Duke Ellington School of the Arts Show Choir
The Duke Ellington School of the Arts developed from the collaborative efforts between Peggy Cooper Cafritz and Mike Malone, founders of Workshops for Careers in the Arts in 1968. Workshops grew to become the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in 1974—an accredited four-year public high school combining arts and academics. In September 2000, the Ellington partnership evolved into the Duke Ellington School of the Arts Project (DESAP) to include the District of Columbia Public Schools, The Ellington Fund, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and The George Washington University. DESAP continues Ellington’s tradition of providing high school students with an educational experience that includes college preparatory academics, pre-professional artistic training, and access to the cultural and intellectual resources of the District of Columbia. In addition to the great history of the Ellington School, the internationally famous Duke Ellington School of the Arts Show Choir serves as one of the schools premier performing groups. Organized in 1986 by artistic director Samuel L.E. Bonds and currently under the direction of Ellington alum and former show choir member Dr. Monique Holmes. The highly acclaimed and national award winning Duke Ellington School of the Arts Show Choir has thrilled audiences throughout the United States, Germany, France, London, China, Japan and the Caribbean and have become favorites at the Obama White House. The ensemble’s incredible creativity and artistry so effectively combine singing, acting and dance that any performance space is virtually transformed into a Broadway stage.