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The American Boychoir, having traveled to Korea for the past 16 days, arrived home safely to Princeton today. The choir performed at the prestigious Daejeon International Choral Festival, a trip sponsored by the city’s Ministry of Culture and the Korea Federation for Choral Music, to a huge and very appreciative crowd. Invited to perform by the Daejeon Culture and Arts Foundation, the choir was deeply honored and excited to share their music with an international audience. The American Boychoir was the only all-boys group performing in the festival, giving members an opportunity to sing for and listen to a variety of choirs from around the world. The Boychoir finished their tour with various performances and cultural activities in Seoul, including a concert at the renowned Baekyang Hall on the Yonsei University, a visit to the Demilitarized Zone, the National Museum, many national monuments and parks and the amusement park Everland.
This trip marks The American Boychoir’s fourth tour to Korea in its 75-year history, having performed in Busan and Seoul before audiences of more than 4,000. “The tour was a success in every way,” says Litton-Lodal Music Director Fernando Malvar-Ruiz. “We sang to wildly appreciative crowds and the boys surpassed all expectations in their performances. But more importantly, the choristers had a truly immersive experience by staying with local Korean families. This country, and the many friends we have made there, have left indelible memories for years to come.”
For more information please visitwww.americanboychoir.org.
Celebrating its rich 75-year history as America’s premier concert boys’ choir, The American Boychoir has long been recognized as one of the finest musical ensembles in the country. Capitalizing on its trademark blend of musical sophistication, spirited presentation, and ensemble virtuosity, The Boychoir performs regularly with world-class ensembles, including The New York Philharmonic, The Philadelphia Orchestra, and The Boston Symphony, and is often featured with such illustrious conductors as James Levine, Charles Dutoit, and Alan Gilbert.
The American Boychoir is frequently invited to join internationally-renowned artists on stage, and the list of collaborators reflects the extraordinary range of the ensemble: from great classical artists such as Jessye Norman and Frederica von Stade to jazz legend Wynton Marsalis and pop icons Beyoncé and Sir Paul McCartney. The choir's young soloists are also in high demand and have joined forces with The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, The Cleveland Symphony Orchestra, and The Spoleto Festival, to name a few.
The Boychoir's standing as preeminent ambassadors of American musical excellence is maintained through an extremely busy touring schedule both nationally and abroad and through frequent television and radio guest appearances, most recently on NPR's From the Top, and on the weekly TV broadcast Music and the Spoken Word with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Its legacy is preserved through an extensive recording catalog, which boasts over 45 commercial recordings and the launch of its own label, Albemarle Records. The choir’s most recent release, Journey On, was hailed by Fanfare magazine as “a fabulous recording, encompassing a remarkable range of music and styles, all of it performed with astonishing accuracy and élan, conveying at every turn a sense of discovery and an utter engagement with the music.”
Boys in fourth through eighth grades come from across the country and around the world to pursue a rigorous musical and academic curriculum at The American Boychoir School in Princeton, New Jersey. In addition to almost one hundred solo concerts, the 2013-2014 season includes a tour of Korea, a performance of Britten’s War Requiem with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and holiday concerts with Canadian Brass.