Commonwealth Youthchoirs’ programs, including Garden State Girlchoir, Keystone State Girlchoir, Pennsylvania Girlchoir, New Jersey Boychoir and Find Your Instrument!, were part of the performances at the 2019 Chorus America Conference in Philadelphia June 26-29. The 2019 Conference featured performances showcasing Philadelphia’s diverse choral community – also celebrated in the Philly Sings! video that premiered the first day of the Conference. CY singers were some of the featured Philly community. Watch Philly Sings!:
Keystone State Boychoir
A Program of Commonwealth Youthchoirs
KSB in the News
Stories/media about KSB
6ABC Action News was at PHL International Terminal to cover the return of the Keystone State Boychoir/New Jersey Boychoir Poland-Lithuania 2019 Tour. Watch the report:
The Philadelphia Inquirer covered the premiere performance of “Vedem,” which tells the story of boys held at the Terezin concentration camp during World War II. Inquirer reporter Mari A. Schaefer writes about the performance, its background, and Sidney Zdenek Taussig, the last survivor of the “Vedem boys,” who was 12 years old at the time of the story. The Keystone State Boychoir and New Jersey Boychoir singers who performed “Vedem” are close in age to the boys held at Terezin. Only four of those boys survived beyond the camp.
Read the story, learn why the concert is named “Vedem,” and see more photos on Inquirer.com
An unexpected performance for Pope Francis made 14-year-old Bobby Hill a celebrity overnight. But with the phone ringing off the hook, Hill and those around him are facing an implacable foe: Mother Nature.
KSB singer Bobby Hill is profiled by Philadelphia Magazine writer Victor Fiorillo (December 6, 2015):
Three months after unexpectedly sharing the stage with Pope Francis on the Parkway, Bobby Hill is still being recognized everywhere he goes.
Consider just this past week: On Monday, Bobby’s father took him shopping for a new suit, and whether they were at Joseph A. Bank at Liberty Place or the Boscov’s in Plymouth Meeting, people would point and whisper Isn’t that the kid who sang for the pope?
On Wednesday, in Beverly Hills, where the 14-year-old was honored at the Ebony Power 100 gala along with John Legend, Prince, and U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch, music managers and agents shoved business cards in his face while members of the African-American power crowd snapped selfies with him.
And this Sunday afternoon, someone will no doubt recognize him as he walks the red carpet at the Broadway premiere of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s School of Rock. Certainly Sir Andrew will know who he is — Hill is going as the legendary composer’s invited guest.
Bobby Hill’s newfound fame arose because the millions who saw him sing for Pope Francis — a performance that Hill didn’t even know would happen until five minutes before he walked out on stage — fell in love with his heavenly voice. But at 14 and on a collision course with puberty, will he still be an angelic soprano by the time he is to perform with the Philadelphia Orchestra at the Academy Ball in January — or will his voice go all Peter Brady on him?
“He is supposed to sing with the Orchestra, yes,” says longtime mentor and instructor Steven Fisher, co-founder of the Keystone State Boychoir. “But I am worried that he is not going to make it. His voice is a ticking time bomb.”
Read more of the story: Bobby’s headaches, how the choir and Bobby ended up singing for Pope Francis, that “ticking time bomb” of Bobby’s voice, and Bobby’s future possibilities on PhillyMag.com
Bobby in hockey gear around age 9. (photograph courtesy of the Hill family)
The young soprano will perform at its Los Angeles gala this Wednesday.
Bobby Hill (front center) with Keystone State Boychoir
PhillyMag.com’s Sarah Jordan reported in the Ticket section on November 30, 2015:
Remember Bobby Hill? He’s the 14-year-old with the “voice of an angel” who wowed the world during Pope Francis’s papal visit with his last-minute a cappella performance of “Pie Jesu.” He’s a soloist with the Keystone State Boychoir and is having quite the autumn since that breakout performance.
Selected as one of Ebony magazine’s 2015 Power 100, Hill is flying out to Los Angeles to sing at the magazine’s 70th Anniversary Gala this Wednesday, December 2nd at the Beverly Hilton. This Central High School student should have plenty to keep him from getting bored as he’ll be honored alongside Prince, Penn alum John Legend, Janet Jackson and Viola Davis.
Three weeks ago, he and 50 members of the Keystone State Boychoir auditioned at Queens College on November 14th for Simon Cowell’s America’s Got Talent. Steve Fisher, founder and artistic director of the choir, says that Cowell has followed Bobby’s story since the papal concert and has a soft spot for the sound of boy choirs.”We’re not through yet,” says Fisher, “but we didn’t have to wait in line. It’s really a screen test with one producer and a camera. Bobby sang four different pieces with the choir behind him. We’ll find out next month, if we go through to the next step.” That would entail flying 50 members of the choir out to Hollywood for a week to film the initial episodes for the season, which airs sometime this summer.
When asked to make a prediction about the ensemble heading to Tinselftown, Fisher says, “It’s hard to know. These shows are so quirky, but they’re always looking for a great narrative in addition to talent.”
“As a nonprofit celebrating its 15th year, we are always scrounging and being frugal,” says Fisher. “But they wanted as many boys there as possible. I asked how they’d have the budget to fly out 50 kids. They laughed and said, ‘This is Hollywood. If Simon wanted 100 boys there, that’s what he’d get.’”
While Hill waits for the results, he can rehearse for another upcoming special performance. He is scheduled to perform with the Philadelphia Orchestra at its Academy Ball in late January.
Read more on PhillyMag.com
Philly.com: Papal performer Bobby Hill honored by ‘Ebony’ magazine
Bobby Hill after performing for Pope Francis at Festival of Families (source: Philly.com)
Philly.com Entertainment blogger writes (Monday, November 30, 2015):
Central High School student Bobby Hill has been selected as one of Ebony magazine’s 2015 Power 100 honorees. The list spotlights “the heroes of the black community.”
The 14-year-old breakout star, who is a soloist with the Keystone State Boychoir, rose to prominence during Pope Francis’ Philadelphia visit when he sang an a cappella version of “Pie Jesu.” Hill’s once-in-a-lifetime papal performance was a last-minute affair, said Steve Fisher, founder and artistic director of the choir. Fisher was approached by a producer of the papal concert who asked if the choir could sing during a short set change. Instead, Fisher sent Hill out to sing alone.
Read more 0n Philly.com.
A panel of Philadelphia business and thought leaders was asked by Philadelphia magazine to name Philadelphia-based and -focused organizations they support personally and why whey would recommend them to others.
Keystone State Boychoir was recommended by Ajay Raju, co-chairman and CEO of Dilworth Paxson. Here’s what he shared:
“Keystone State Boychoir, the only choir in the world to have sung in Antarctica and on all seven continents, serves 190 boys from diverse racial and socioeconomic backgrounds ranging from ages 8 to 18. They are our region’s finest global ambassadors.”
You can join Ajay Raju with an end of year gift by visiting our online giving page here:
See the full article on Phillymag.com
Mr. Fisher (right) and PG and KSB teens at the Kimmel Center for the overnight lockdown (photo Philadelphia Inquirer – click the story link for more)
The first kNOw Tech-a-Thon, where Pennsylvania Girlchoir and Keystone State Boychoir teens gave up their technology for 24 hours, was held the weekend of September 20-21, 2014, with a highlight being an overnight, technology-free lock in at the Kimmel Center. The Philadelphia Inquirer covered the event in its Sunday, September 21 edition.
The story, including a photo gallery and details of the kNOw Tech-a-Thon, is online on the Philly.com website here.
WHYY’s Newsworks visited Keystone State Boychoir (KSB) at First Presbyterian Church in Germantown at the start of the new season in September, and tells about KSB, the choir’s fabulous Australia Tour 2014, and more.
See the story and watch the video on the Newsworks site here.
From the July 2, 2014 Town Topics, Princeton, NJ:
Princeton Festival is many things during its month-long season, including opera, jazz, and instrumental genres. Last Saturday night was the Festival’s chance to be choral, with a presentation of one of the region’s most successful youth choirs. The Keystone State Boychoir, based in Philadelphia, maintains a musical education and performance program for 190 boys (its sister Pennsylvania Girlchoir is equally as active), and 47 of these boys came to Princeton’s Trinity Church to perform a sampling of their core repertoire. Conductor Steven Fisher and accompanist Joseph Fitzmartin (also an arranger for the choir) led the trebles, tenors, and basses through an engaging program which thoroughly entertained the audience at Trinity.
Read the rest of the article on the Town Topics website…