Raleigh Boychoir

The Raleigh Boychoir was founded in 1968 by Thomas E. Sibley. It was created to give boys aged 8-15 years an opportunity to learn and perform choral music. Sibley founded the choir because of his concern about the lack of choral experiences and performance opportunities for boys whose voices had not changed. He also believed in developing the etiquette of young boys. Thus, in October 1968, the Raleigh Boychoir was established with 20 boys and $50 contributed by the Raleigh Woman's Club. The newly formed boychoir offered a public concert during their first Christmas season in 1968. That was the first "Carols of Christmas" concert which is now a Yuletide tradition for many in the capital area.

Though the Raleigh Boychoir operates with a limited staff and financial resources, it has grown to include an elected Board of Directors, parent committees, and an annual membership of more than 80 boys, who are recruited three times annually for the Training Choir where boys learn the fundamentals of singing and proper etiquette. Upon successful completion, which takes about a year, they move to the Resident Choir, then to the Performing Choirs, and sometimes into the select Millennium Choir.

Singer Clay Aiken is an alumus.

Annual Performance Schedule

The performance schedule has expanded from a single Christmas concert in 1968 to 15-20 engagements annually. Membership has expanded from those first 20 boys to more than 80 boys. The Choir's repertoire include sacred and secular classics, selections from the musical theater, and a rich assortment of American folk and patriotic music.

The boychoir's annual home season is comprised of three performances: the Fall Concert, the traditional Carols of Christmas, and a Spring Concert. A year's schedule is filled out with engagements which range from participation in the Friends of the College and Peace Concert Series to concerts for arts and civic organizations, from outreach performances at retirement communities to concerts in conjunction with the family oriented events at the North Carolina Museum of Art, and from festivals and celebrations for the city of Raleigh and towns in Wake County to performances with the North Carolina Symphony.

External links

* [http://www.raleighboychoir.org/ Raleigh Boychoir Homepage]
* [http://www.clayaiken.com/ Clay Aiken]