Past Reviews

Regional Reviews: Florida - Southern

Wintersongs
The Florida's Singing Sons Boychoir

Also see John's coverage of The Colony Hotel Cabaret Series

Now celebrating their 35th year, Florida's Singing Sons Boychoir was formed in 1975 with the vision of providing a "well-trained" boychoir for the community. Beginning with only 85 members, the choir has since grown to include over 200 boys ages nine through fourteen from the South Florida area who enjoy the musical opportunity of being a Singing Son. Each autumn, over 3,000 third and fourth-grade boys from area public and private elementary schools are auditioned for membership in the entry-level Training Choir. Up to 125 boys are accepted yearly as new members. Each choir boy spends the first year of musical and vocal study in the Training Choir before being tested and advanced to the Residence Choir. After further study and broadened performance experiences, boys are again tested and advanced. Most boys moving to the prestigious Concert Choir are afforded the greatest diversity of performance opportunities and musical experiences. The Second Generation Singers, comprised of mostly high school Boychoir Alumni, continue the tradition of great choral singing with their newly changed voices.

The mission of Florida's Singing Sons Boychoir is to foster the musical knowledge, education and vocal training of its members through performances and community events, and to provide the community with a source of pride in the talent and professional achievement of its youth. Support of Florida's Singing Sons Boychoir comes through public, private, corporate and foundation funding, as well as ticket revenue and a small tuition fee. The choir includes participation in international choral competitions to their long list of achievements.

Led by the company's Artistic Director, Craig Denison, the recent Wintersongs concert featured the talents of Residence Choir Director Tina Gill, Training Choir Directors Carol Ann Casey and Jeanette Shorey, and accompanists Daniel Copher and Matthew Steynor. On Friday, December 3rd the boys welcomed families, including those with small children, to a program especially intended for audiences new to live performance. Those who prefer a more traditional concert experience found it uniquely designed for them at the December 4th performance. Both concerts had a candlelight procession followed by a diverse program including sacred and contemporary music, with Christmas songs and carols by composers such as Sametz, Hassler, Willcocks and Langlais.

On December 3rd the Concert Choir sang the first two songs, "Introit for Advent" (Philip Ledger) and "Sicut Cervus" (Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina), with haunting beauty. The first half of the program ended with an arrangement of "O Come All Ye Faithful" which welcomed the audience in singing along.

The second half of the program began with an endearing version of "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" (Dr. Seuss / Albert Hague) by the Residence Choir. "The Twelve Days of Christmas" engaged the audience in an enjoyable competition. The evening closed with an uplifting "Hope for Resolution" (Paul Caldwell / Sean Ivory) perfect for the season of peace at hand. It is not surprising that the hard work and talent of the members and directors of the Florida's Singing Sons Boychoir has made them one of the top boy choirs in the country.

This performance of Wintersongs by the Florida's Singing Sons Boychoir was held on December 3rd and 4th, 2010, at The Sanctuary, Second Presbyterian Church. The church campus is located at 1400 N. Federal Highway, Fort Lauderdale, FL. For ticket to performances and other information on the Florida's Singing Sons Boychoir you may contact them at 954-563-2697, or online at www.singingsons.org.


See the current theatre season schedule for southern Florida.

-- John Lariviere