With five training choruses and one Concert Chorus division, Boston City Singers provides a rich experience for children and young adults throughout the city and beyond. Children are introduced to the basics of choral singing; participate in the operation of the groups as section leaders, music librarians, accompanists, and fundraisers; and perform at concerts for families, their community and, at the highest level, public and private events. Collaborations with other choral groups at such events are highly valued.

Through connections with city schools and seasonal auditions, Boston City Singers welcomes young people from all over the greater Boston area. For many members Boston City Singers is their only exposure to participation in music.

Boston City Singers derives its strength from its membership of children and young people from all over the Boston area. They represent a wide assortment of kids and young adults who share a common love for singing. That love, and the joy that comes from discovering what they can accomplish as a group, is the engine that drives the Boston City Singers.

Boston City Singers provides sequential, community-based music education programs including vocal instruction, musicianship and music theory training in separate rehearsal groups based on the participants' age and experience.

We receive the support of many actively involved parents, and provide our experienced singers with opportunities to develop leadership ability and assume pivotal roles in the organization.

Through outstanding music education and vocal instruction, excellence in performance, and serving the community through song, they experience the joys of singing, teamwork and leadership, musical understanding and artistic expression, which fosters self-growth and enhances their entire lives.

Training chorus rehearsals are held in Dorchester, Jamaica Plain and South Boston. The Concert Chorus' rehearsal space is located at the Parish of All Saints in Ashmont Square, 209 Ashmont Street, Dorchester, MA. For directions please visit www.allsaints.net. Training chorus rehearsals are held in Jamaica Plain, South Boston and two locations in Dorchester. Please see our Program page for the training choruses' rehearsal locations.

About Boston City Singers' Repertoire
by Nalini Margaitis, 2005 BCS Graduate

Sing me something soft, loud and out of key, or soft and delicate, sing me anything.
Sing a poem, chant or anthem. Sing in Maori, English or French.
Sing of love, death, happiness or sadness. Sing of peace, progress, action or motivation.
Sing of history, science or math.
Sing of mountains, rivers' deltas, or bayous.
Sing of leopards, lizards or ladybugs.
Sing me anything.

Tragic
15,000 children under the age of fifteen passed through the Terezin Concentration Camp between the years 1942 - 1944; less that 100 survived. The Terazin concentration camp has drawings and poems written by seven year olds before their departure from life. This collection sung by BCS is known as “I never saw another butterfly.” The poems and drawings these children composed are brought to life through music. “…and then you'll know how wonderful it is to be alive.” These are the endless cries of seven year olds from concentration camps. One child recalls the last butterfly he saw before he was trapped inside a ghetto. “So richly, brightly, dazzlingly yellow…the last, the very last.” Tears pool in the eyes of the audience when this song is heard.

Triumph
"Times were hard, but we made it over" writes Aussie composer Paul Jarman of Sir Ernest Shackleton's voyage to the Arctic in one of BCS's favorite works, "Shackleton." In 1914, Shackleton sets sail on the Endurance to explore the Artic. However, the ship hits a block of ice. The entire crew of twenty-seven men is trapped in the Southern Sea. Shackleton demonstrates incredible leadership to keep these men alive. Two years later, the men return home after fighting through miserable conditions. "Frozen tears and heartfelt cheers, never forgotten, we made it over." This song captures the voyage more vividly than any history book.

Power
"Shosholoza, ku lezontaba, stimela siphum' e South Africa, wen' uyabaleka." Shosholoza, in Zulu, means 'go forward' or 'make way for the next man'. This song is sung in a call and response style. It is most effective when there are thirty or forty voices responding. The Drakensberg Boys choir sung this song in the beginning of my junior year with BCS and it opened my eyes. The amount of power that is presented from this one song is unbelievable. The entire audience is mesmerized by these voices.

Tradition
"Tutira Mai Nga Iwi," call out the Maori. The Maori indigenous people of New Zealand preserve their traditions. Through song and chant these people maintain their historical practices. Singing without break is important. Maori songs are sung in unison with a leader. The leader chooses the starting pitch and tempo. The Maori sing on every occasion, for everyone sings in Maori culture.

Action
Protests often incorporate song. In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, people used protest songs to denounce slavery, promote women's suffrage, promote temperance, and organize workers in labor unions. In the sixties, people began to protest the Vietnam War. Songs of change came about. Joan Baez, Odetta, Bob Dylan and more filled the streets during the civil rights movement. "The times they are a changing" and "we shall overcome," echoed the streets during the turbulent sixties. At the same time, Elvis protested the conformist ways of life through rock and roll. Today, almost half a century later, these songs are not forgotten.

Happiness
Birthdays, weddings, graduations and more are filled with joyous songs. These songs express feelings of achievement. People smile and sing along to celebrate the happiness that surrounds them. Before the candles are blown out, the crowd gathers around to sing the happy birthday song. During the wedding ceremony, the Boston City Singers are asked to perform "A Few of my Favorite Things" and "Ave Maria". There is singing all around.

Friendship
Singing creates friendships. When I sing with the Boston City Singers, I know that I am connected with every single person through one universal language. I know that I share something truly special. I understand that the director is passing down a sacred gift. Each time we sing our friendship grows stronger. Even though I have graduated from BCS, I still cherish the friendships. I turn on a song in my bedroom and listen to the voices of my friends. The memories that are brought back to me after listening to these songs are wonderful.

There is nothing better than singing.
Singing is freedom.
Singing is joy.
Singing is friendship.
And singing is relaxing.
I can sing in any mood.
When I sing all my troubles disappear. Nothing else allows me to do this.
This is why I believe in the power of singing.