2024 Chorus America Conference Closing Concert Program

JUNE 8, 2024 | 4:00PM | Church at Wieuca

B.E. Boykin, Conductor

Atlanta Music Project program sponsors

The Atlanta Music Project is grateful for the support of our major institutional donors

The

Next Gen Fund | Anonymous Donation

Funding provided in part by the Fulton County Board of Commissioners under the guidance of the Department of Community Development.

Major funding for this organization is provided by the Fulton County Board of Commissioners. This program is supported in part by the City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs.

Atlanta Music Project Board of Directors

Philip M. Juravel, CPA, Chair

Jennifer Dorian, Vice Chair

Byron Gibbs, Treasurer

Racheal Woods, Secretary

Sarah Griesenauer Barros, Ben Cherian, Anne Cross, Deva Hirsch, Valerie L. Holmes, James F. Lock III, Aaron C. Mitchell, Ceasar C. Mitchell Jr., Aisha Moody, Shawn Pacely, Andy D. Pittman, Dantes Rameau, John Sparrow, Lee Sheehan Templin

Atlanta Music Project Staff

Amber Smith, Associate Director of AMP Academy

Aisha Moody, Co-Founder & Chief Program Officer

Breanna Johnson, Director of Choral Programs

Cruz Duhart, Operations Associate

Dantes Rameau, Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer

Dennis Freeman, Van Driver

D’Laney Bowry, Development & Grants Associate

Durand Bailey, Senior Director of Operations

Emily Boone, DMA, Music Career Advisor

Erin Fender, Marketing & Social Media Manager

Isaiah Cuffey, Preparatory School Program Manager

Jack W. Wagner, Associate Director of Grants

José L. Morales, Interim Marketing & Development Assoicate

Lauren Spence, Executive Assistant to the Chief Executive Officer

Liesl McWhorter, Interim Youth Orchestras Program Associate

Lydia Falcon, After-School Programs Associate

Michael Crawford, Facilities Manager

Miriam Huppert, Director of College & Career Services

Nassareen Rahman, Van Driver

Ron Pace, Finance Manager

Winston Savoy, Interim Program Operations Associate

ATLANTA MUSIC PROJECT ATLANTA MUSIC PROJECT

The Atlanta Music Project Senior Youth Choir is grateful to have been granted the opportunity

SOPRANO

Neilah Bell

Destiny Brown

Tatiana Dickerson

Jessica Macharia

Jenae McCoy

Bailey Mines

Taylor Pollock

Nailah Ruffin

Sasha Williams

ALTO

Aria Armstead

Janaé Banks

Beyuti Burrows

Chloe Collier

Ariel Crumbley

Cailey Inman

Yahsia Jabari

Eden Kearse

River Kearse

Sage Mae Lima-Jeffries

Shana Liverpool

Amaya Paylor

Makyla Platt

Destiny Sutton

Maya Winfrey

PROJECT SENIOR YOUTH CHOIR PROJECT SENIOR YOUTH CHOIR

opportunity to perform this special program at the 2024 Chorus America Concference closing concert.

TENOR BASS

Andrew Christian Bodrick

Tyaire Charles

Anthony Dunlap

Raja Green-Hornes

Mike Leon Martinez

Vinny Montague

Connor Sample

Alexander Beaty

Isaac Collier

Dalin Davis

Xavier Doyle

Elijah Stephens

Jonah Stowers

Caleb Vaughn

Imari Welcher

ATLANTA MUSIC PROJECT SENIOR

Dies Irae....................................................................................................

Michael John Trotta

Jessica Macharia, soprano

Destiny Brown, soprano

Ave Maria..............................................................................................Robert Nathaniel Dett

Jonah Stowers, baritone

Ke Nna Yo Morena...................................................................................Setswana Traditional

Holding the Light...................................................................................................B.E. Boykin Words by Staurt Kestenbaum

The Word Was God.....................................................................................Rosephanye Powell

A Quiet Place................................................................................................

Ralph Carmichael

Chloe Collier, alto arr. Jerry Rubino

Sasha Williams, soprano

Be Still and Know.............................................................................................Stacey V. Gibbs

That’s How the Good Lord Works............Phyliss McKoy Joubert, Hezekiah Walker, David Frazier

As Performed by The Sunday Service Choir arr. Jason White, Philip Cornish

Jack W. Wagner, Piano

Ray Ransom, Electric Bass

Tammy Harper, Piano

Corey Raymond, Drumset

SENIOR YOUTH CHOIR PROGRAM TRANSLATIONS

Dies Irae

Day of wrath and doom impending. David’s word with Sibyl’s blending, Heaven and earth in ashes ending.

Death is struck, and nature quaking, All creation is awaking, To its Judge an answer making.

Think, kind Jesu! – my salvation Caused Thy wondrous Incarnation; Leave me not to reprobation.

Ave Maria

Hail Mary, full of grace

The Lord is with you, blessed art thou among women And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, Pray for us sinners, Hail Mary, pray for us, Now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Ke Nna Yo Morena

Setswana Traditional

This is a gospel song praising the Lord by saying our eyes are strong and fighting for his glory

B.E. BOYKIN

Senior Youth Choir Conductor

B.E. (Brittney Elizabeth) Boykin is a native of Alexandria, Virginia and comes from a musical family. At the age of 7, she began piano lessons and continued her studies through high school under the tutelage of Mrs. Alma Sanford. Mrs. Sanford guided her through various competitions, such as the NAACP’s ACT-SO competition where she garnered 1st place for 3 consecutive years in the local competition, as well as being awarded The Washington Post “Music and Dance Award” in the spring of 2007.

Boykin then pursued her classical piano studies at Spelman College under the leadership of Dr. Rachel Chung. After graduating Spelman College in 2011 with a B.A. in Music, Boykin continued her studies at Westminster Choir College of Rider University in Princeton, New Jersey.

During her time at Westminster, she was awarded the R and R Young Composition Prize just a few months shy of graduating with her M.M. in Sacred Music with a concentration in choral studies in May, 2013.

Boykin’s choral piece, “We Sing as One,” was commissioned to celebrate Spelman College’s 133rd Anniversary of its founding at the 2014 Founders Day Convocation. She has also been featured as the conductor/composer-in-residence for the 2017 Harry T. Burleigh Commemorative Spiritual Festival at Tennessee State University. Boykin has been commissioned and collaborated with several organizations, including a number of ACDA divisions, the Minnesota Opera and the Kennedy Center. She obtained her Ph.D. from Georgia State University with an emphasis in Music Education and is currently an Assistant Professor of Music at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

ATLANTA MUSIC PROJECT SENIOR YOUTH CHOIR

The Atlanta Music Project Senior Youth Choir is the top-performing choir of the Atlanta Music Project (AMP), a non-profit organization providing world-class music training and performance opportunities supporting youth growth and development.

The Atlanta Music Project Senior Youth Choir is a select, mixed-voice ensemble of some of the finest high school-aged singers in metro Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Under the direction of conductor B.E. Boykin, this advanced vocal ensemble performs standard choral literature and songs representing the culture of their communities. The choir has performed at renowned venues across Atlanta, including the Cobb Energy Centre for the Performing Arts, Georgia World Congress Center, and Spivey Hall. In 2019, the choir was the first choral ensemble invited to perform at Mercedes-Benz Stadium: home of the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United FC.

The AMP Senior Youth Choir was awarded the Choral Sweepstakes and Grand Champion Trophies at the 2022 Southern Star Music Festival. Additional recognitions include invitations to perform at the 2022 Georgia-American Choral Directors Association Fall Conference, the Mayor of Atlanta’s 2023 State of the City Address, and the 2023 Spelman College US-South Africa Voices “Of Change” Concert. Most recently, the AMP Senior Youth Choir was featured on National Public Radio’s From the Top, America’s largest national platform celebrating young classically-trained musicians. The choir regularly collaborates with renowned artists and has performed alongside Grammy-winning performers such as operatic baritone Edward Parks, R&B singer Monica, and gospel rapper Lecrae. In July 2024, the AMP Senior Youth Choir will embark on its first international trip as an ensemble to compete in the 2024 World Choir Games in Auckland, New Zealand.

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THE ATLANTA MUSIC PROJECT MISSION AND HISTORY

Founded in 2010, the Atlanta Music Project (AMP) provides world-class music training and performance opportunities supporting youth growth and development. Operating in under-resourced communities, AMP’s mission is to empower youth to realize their possibilities through music. AMP serves 700 young musicians annually through: beginner-level choir, band and orchestra through the AMP Preparatory School; the intermediate and advanced AMP Youth Orchestras & Choirs; private instrumental and vocal lessons through the AMP Academy; and the annual month-long AMP Summer Series. Additionally, AMP runs a college and career program, supporting AMP high school students and AMP alumni. Since 2021, AMP has awarded 70 college scholarships to its alumni, totaling $306,375.

AMP music ensembles perform more than 60 concerts annually, performing in venues all across Atlanta, from community centers to the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. AMP music ensembles have performed alongside international stars such as cellist Sterling Elliott, rapper Lecrae, operatic baritone Edward Parks, R&B singer Monica, The Piano Guys, the Harlem Quartet, electric violinist Lindsey Stirling, pianist Terrence Wilson, and the Imani Winds. AMP musicians can be seen performing with rapper T.I. on NPR’s Tiny Desk concert series. AMP’s young musicians have successfully auditioned for Georgia All-State ensembles, performed with the Atlanta Opera and the Atlanta Ballet, and have concertized as far away as Los Angeles, Aspen, Mexico City, and Scotland.

AMP is the recipient of several prestigious awards: 2015 Local Community Service Award (Spelman College), 2016 Neighborhood Builder (Bank of America), 2016 & 2017 Top 50 Youth Arts Program (USA President’s Committee on the Arts & Humanities), 2018 MLK Jr. Community Service Award (Emory University), 2019 Luminary Award for Arts Education (ArtsATL), and 2021 Infusion Award (Lewis Prize for Music).

AMP’s existence is a direct result of the 2009 TED Prize, which was awarded to Dr. Jose Antonio Abreu, founder of Venezuela’s El Sistema. AMP’s co-founders were members of the Sistema Fellows Program at the New England Conservatory in Boston. AMP is a member of “El Sistema USA,” the National Alliance of El Sistema Inspired Programs.

In 2024, AMP became the recipient of five Steinway pianos and was awarded the prestigious honor of being a Steinway Select School, making AMP one of eight schools in the country with this distinction.

The Atlanta Music Project believes the pursuit of musical excellence leads to the development of confidence, creativity and ambition, bringing together youth, family and community for the greater good.

Breanna

Keeyen

Micah

Nick