By Alison Zeidman
PHILADELPHIA — On November 22nd, twenty-two young boys donned newly-fitted red blazers and officially joined the ranks of the prestigious Philadelphia Boys Choir during a performance and ceremony for proud friends and family members. Between songs from the evening’s patriotic repertoire (a medley of American classics like “America the Beautiful” and “The Star-Spangled Banner,” which the choir performs every year at the Phillies home opener), Music Director Jeffrey Smith introduced new members by choral section. Each boy was announced with his name, grade, hobbies and favorite school subject, followed by his answers to questions about how he planned to contribute to the choir, what he most looks forward to in being part of the choir, and an interesting fact about himself. (Answers ranged from “I’m funny” and “I’m entertaining” to “I own a hot rod.”)
As they were introduced, the new inductees walked forward to a podium to sign their names in the Choir Journal. (When they must step down from the choir—i.e., when their voices change—they’ll sign out of the same journal.) Some approached the ledger with quiet composition; others strutted up with megawatt grins.
Upon completing their signatures, each boy turned to shake the hand of the Choir Brother accompanying him, a mentor assigned to be a companion he can sit with during rehearsals, go to for help with pitch and breathing vocal exercises, and ask any questions he may have about being in the choir.
Before the start of the performance and ceremony, we spoke with three young choir members. The poise of these boys is marked and impressive for their age, and the pride they have in themselves for earning their blazers is immediately evident. They were eager to tell us more about the organization they work so hard for (there are 44 weeks of rehearsals each year, plus at least 50 performances), and their enthusiasm for their craft was heartfelt and contagious.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.