SAINT ANDREWS TO HOST THE TAMPA BOYCHOIR
Saint Andrew's has agreed to host the newly formed Tampa
Boychoir, the most recent division of the Florida Boychoir. The choir will
rehearse in our children's chapel each Thursday and every other Saturday. While
the choir's repertoire is a mix of sacred and secular works, they are a
Christian organization dedicated, as their motto says, to "glorifying God
through the boychoir tradition." We can look for appearances by the
boychoir from time to time at our Sunday service, as a thank-you for our support.
Director Brian L. Collar, welcomes inquiries from families of any boys in
grades three through eight who might be interested in auditioning for the
choir. Contact him at 877-671-SING (7464) or ChoirMaster@FloridaBoychoir.com.
About the Florida Boychoir
The Florida
Boychoir, founded by Choirmaster Brian L. Collar, in July of 1986, was
incorporated in March of 1987 as the Florida Boychoir, Inc., a non-profit,
non-sectarian, cultural youth organization. The first rehearsal was held in
Seminole, Florida in January of 1987 with an original membership of only eight
Choirboys.
Since that
time the Choirboys have made recordings and appeared on radio and television in
the United States and Canada. They have toured throughout Florida, to sixteen
other States and internationally to Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic,
Germany, Iceland and Poland. The Florida Boychoir has to its credit
performances of hundreds of folk, spiritual and classical works, such as
Benjamin Britten's "A Ceremony of Carols" and "Missa Brevis in D
Major", the "Christmas Oratorio" of Johann Sebastian Bach, the
"Mass in G Major" of Franz Schubert and "Fantasia on Carols of
the Nativity" commissioned of American composer William G. Wade. Operas
performed include George Bizet's "Carmen", Gian-Carlo Menotti's
"Amahl and the Night Visitors", Malcolm Williamson's "The Happy
Prince", and a one act adaptation of Gilbert and Sullivan's
"Mikado". Our Choirboys were selected to perform in the Broadway
touring production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Joseph & the Amazing
Technicolor Dream Coat" and were featured in a Nostalgia Network Christmas
Special which was broadcast nationally.
In addition
to concerts, recordings and tours, the Florida Boychoir has sponsored three
long-terra projects; the Florida Boychoir School, the Girl Choir Of Florida,
and the Florida International Boychoir Festival. In the fall of 1992, the
Florida Boychoir offered the Florida Boychoir School as a cooperative school-within-a-school
jointly with Saint Paul's School of Clearwater. Similar to the famous choir
schools of Europe, the Florida Boychoir School was a complete academic day
school. The Boychoir School continued for three seasons and was one of only
three nonsectarian Boychoir Schools in the United States. It is our mission to
once again open a Boychoir in the Tampa Bay area.
In response
to several requests for a quality choral experience for the girls of the Tampa
Bay area, the Girl Choir Of Florida was formed in the fall of 1994 and
continued for four seasons. In 1992 and 1994, the Florida International
Boychoir Festival brought together hundreds of Choirs and Choirboys from
throughout the world. World renowned Sir David Willcocks served as Guest
Conductor for both festivals.
In 1997
through 1998 the organization undertook a major fundraising endeavor which,
frankly, proved to be disastrous. As a result, ail Choral Activities ceased in
October of 1998.
Born again …
Following a six season "intermission" the Florida Boychoir was reborn
as the Florida Boychoir School, Inc., a non-profit, non-denominational,
cultural youth Christian organization. Choral activities resumed in September
of 2005 with a choir room located in Riverview, Florida.
In February
of 2006, we provided the Boychoir for a concert performance of "The Lord
Of The Rings Symphony" with the Florida Orchestra and the combined choirs
of the University Of South Florida and Clearwater Christian College. The choir
has recently performed Gilbert and Sullivan's "Mikado" and Michael W.
Smith's Christmas Cantata "Agnus Dei". The boys are now preparing to
give the U.S. premiere of the recently found original score of Schubert's
"Mass In G Major" and for a concert tour to Europe in June 2010.
In order to
make the "Boychoir Experience" available to more gifted boys, the
Tampa Boychoir and St. Petersburg Boychoir will begin in 2010. There are plans
to form additional choirs in Sarasota (in 2011) and Lakeland (in 2012).
Toll Free
877-671-51NG (74M) or B13-671-7 FAX
813-315-7190 PO
BOX 2555, Riverview, FL 33568
FïoridaBoychoir.com ChoirMyster@FloridaBoychoir.com