Georgia Boy Choir Program
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ABOUT THE GEORGIA BOY CHOIR The purpose of the Georgia Boy Choir is to achieve the highest possible standard of musical excellence, while instilling in its members a life-long appreciation of music; an abiding love of beauty; a keen sense of respect for themselves and others; and the self-discipline necessary to become effective leaders in their families, their communities and the world. HISTORY OF THE CHOIR Established in 2009 under the baton of Artistic Director and Conductor, David R. White, the Georgia Boy Choir has quickly gained a reputation as one of the finest Choirs of its kind. Known for the transcendent beauty of their singing and powerful, nuanced musical interpretation, the Choir has garnered an impressive international fan base through touring and its many performance videos on YouTube with one million views from more than 170 countries. Operating on a five-tier music education system, the Choir serves over 85 boys and young men from all around the metropolitan Atlanta region. Recognizing that a musician must care for his instrument, the Georgia Boy Choir invests a great deal of time, energy, and focus on the care and development of its instrument – the boys themselves. At every rehearsal, each boy is encouraged to "Be the Best Boy You Can Be." The boys are taught the importance of hard work, self-discipline, and focus, all in an environment that is positive, encouraging, and fun. In this way, the boys are allowed to be their true selves and find expression of the greatness that lies within them. In the summer of 2010 the Choir embarked on its first international tour, delighting thousands throughout the country of China. In 2011 they traveled to England where they were the Choir-In- Residence at both Wells Cathedral and Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford. Summer 2012 saw the boys and young men in Scandinavia where they performed in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Estonia. The Georgia Boy Choir made its Carnegie Hall debut in May of 2013, and returned to England in 2014 where they served as the Choir-In-Residence at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. The summer of 2015 found them back in China where they received a hero’s welcome, and in 2016 they toured extensively throughout Spain and Portugal. In the summer of 2017, the Choir toured Scotland and Ireland, where they served as Choir-In-Residence at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin. In 2018, the Choir will travel to France and Belgium with performances at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris and the Normandy American Cemetery. In 2019, the Georgia Boy Choir will tour Italy where they been invited to perform in a mass with Pope Francis on the Feast of Pentecost in St. Peter's Basilica. 2 | ABOUT DAVID R. WHITE, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR AND CONDUCTOR David R. White been training boys and young men to sing for more than two decades. In 1994, he founded the Boy Choir of the Carolinas in Greenville, South Carolina. In 1998 he became the Music Director of Florida’s Singing Sons Boychoir in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. From 2001 to 2009, Mr. White was the Artistic Director and Conductor of the Atlanta Boy Choir in Atlanta, Georgia. He has also served as conductor of the Greenville Symphony Orchestra Chorus and Director of Music at the Second Presbyterian Church of Greenville. There, he founded an annual Summer Music Camp for children and adults. Under his direction, choirs have participated in numerous festivals throughout the world including the Prague International Choral Festival, the Pacific International Children’s Choir Festival, the Anchorage Choral Festival, the Cultural Olympiad in Greece, the Baltimore Boychoir Festival, the Southeast Festival of Song, and the Choral Olympics in Linz, Austria. His choirs have toured extensively throughout the United States, Germany, Austria, Italy, Greece, Russia, Ukraine, Czech Republic, England, China, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Estonia, Spain, Portugal, Scotland, and Ireland. He has been a conductor on the faculty at the Interlochen Center for the Arts in Interlochen, Michigan as well as the Csehy Summer School of Music in Philadelphia. In addition to conducting, Mr. White has been a featured soloist with numerous choral organizations and orchestras throughout the Southeast. He was a member of Robert Shaw’s Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus from 1987 – 1990. Mr. White holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Voice Performance from Georgia College and is active as a lecturer, adjudicator, and conductor for choral and vocal competitions, workshops, and festivals. | 3 PATRONS AND FRIENDS OF THE ARTS AT EBENEZER, INC. David R. White, Artistic Director and Conductor Rosemary B. White, Piano Thomas Russell, Organ P R O G R A M Psalm 150 George Talbot Hallelujah! Praise God in his holy temple; Praise him in the firmament of his power. Praise him for his mighty acts; Praise him for his excellent greatness. Praise him with the blast of the ram’s horn; Praise with lyre and harp. Praise him with timbrel and dance; Praise him with strings and pipe. Praise him with resounding cymbals; Praise him with loud clanging cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Hallelujah! Arise, O God, and Shine* John Darwell arr. Mack Wilberg * The Audience is invited to sing on the last verse Arise, O God, and shine In all thy saving might, And prosper each design To spread thy glorious light; Let healing streams of mercy flow, That all the earth thy truth may know. Bring distant nations near To sing thy glorious praise; Let ev'ry people hear And learn thy holy ways. Reign, mighty God, assert thy cause, And govern by thy righteous laws. Put forth thy glorious pow'r, That all the world may see, And earth present her store In converts born to thee. O Lord, our God, thy Church so bless, And fill the world with righteousness. To God, the only wise, The one immortal King, Let hallelujahs rise From ev'ry living thing; Let all that breathe, on ev'ry coast, Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. - William Hurn featuring First Presbyterian Church Children’s Choir and Youth Chorus, Columbia, SC Laura Nevitt and Dr. Daniel Cole, directors 4 | S A C R E D M U S I C O F E U R O P E Sicut Cervus Giovanni da Palestrina Sicut cervus desiderat ad fontes aquarum, Like as the hart desireth the water brooks, Ita desiderat anima mea ad te, Deus. So longeth my soul after Thee, O God. - Psalm 42:1 Os Justi Meditabitur Anton Bruckner Os just meditabitur sapientiam. The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, Et lingua ejus loquetur judicium. And his tongue talketh of judgement. Lex Dei ejus in corde ipsius: The law of his God is in his heart: Et non supplantabuntur gressus ejus. None of his steps shall slide. - Psalm 37: 30-31 Jubilate Deo Benjamin Britten O be joyful in the Lord, all ye lands : serve the Lord with gladness, And come before his presence with a song. Be ye sure that the Lord he is God; it is he that hath made us, And not we ourselves: We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. O go your way into his gates with thanksgiving, And into his courts with praise : Be thankful unto him, and speak good of his Name. For the Lord is gracious, his mercy is everlasting : And his truth endureth from generation to generation. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son: and to the Holy Ghost; As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be: world without end. Amen. - Psalm 100 The Deer’s Cry Arvo Pärt Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ in me, Christ when I arise, Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me, Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me, Christ with me. - St. Patrick | 5 Justorum Animae Charles Villiers Stanford Justorum animae in manu Dei sunt, The souls of the just are in the hand of God, Et non supplantabuntur gressus ejus. And the torment of malice shall not touch them. Visi sunt oculis insipientium mori, In the sight of the unwise they seemed to die, Ili autem sunt in pace. But they are in peace. - Song of Solomon 3: 1-3 Magnificat in C Bryan Kelly My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour, For he hath regarded the lowliness of his handmaiden. For behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For he that is mighty hath magnified me and holy is his name. And his mercy is on them that fear him throughout all generations. He hath shewed strength with his arm, He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He hath put down the mighty from their seat and hath exalted the humble and meek. He hath filled the hungry with good things and the rich he hath sent empty away. He remembering his mercy hath holpen his servant Israel As he promised to our forefathers, Abraham and his seed, forever. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. - Luke 1:46-55 A Grateful Heart Mary Plumstead Thou that hast given so much to me Give one thing more, a grateful heart.