Keystone State Boychoir

Just a short post today- long day today and another one tomorrow.

We can’t believe that PICFest is almost over! Fitz and I had to really think about what day of the week it was and when we realized today was Saturday we couldn’t believe it. Good thing we have our tour journals to keep us on track!

Rushing to the concert- can’t miss it!

Watching Hail Mary the Queen perform.

We had 2 very productive rehearsals today, our evening one with the instrumentalists. The sound coming from that rehearsal room is stunning! It’s phenomenal how much you can achieve with these guys in just a few days. At the end of our final rehearsal together, Dr. Snow pronounced, “You’re ready.” Encouraging words indeed!

We love our new friends from the Philippines!

After lunch we rushed to make a concert featuring the Hail Mary the Queen Children’s Choir at the Hult Center and the hurry to get there was absolutely worth it. These kids are so talented and their director, Theresa, is incredibly kind and wonderful with her singers. We asked if they would ever be interested in visiting the east coast and we were met with an enthusiastic “YES!” (Did you get that, Mr. Fisher??)

A very fitting hat 🙂

Following the short concert, we walked to the Saturday Market, a fascinating flea market with handmade trinkets and gifts, live music, and dancing hippies! What an entertaining afternoon for our singers!

Taking the city bus into town- like NYC subways but everyone is MUCH nicer.

Back to campus we went for dinner and our final rehearsal and then an ice cream social!

Tomorrow is our big Gala Concert! We can’t wait- wish you could all be here to enjoy the fruit of this fun and intensive week of music-making!

College cafeteria breakfast was almost as good as dinner except no ice cream bars this time 🙂

This morning we met Dr. Sandra Snow, our conductor for the week! This singers enjoyed working with her, commenting that her enthusiasm was infectious. The mass choir sounds great, too! We have our first performance all together tomorrow evening- looking forward to that especially after tonight’s song sharing.

We spent a lot of our day in various rehearsals- some with Dr. Snow and some with just our gang and Fitz. It was a long day, but everyone was a trooper and the grand finale of the day made it all worthwhile…

After dinner, each choir here at PICFest (there are 5!), performed a short solo set of our own repertoire. Since our PICFest choir is comprised of singers from several different groups, the kids were a little nervous since we’ve only had a few days of rehearsal time leading up to this evening. However, it would be an understatement to say that they knocked it out of the park.

Sitting in the front row, I didn’t realize what was happening behind me as they performed “I Need You to Survive,” but when a chaperone motioned for me to look, I saw that the whole house was on their feet, singing and clapping along with unprecedented gusto! What a thrill of our singers to have the experience of a giving a performance so rousing that everyone was compelled to jump to their feet!

Working and being around these choirs so much, you understand that they are talented, but sometimes you start to take that for granted. Tonight was a nice reminder to myself and our parent chaperones just how awesome our singers are. Definitely an unforgettable moment for us as the adults as well as for our singers!

There are several excellent choirs here at PICFest, but a standout for many reasons is the Hail Mary the Queen Childrens Choir from the Philippines! They closed tonight’s sharing with some absolutely stunning pieces as well as the crowd favorite “One Thing,” made famous by boy band One Direction. If you have the chance to look them up, you should! One of the most professional, kind and welcoming choirs I have ever met and great performers, too!

Tomorrow we sing a mini concert with the PICFest mass choir preceding Haydn’s “Creation” at the Hult Center. Time for all of us to get some rest! More to come tomorrow!      

Bleary eyed and excited, members of Pennsylvania Girlchoir and Keystone State Boychoir filtered into the Philadelphia International Airport at the unrighteous hour of 5:45 am to depart for our long-awaited tour to PICFest 2015.

PICFest, or the Pacific International Choral Festival, is an 18 year-old tradition in the small city of Eugene, Oregon. Drawing from childrens choirs not only all over the US, but all over the world, PICFest has established itself as one of the most prominent choir festivals in the country. This is not the first time PICFest and Commonwealth Youthchoirs have met! The Motet Choir of the Pennsylvania Girlchoir attended PICFest in 2006!

After a bumpy start (Terminal E, NOT D- sorry!), we quickly proceeded through security and on to our gate. After some breakfast snacks, we boarded and the waited on the tarmac for another hour! However, our stoic singers took advantage of this waiting opportunity to catch up on some sleep. I think all of us, singer and chaperones, were glad for that.

A quick 2.5 hours later and we found ourselves in Minneapolis for roughly 30 minutes before boarding our final flight to Portland.

One more trip on a coach bus and we finally arrived in Eugene. We are astounded at how beautiful Oregon is. Everything is so green and lush! The weather here is equally stunning- warm and sunny but 0% humidity! Take that, Philly!

A quick luggage drop off in our rooms at the University of Oregon, orientation, and then, the most anticipated moment of the day: Dinner.

For those of our singers who have never eaten in a college cafeteria before, this was a real treat. The options were abundant and all quite tasty. Not one singer should be able to return home and say they didn’t eat enough because I think most of our singers ate enough tonight to last them the entire week. Oh, and we had ice cream bars for dessert- need I say more?

We then spend some time on the lawn watching some college kids play volleyball and just chatting with each other before heading into our last event of the night, the welcome ceremony.

After the welcome ceremony with PICFest artistic director, Peter Robb, we headed in for the night, totally exhausted from our 22 hour day. Nighttime showers and bedtime rituals ensued and it wasn’t long before the faint pillow talk faded into silence.

One last note, if you weren’t already aware, we are setting Commonwealth Youthchoirs history as the very first combined PG/KSB tour! So far, so good!

We are so psyched for our day with conductor Sandra Snow tomorrow- time for all of us (yes, even Kelly) to get some sleep! More updates and photos to follow tomorrow night! Goodnight from the Pacific Northwest!   

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Mariangela Saavedra, msaavedra@cychoirs.org, 215.849.1762

WORLD PREMIERE OF NEW AMERICAN MUSICAL ON 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF CIVIL WAR’S END TO BENEFIT LOCAL YOUTH ARTS PROGRAMS

(Philadelphia – March 13, 2015) 150 years ago, on April 9, 1865, Generals Grant and Lee met at the Appomattox Court House to end the Civil War. On April 9, 2015, Mother B!, a “new old-fashioned American musical,” written in honor of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, will premiere at the Upper Darby Performing Arts Center (UDPAC) in concert version. The event will star Walnut Street Theatre favorite Denise Whelan, include a cast of 16 Philadelphia actors, and feature 200 singers from the Pennsylvania Girlchoir and the Keystone State Boychoir.

Appomattox – April 9, 1865

Written by Philadelphia native Steven Fisher, Mother B! celebrates the remarkable story of Mary Ann Bickerdyke, aka “Mother B.” Remembered as “the Florence Nightingale of the Civil War,” Mother B’s indefatigable service earned her the profound respect of President Lincoln and General Grant, and the gratitude of the entire Union army. She witnessed over 19 battles and set up over 300 field hospitals with innovative approaches to hygiene and soldier care that helped bring medicine out of the dark ages. In doing so, she saved the lives of thousands of soldiers.

Mary Ann Bickerdyke (Mother B)

The musical revolves around Mother B’s friendship with “Little Albert,” a character inspired by the real-life Private Albert Cashier. Cashier was a tremendously brave, hard-fighting soldier who also had a secret: “he” was actually a “she.”  Born Jennie Hodgers, Private Cashier is the only documented female known to have fought the entire Civil War without being found out by authorities during the conflict. In the musical, Mother B discovers Little Albert and helps keep his secret safe. After the war, Albert’s secret is revealed. When the Illinois Soldier’s Home tries to deny him his rights as a veteran, Mother B takes up his cause.

Featuring a rousing, toe-tapping score in the style of the Golden Age musicals of the 1940s and a story that will make you smile, cry and cheer, Mother B! will transport the audience to an epic time that still fascinates, captivates and haunts us to this day. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Pennsylvania Girlchoir and the Keystone State Boychoir, as well as the Upper Darby Performing Arts Center.

Terry and Amy Nolen are honorary co-chairs of the event. They, along with Fisher (and actor/writer Tina Fey) are alumni of the award-winning youth theatre program Summer Stage, which is in residence at UDPAC. The Nolens went on to found one of the country’s most successful regional theatres, the Arden Theatre. Fisher went on to co-found Commonwealth Youthchoirs*. The organization serves over 600 young singers in four different programs, including the Boychoir and Girlchoir.

Fisher’s other musical works include Mandela, which has been developed in New York and in Johannesburg, and will receive a workshop later in 2015 starring Tony-nominee Norm Lewis. His family musical Isabelle and the Pretty-Ugly Spell received a rave review from the New York Times during its New York run and has enjoyed productions around the country.

For Mother B! tickets visit CYChoirs.org/UDPACtickets or call 610-622-1189.

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publication quality images of the Mother B! logo, Denise Whelan, a Civil War era photo of Mother B (source: National Park Service), and a photo of the choirs in concert can be downloaded in a single zip file: http://cychoirs.org/images/MotherBGraphics.zip

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*Commonwealth Youthchoirs (CY) nurtures in young people a profound love of singing with four different programs: Pennsylvania Girlchoir, Keystone State Boychoir, Good Mornin’ Music! and Find Your Instrument! Drawing from more than 125 schools, over 600 children from Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery Counties and beyond are involved in CY programs. For more information, visit www.cychoirs.org.

Selma

On the 50th Anniversary of Selma, KSB remembers all those who who have fallen along the way to making MLK’s dream a reality. May they inspire all of us to get up, every day – in our own way – and keep walking until his dream is fully realized. On that day, all people – everywhere – will be judged only by the content of their character.

All In With Chris Hayes, Nic Hanson and KSB!

KSB’s very own Nic Hanson was featured on MSNBC show tonight, along with his percussion teacher and fellow percussionists! As in NATIONAL television. Chris Hayes commented that Nic had truly “shredded the vocals”.  Kudos Nic! KSB is proud of you! You obviously did your ta ti-ing!

Pacific Ocean along Highway 1

PICFest II for Towne and Grads is ON!  

After completing my pre trip I’ve decided this will be TOO AWESOME to miss!

This mini tour will include:

-amazing music making with boys and young men from around the country

-a chance to sing under the conductor of the American Boychoir

-a “Nike tour,” including an opportunity to run on the track of the Olympic trials

-a trip to the Pacific Ocean and along the famed Highway 1

-free time in the most awesome city of Portland, Oregon

Confirmed dates: Sunday, July 5th to Monday, July 13th. (note change)

There are still some spots for Towne and Grad members who are not yet signed up to go. Contact Ms. Donahue immediately if interested. They won’t last long!

If you’re a track and field guy, you should know that the University of Oregon in Eugene is where Nike began. Also, the University of Oregon is the sight of the Olympic trials every four years.   Today, Nike headquarters is in Beaverton, Oregon, which is between Portland (where we fly into) and Eugene (two hours south of Portland). So my hope is that part of the PICFest adventure will be a way cool Nike “tour.”

Eugene, Oregon

Let’s get a few things straight first. Locals pronounce Eugene with emphasis on the second syllable. It’s euGENE. Not EUgene. On the OTHER hand, locals pronounce Oregon with the emphasis on the first syllabe. ORegon. Not oreGON.

Eugene is a very cool town – home of the University of Oregon. Today I meet with Peter Robb, Artistic Director of the PICC Fest – Pacific International Children’s Choral Festival. I will learn more about the wonderful experience members of our Concert Choir will have from June 23rd to June 30th.

I’ll also be exploring further the possibility of some of our Towne Choir and Graduate Choir members participating in PICC Fest II in July.

More later…

If you’re a track and field guy, you should know that the University of Oregon in Eugene is where Nike began. Also, the University of Oregon is the sight of the Olympic trials every four years.   Today, Nike headquarters is in Beaverton, Oregon, which is between Portland (where we fly into) and Eugene (two hours south of Portland). So my hope is that part of the PICFest adventure will be a way cool Nike “tour.”