Where the Light Begins

Massachusetts is home to many firsts in our nation: the first public library, the first public park, the first public school music education program, the first woman to earn a Ph. D., and just 20 years ago, Massachusetts became the first state to legalize same-sex marriage. This season, the singers of Boston Children’s Chorus (BCC) will explore what it means to courageously uplift, center and value LGBTQIA+ identities, be it through self-love or brave allyship. Through song and spoken word, BCC singers will take inspiration from LGBTQIA+ activists to highlight local and national civil rights movements. Join Boston Children’s Chorus for Where the Light Begins as we celebrate the strengths that bind us together.

“It’s time now to sing out, though the story never ends. Let’s celebrate, remember a year in the life of friends.”  -“Seasons of Love” from Rent

PROGRAM:
JIM PAPOULIS: Can You Hear
KYLE PEDERSON: Does the World Say?
      Soloist: Tiana Sandefur
LAURA MVULA: She
      Soloist: Jasper LoRusso
MILCK and AG, arr. SIMMONDS: Quiet
ALEXANDER OLSAVSKY: What Happens When a Woman?
SUSAN LABARR: Where the Light Begins
LAUPER, arr. MAC HUFF: True Colors
INIKO, arr. O’CONNOR: Jericho
EDWARDS and RODGERS, arr. DABRUSIN: I’m Coming Out
      Soloists: Cecilia Mikala, Sarah Han, Grace Reynolds, Mariana Chango Gassett
LARSON, arr. EMERSON: Seasons of Love
      Soloists: Ailie Bell and Olivia Joseph
JAKE RUNESTAD: Rise Up
PORTER AND LEE, arr. CRACAUER: Hell or High Water
      Soloist: Grace Porter
GAMBLE AND HUGG, arr. GILPIN: Put a Little Love in Your Heart

 “angelic and dazzling”- The Boston Globe

Boston Children’s Chorus (BCC) was founded in 2003 by Hubie Jones, a civic leader who has worked for six decades to address the social problems facing Boston’s underserved children and communities. Named Boston’s “Ambassadors of Harmony” by The Boston Globe, BCC harnesses the power of music to connect Boston’s diverse communities, cultivate empathy, and inspire social inquiry. BCC after-school choral programs include 10 choirs with singers from 110 different zip codes in and around Boston. BCC is also proud to partner with schools to provide in-school choral education in Mattapan, Roxbury, South Boston, East Boston, Allston and the city of Chelsea. BCC presents over 50 performances per season in a wide range of public and private events. They have performed in venues from Boston Symphony Hall, and Royal Albert Hall in London, to Sydney Opera House, and the White House.

BCC is supported in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency, and in part by a grant from the Boston Cultural Council, a local agency which is funded by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, administered by the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture.