The Keystone State Boychoir (KSB) will embark on a concert tour of England and India on December 25th, 2013. Sixty young men will perform concerts throughout the cities of London, New Delhi, Agra and Neemrana. The boys will delight audiences with enthralling performances while walking in the footsteps of one of mankind’s great heros – Mahatma Gandhi.
Founded in 2001, the KSB has enjoyed unprecedented success for an organization so young, and is recognized today as one of the very finest community-based boychoir programs in the world.
The Keystone State Boychoir consists of more than 170 boys between the ages of eight and eighteen who sing an enthralling repertoire from the classical to the contemporary. Major choral works that KSB has performed include Bach’s St. Matthew’s Passion, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Handel’s Messiah, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Britten’s Ceremony of Carols, Rejoice in the Lamb, and St. Nicolas Cantata, the Fauré Requiem, and John Rutter’s Mass of the Children. The Boychoir has sung with the region’s most distinguished ensembles, including the Philadelphia Orchestra and Opera Philadelphia, for which it serves as its official boychoir.
Internationally, the Keystone State Boychoir has performed in major concert halls, including the Manaus Opera House in Brazil, the Petronas Philharmonik Hall in Malaysia, and the Hanoi Opera House in Vietnam, as well as in venues throughout Canada, Brazil, Chile, South Africa, Japan, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Australia, Monaco, France, Germany, Austria, Bulgaria and Norway.
In 2009, KSB made history as the first choir to travel to, and perform in, Antarctica. In doing so the Boychoir became the first choir to have sung on all seven continents. It made history again in 2012 when it travelled above the Arctic Circle to Svalbard, Norway – the most northern settlement in the world. There the Boychoir sang in the northernmost church and theatre on the globe. While in Norway, KSB had the profound honor of singing at the Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony in Oslo honoring Aung San Su Kyi.
The KSB experience is one of truly joyful music-making. The vibrant sound of the Boychoir is enhanced by its compelling stage presence. The Music Directors believe that today’s choral music should be felt and seen, as well as heard, if the art form is to thrive. They have found that when the unique energy of boys is channeled into choral singing of the highest standard, the result is unforgettable performances for audiences and singers alike.
This particular concert tour will feature the Graduates of the Keystone State Boychoir. Affectionately known as “the Grads,” this ensemble is comprised of talented high school singers who make up the tenor and bass sections of KSB. Some of the Boychoir’s Alumni will also join the Grads on this concert tour. The Graduates stellar singer-musicianship, breathtaking diversity in repertoire, and dazzling polish have earned them a stellar reputation nationally and internationally.
