History
Boston City Singers was founded in 1995 as a Dorchester-based satellite division of Youth pro Musica to provide outstanding music training opportunities to low and moderate-income inner-city youth in the communities in which they live. Boston City Singers became a separate non-profit agency in July 2003, with its own Board of Directors, Board of Advisors, staff, volunteers and budget. The organization has grown to serve over 300 singers post-COVID-19. The vast majority live in metro Boston’s urban neighborhoods, with nearly 60% requiring financial assistance to support their tuition and tour fees.
REASONS TO CELEBRATE!
Educational Achievements
Over our decades-long history, 100% of graduates have received college placement, and 96% have graduated “on time,” including Harvard (6), Boston University (5), USAFA, West Point, Oxford, Stanford, University of Michigan, and UMass. Six graduates have earned Posse Foundation Scholars (full-tuition scholarships). Twenty alums have been Posse finalists.
Recently, alums have graduated from Wesleyan University, UMass Lowell, Centre, Union, Emmanuel, Stonehill Colleges, and UMass Medical School.
Our college graduates are teachers, engineers, performing musicians, music therapists, recording engineers, medical and marketing professionals, and actors.
Six college graduate alumni have served on our Board of Directors.
Artistic Achievements
Since 2007, the Tour Choir has served as ambassadors of Boston City Singers, the City of Boston, and the USA as they traveled from Boston to Canada, Costa Rica, New Zealand, Australia, Argentina, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Czech Republic, South Africa (2), Ireland, and to various cities throughout the United States.
We are honored to have performed at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Red Sox and Celtics games, Boston’s State of the City address, the Governor’s Holiday Celebration, and a 9/11 Commemoration at the MA State House.
From the youngest of our singers to those in high school, we provide the opportunity to learn music in many genres:
- Classical – medieval chant to contemporary music
- Music of the USA – Broadway, Sacred Harp, Appalachian, Traditional Spirituals, Gospel, Jazz
- World Music – South Africa, Croatia, Ghana, England, Guinea, Senegal, New Zealand, Belgium, and the Caribbean
Selected as the only youth chorus to perform at:
- American Choral Directors Association’s Annual Conference (2024 and 2016)
- Chorus America National Conference (2015)
- American Guild of Organists National Convention (2014)
Our OperaKid’s program performed in Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking, Janáček’s Cunning Little Vixen, Benjamin Britten’s Noye’s Fludde, Korngold’s Die tote Stadt, The Boston Camerata’s Play of Daniel, and Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms and Mass.