

1979 SECOND WORLD TOURPeople’s Republic of China, Egypt, Pakistan

1980 CANADA TOURCalgary, Knox, Banff

1981 EAST COAST TOURWashington DC, Florida

1982 PHILADELPHIA TRICENTENNIAL TOURQueen Elizabeth 2 (transatlantic), London, Southampton

1983 ENGLAND TOURQueen Elizabeth 2 (transatlantic), London

1984 SECOND EUROPEAN TOURFrance, Italy, Monaco

1985 THIRD EUROPEAN TOURYugoslavia, Greece

1987 “LET FREEDOM SING” TOUR13 Original Colonies

1988 IRELAND TOURDublin, Waterford, Wexford.In Celebration of the City of Dublin’s Millennium

1988 GERMANY TOURBonn, Hennef, Nurnberg, Hamburg, Cologne, Dusseldorf, East Berlin

1990 MIDDLE EAST TOURIsrael, Jordan

1990 U.S.S.R. TOURLeningrad, Moscow, Yaroslavl, Rostov

1992 AUSTRALIAN TOURMelbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Cairns

1993 25th ANNIVERSARY TOUREngland, Scotland, Wales

1994 CENTRAL EUROPEAN TOURCzech Republic, Slovak Republic, Hungary, Poland

1995 SWITZERLAND TOURBasel, Winterthur, Andelfingen, Unterageri

1996 AUSTRALIAN TOURMelbourne, Adelaide, Alice Springs, Ayers Rock, Sydney

1997 SOUTH AFRICAN TOURCape Town, Johannesburg, Kimberley, Knysna, Pretoria

1998 “OLD SOUTH” TOURNew Orleans, Baton Rouge, Natchez, Vicksburg, St. Francisville

1999 CUBAN TOURHavana, Pinar del Rio, Mantanzas, Santiago

2000 GERMANY & RUSSIA TOURBerlin, Hennef, Wuppertal, Hannover,Nizhny Novgorod

2001 CHINA & KOREA TOURBeijing, Hanchune, Tianjin, Incheon, Seoul

2002 FRANCE & ITALY TOURParis, Aix-en-Provence, Florence, Venice

2003 FLORIDA & CUBA TOURSt. Petersburg, Tampa, Fort Lauderdale, Havana

2004 SCANDINAVIAN TOURCopenhagen, Lund, Oslo, Bergen, Reykjavik

2005 ALASKA & CANADA Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Prince Rupert, Canada

2006 CENTRAL AMERICA TOURFlorida, Panama, Costa Rica

2007 GREECE & TURKEY TOURIstanbul, Thessaloniki, Delphi, Athens

2008 SPAIN & GERMANY TOURSeville, Granada, Toledo, Madrid, Berlin, Mecklenburg

Television coverage

The Philadelphia Boys Choir & Chorale appears on several networks during the Holiday season and during the rest of the year - their 2007 Spring Concert was aired on WHYY from St. Rose of Lima. Their holiday concert arrangements have been featured on CBS, FOX29, and 6 ABC. A well known alumni of the choir is Ukee Washington, a news anchor on 3 CBS who serves on the choirs board of directors.

The choir was also on Backstage With Barry Nolan with the Alfred James Band, performing their version of "Let Me Fall", and Alfred James Band's "Regina".

Performances

The Philadelphia Boys Choir sings in the Pennsylvania Ballet's "The Nutcracker" every winter at the Academy of Music. They also have a Holiday Concert with a full orchestra and a Spring Concert with Orchestra. Places they have performed for these concerts are the Kimmel Center, The Academy of Music, Drexel's Auditorium, and Irvine Auditorium.

External links

[Philadelphia Boys Choir Official Site] http://www.phillyboyschoir.org