All posts by: Commonwealth Youthchoirs Media

Michelle Boyles

Communications Director
Commonwealth Youthchoirs

Starting this July, Mr. Frank Van Atta will join Dr. Elizabeth Parker in leading CY’s Programs.

Philadelphia, (June 2, 2021) – Following an extensive national search, Commonwealth Youthchoirs (CY) is thrilled to announce that Mr. Frank J. Van Atta will join the organization as next Co-Artistic Director beginning July 15.  

“Mr. Van Atta brings a wealth of experience as a music educator and choral conductor, demonstrating deep care and exceptional leadership with developing voices,” says CY Co-Artistic partner, Dr. Elizabeth Parker. “He is poised to apply his knowledge, talent and passion for excellence in choral music education to inspire the next generation of Commonwealth Youthchoirs. We couldn’t be more excited to have Mr. Van Atta join our team.”

In this role, Van Atta will lead Keystone State Boychoir and New Jersey Boychoir, and will work collaboratively with Parker, who leads Pennsylvania Girlchoir and Garden State Girlchoir. Together, they will oversee the organization’s community engagement program, Find Your Instrument! and shape the next chapter of Commonwealth Youthchoirs’ family of programs, currently celebrating its 20th season. Both Parker and Van Atta are available for interviews upon request. 

For the last nine years, Van Atta has taught secondary choral and general music in Boston and Philadelphia, and has served as Organist and Choir Director at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church in Milton, MA and Trinity Episcopal Church in Ambler, PA. Holding music education and organ performance degrees from the Jacobs School of Music (Indiana University) and a graduate degree in choral conducting from the Boyer College of Music and Dance (Temple University), Mr. Van Atta is the current Upper School Choral Director at Germantown Friends School, a position in which he will continue next year. 

As a young singer, Mr. Van Atta grew up in community-based choral programs, specifically the Pittsburgh Youth Chorus, formerly the Children’s Festival Chorus of Pittsburgh (CFC), under the direction of Christine Jordanoff and the Junior Mendelssohn Choir, under the direction of the late Dr. Robert Page. “I owe so much of my formative musical experiences not only to school-based opportunities but to the decade in which I participated in CFC and the Junior Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh,” says Van Atta. “I hope to provide a space where singers from every neighborhood in Philadelphia and beyond can thrive.”

Van Atta will work closely with Parker to continue Commonwealth Youthchoirs’ critical mission to transform the lives of young people through the power of making music together. More than 600 singers take part in Commonwealth Youthchoirs’ five award-winning programs: Keystone State Boychoir, Pennsylvania Girlchoir, Find Your Instrument!, Garden State Girlchoir and New Jersey Boychoir. 

I am incredibly excited to be able to serve the Greater Philadelphia community through music as Co-Artistic Director. Singers in Commonwealth Youthchoirs have long served as ambassadors of song throughout the world, and we will continue to tell the stories that reflect our community through music,” Van Atta asserts. “The 2021-2022 season will be just the beginning of the long and exciting future ahead, and we cannot wait to welcome audiences back to our in-person performances.”

For the past 20 years, Commonwealth Youthchoirs has been on the forefront of transforming young lives through song. Even amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, CY has kept singing, with virtual performances featured at the Democratic National Convention, NBC’s Today Show, and the 2021 Presidential Inauguration. After more than a year, CY celebrated a triumphant return to in-person rehearsals this Spring and joined several arts partners in exciting collaborative projects. Thanks to the dedicated staff, singers are well-prepared to return for an unforgettable 2021-2022 performance season this Fall, including intercultural exchanges through domestic and international tours beginning in June 2022. 

 

About Commonwealth Youthchoirs: Commonwealth Youthchoirs (CY) is a Philadelphia-based nonprofit with a mission to transform the lives of young people through the power of making music together — one song at a time. Its family of programs includes: Find Your Instrument!, Garden State Girlchoir, Keystone State Boychoir, New Jersey Boychoir and Pennsylvania Girlchoir. CY serves more than 600 children in the greater Philadelphia and South Jersey region between the ages of 7 and 18. 


The Foundation will award $1.2 Million in General Operating support grants to Philadelphia music organizations.

Philadelphia, (March 1, 2021) – The Presser Foundation this week announced a round of grants to support 86 music organizations in the Greater Philadelphia area, including a $20,000 Advancement of Music grant for Commonwealth Youthchoirs (CY). The nearly $2-million-round of funding is the largest grant allocation for general operating support in The Foundation’s over 80-year history.

“Children and youth need music now more than ever. We feel very grateful to the Presser Foundation for its steadfast and inspired commitment to providing music in young people’s lives. The Presser Foundation makes our work possible,” said CY Artistic Director, Dr. Elizabeth Parker. 

This funding will help CY continue to engage Singers in new ways during the COVID-19 pandemic, funding investments in new technology, working with Guest Artists and collaborating with world-class ensembles both in our region and around the country. 

William B. McLaughlin, III, Chair of the Advancement of Music Committee, commented, “While the ongoing pandemic has created stress on our beloved musical institutions, The Presser Foundation is inspired by so many who have invested in providing online music programming, shown great flexibility and innovation, and explored collaborations and other strategic relationships to supplement resources and expertise and expand audiences.”

 

About Commonwealth Youthchoirs

Commonwealth Youthchoirs (CY) is a Philadelphia-based nonprofit with a mission to transform the lives of young people through the power of making music together – one song at a time. Its family of programs includes: Find Your Instrument!, Garden State Girlchoir, Keystone State Boychoir, New Jersey Boychoir and Pennsylvania Girlchoir. CY serves more than 800 children in the greater Philadelphia and South Jersey region between the ages of 7 and 18. For more information, visit cychoirs.org

About The Presser Foundation

The Presser Foundation was established in 1939 under the Deeds of Trust and Will of the late Theodore Presser. It is one of the few private foundations in the United States dedicated solely to music education and music philanthropy. The Presser Foundation supports a broad range of classical symphonic, chamber, choral and vocal music performance and education through general operating and program grants to music organizations; capital grants for music building projects; undergraduate and graduate student awards; and assistance to retired music teachers.  Much of the grant making focus of the Foundation is on organizations and institutions in the 75-mile radius surrounding Center City Philadelphia. For more information: www.presserfoundation.org

Contact: Michelle Boyles

Communications Director
Commonwealth Youthchoirs

Past members of the Philadelphia-based nonprofit provided backing vocals for Demi Lovato’s performance of “Lovely Day.” 

Philadelphia, (January 21, 2021) – The 2021 Presidential Inauguration festivities included performances by Commonwealth Youthchoirs’ alumni, family and friends who recorded backing vocals for Demi Lovato singing “Lovely Day.” Singers filmed themselves at various landmarks around the country and submitted their entries to Inaugural producers. 

Commonwealth Youthchoirs is a non-denominational, non-partisan organization that has been featured on the national stage multiple times in its 20-year history, having performed for Pope Francis upon his visit to Philadelphia in 2016, on Good Morning America in 2018 and just last year singing the National Anthem for the Democratic National Convention (DNC) and appearing on The Today Show Christmas morning. 

Much like CY’s DNC performance, Singers and staff had no idea who would be featured in the final product until it aired live on the evening of January 20th. Producers contacted CY Co-Artistic Director Dr. Elizabeth Parker on the evening of January 8th with the opportunity for choir members to be part of this historic event. They asked that participants be age 18 or older, which might be a challenge for some organizations that work primarily with children. But CY staff saw this as a chance to connect with Singers from its vast, close-knit network of Alumni, family and friends who would have just three short days to complete the project!  

“To bookend singing at the Democratic National Convention with our younger singers and now perform at the Inauguration with alumni, family, and friends is exciting and rare. We are thrilled and honored to be a part,” says Dr. Parker. 

“I am beyond honored to have been included in the final group performance of tonight’s inaugural festivities. Thank you to Keystone State Boychoir and CY),” says Keystone State Boychoir (KSB) alumni Kyle Norton. It was “really cool to be seen by the president on his TV (and yours!) and take part in the day where we move on together as one people and one America.”

Pennsylvania Girlchoir (PG) alumni Carlie Cocco says, “I scared myself but there I was. Really grateful to have been part of this project! Thank you Pennsylvania Girlchoir.”

“Secret’s out…. even though I didn’t know if I’d make it. What a way to end the day, am I right? Thank you Keystone State Boychoir for looking out for the alums!” says KSB alumni Greg Davis.

 

Dr. Parker and CY performers are available for interviews upon request. For more information, contact Communications Director, Michelle Boyles, 215-384-6538.

 

Commonwealth Youthchoirs (CY) is a Philadelphia-based nonprofit with a mission to transform the lives of young people through the power of making music together – one song at a time. Its family of programs includes: Find Your Instrument!, Garden State Girlchoir, Keystone State Boychoir, New Jersey Boychoir and Pennsylvania Girlchoir. CY serves more than 800 children in the greater Philadelphia and South Jersey region between the ages of 7 and 18. For more information, visit cychoirs.org

 

Contact: Michelle Boyles

Communications Director
Commonwealth Youthchoirs

How a nonprofit childrens’ choir conquered the challenges of the 2020 pandemic.

Philadelphia, (December 20, 2020) – When the pandemic first hit in March, Commonwealth Youthchoirs’ (CY) 2020 concert season was in full swing with over 60 live performances planned and two international tours all lined up. And then COVID struck. Rehearsals and concerts were canceled, staff was reduced, and tours were called off. The challenges of replicating the choir experience online seemed monumental. It would have been easy to shut down. But, knowing that music is a lifeline for its young singers who lost so much this year, staff sprung into action to find new ways to sing together. By April 5, singers resumed rehearsals online and began recording themselves singing at home individually. The recordings were edited together to produce videos like One Voice that were featured in virtual Spring concerts, where the organization carried on with time-honored traditions.  

In August, organizers of the 2020 Democratic National Convention offered CY the opportunity to produce a video of the National Anthem that included singer representatives from every state in the nation. The hitch – they needed the project completed in just two weeks! Singers worked around the clock learning and recording a new arrangement of the song. Staff turned around individual singer recordings in record time and sent them off to DNC producers for post-production. No one inside the organization knew which singers would be featured or how the videos would be edited together until the performance aired live on national television. The result was a resounding success with #dncchoir trending on Twitter within seconds of the broadcast starting. 

“It was an incredibly energetic and fulfilling 10 days of connecting with singer representatives from around the United States, its islands, and territories,” says Co-Artistic Director, Elizabeth Parker. “Watching the anthem at the opening of the DNC was moving for so many — together, we heard the empowered voices of our youth; it was more impactful than we could have ever predicted.”

Local and national producers took note and new opportunities began to pour in. In November, CY’s rendition of Elton John’s Philadelphia Freedom kicked off the 99th Annual “Philadelphia Award” ceremony and the Philadelphia Citizen’s 3rd Annual “Ideas We Should Steal” Festival. To date, the video has 8,000 views on YouTube. And on Christmas morning, a video of CY singers performing Jingle Bells opened “The Today Show” with Hoda and Jenna. This project was put together in just four days all while wrapping up another 8 video projects that were already in progress to help singers continue with CY holiday traditions.  

Sung by the Senior class, CY’s final project in 2020 is entitled Hope for Resolution. The timeliness of this piece is significant as composers, Paul Caldwell and Sean Ivory, intentionally weave together an anti-apartheid song sung to free Nelson Mandela with a European chant. Parker says, “Hope for Resolution speaks deeply and meaningfully to our Singers and their wishes for justice, hope and peace. We introduce our Senior class to the larger CY community with Hope for Resolution every December to foreground the critical importance of their voices in our future.” 

The song’s meaning and lyrics remain a testament to CY’s continued commitment to transform the lives of young people through the power of making music together and to conquer any obstacle that stands in the way of its mission. 

Commonwealth Youthchoirs’ mission is to transform the lives of young people through the power of making music together – one song at a time. Its family of programs include: Find Your Instrument, Garden State Girlchoir, Keystone State Boychoir, New Jersey Boychoir, and Pennsylvania Girlchoir. As a nonprofit organization, it serves more than 800 children in the greater Philadelphia and South Jersey region between the ages of 7 and 18, more than half of whom come from under-resourced communities. For more information, visit cychoirs.org

 

Contact Michelle Boyles

Communications Director
Commonwealth Youthchoirs

Democratic National Convention performance includes singers from Cherry Hill, Moorestown, Marlton, Voorhees, Sicklerville.

South Jersey residents with a keen eye may have caught some familiar faces on TV during the Democratic National Convention – and that doesn’t mean any of the politicians or their supporters.

At the start of the DNC, the 57-member Choir Across America performed the National Anthem. While the participating children may have been representing the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the other five U.S. territories, a number of them call South Jersey home.

“It was pretty crazy,” Diya Ramesh said.

The 14-year-old Voorhees resident admitted her anxiety got the best of her before seeing the performance, but it quickly dissipated.

“As soon as I saw my face, I feel like all the nerves went away,” she recalled with a smile. “It was like a pure moment of euphoria. I was so happy.”

Ramesh was one of the first performers to appear on screen alongside her peers from the Philadelphia-based nonprofit Commonwealth Youthchoirs (CY), which assembled the Choir Across America ensemble. CY has five programs across South Jersey and Southeastern Pennsylvania, including the Garden State Girlchoir and New Jersey Boychoir, both of which rehearse in Moorestown and at Rowan University…

Read the full story at The Sun Newspapers. 

The Star-Spangled Banner is still a high note for Victoria Rose Conroy.

The 18-year-old South Philly resident has traveled the world singing with Pennsylvania Girlchoir and has performed the national anthems of several countries in each one’s native tongue.

But there’s something uniquely satisfying about belting out her own country’s ode to the land of the free and home of the brave as a Soprano 1.

“I love the U.S. national anthem because it’s one of the most challenging songs to sing,” Conroy said. “It has such a wide range. I personally love singing challenging things.”

And she loves singing for big audiences.

Conroy’s vocals were featured on a collaboration project with nearly 80 other singers from across the country. They came together virtually to sing the national anthem on a recorded video to open the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 17. It was seen by millions of TV viewers.

Read the full story at the South Philly Review.

On Aug. 17, the first night of the Democratic National Convention, Daniyal Ansari and Charley Bazzle sat down with their families to watch the virtual unveiling of the party’s values, platform and presidential ticket.

But unlike most viewers, they weren’t watching for the politics, they said. Instead, they were watching for the patriotism … especially since the two Burlington County teenagers — Daniyal, 14, and Charley, 15 — would be the ones expressing the patriotism on screen.

The opening sequence featured a succession of teens from across the country singing the anthem, first over images of Americans going about their daily lives, cutting hair, walking in graduation lines, protesting for racial equality, and then in videos of the kids themselves, singing directly to the audience.

Daniyal, of Mount Laurel, and Charley, of Evesham, were among those voices. Charley’s face even made it on screen, in a frame with several others singing the anthem in unison…

Read the full story at The Burlington County Times. 

… a virtual youth choir was the highlight of the convention’s first night. Made up of young people with ties to all 50 states, the Choir Across America opened the convention with a flawless rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner.”

Ava Accorsi, a 16-year-old Keene High School sophomore, represented New Hampshire.

Ava rehearsed with other singers from around the country over Zoom. But it wasn’t until Monday night that she saw the finished product — and herself on TV. The kids had been warned that not everyone might make the cut, but there she was.

“I was ecstatic,” she said in a phone interview on Friday. “It was absolutely amazing to be able to be on TV and share what I love to do with so many people.”

Read the full story at The New Hampshire Union Leader.

Naya is part of Pennsylvania Girl Choir, she is 10-years old from Germantown. She attends Greenwood Charter School and is going into 5th grade in the Fall. No one had a look at the final product so no one knew which kids would be on the screen or which soloist would be featured to do this particular. So, she saw this live at the same time as others – no advance notice. Organizers say her reaction was over the moon and parents were crying.

Watch her interview on PHL17.

Just minutes into a virtual performance of the national anthem that opened the Democratic National Convention, Nebraska gets some love.

It comes from Theo Parker, a 12-year-old with a one-stanza solo in a performance that stitched together the voices of 77 young singers representing all 50 states, five territories, the District of Columbia and the Cheyenne Nation…

So who is Theo, the smiling soloist representing Nebraska?

Turns out, he’s a young man born in Lincoln who lives in New Jersey and loves to sing.

He’s a member of the Keystone State Boychoir, one of five choirs that comprise the Commonwealth Youthchoirs, a nonprofit organization based in Philadelphia.

Read the full story at the Lincoln Journal Star