MANHATTAN GIRLS CHORUS
ABOUT
"The Chorus, founded in 2011, made their Carnegie Hall debut in October, 2012 in the New York premiere of Noam Sheriff’s Mechaye Hametim with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Thomas Hampson and The Collegiate Chorale under the baton of Maestro Zubin Mehta. Additional performances include: the New York premiere of David Lang’s Battle Hymns performed on the Intrepid with Maestro James Bagwell conducting; Feuersnot by Richard Strauss at Carnegie Hall with the American Symphony Orchestra, Alfred Walker, Jacquelyn Wagner and Maestro Leon Botstein; Oceana by Osvaldo Golijov at Carnegie Hall with the American Symphony Orchestra, Biella Da Costa and Maestro James Bagwell; How Can We Keep from Singing, a joint concert with Young Women’s Chorus of San Francisco; New York City Center ENCORES! Off-Center, led by Artistic Director Jeanine Tesori; a TED conference performance at The Theater at Cedar Lake; Mefistofele by Arrigo Boito at Carnegie Hall with the American Symphony Orchestra, Eric Owens, The Collegiate Chorale and Maestro James Bagwell; Forever Free, with the DC Youth Orchestra under the direction of Luke Frazier at the ARC in Washington, DC with Barbara Harrison, narrator and at The Great Hall at The City College of New York with Denyce Graves, narrator; and the US Premiere of Magnificat, by Kim André Arnesen with orchestra and renowned soprano, Camille Zamora at The Unitarian Church of All Souls and The Church of St. Anthony of Padua. In early 2015, the Chorus performed a cantata by David Sisco commissioned for them entitled I AM at The DiMenna Center for Classical Music, where the girls’ words were combined with the words of strong women throughout history, resulting in a very powerful and personal message. Most recently, Manhattan Girls Chorus was the sole performance group, globally live-streamed at the sixth annual Women in the World Summit at Lincoln Center just prior to the speech by Hillary Clinton; and the Chorus recorded the World Premiere of Love’s Onward Journey by Kim André Arnesen.
Additionally, in support of our mission of empowering young women to find their voice, there have been numerous experiences designed to provide life skills and mentorship. Most recently, Dr. Malynn Utzinger, MD, who is double board certified in Family Medicine and in Integrative and Holistic Medicine, and a member of our Board of Advisors, met with the girls to discuss stress management and self-esteem; and Tami Petty, also a member of our Board of Advisors, hosted a panel in a Roundtable Discussion with Professional Women, focusing on the importance of higher education and selection of colleges."
MISSION STATMENT
"SINCE ITS FOUNDING, THE CHORUS HAS PURSUED A DUAL MISSION, FOCUSING ON MUSICAL EXCELLENCE AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF CONFIDENT YOUNG WOMEN. GIRLS BEGIN TO LOSE THEIR DREAMS VERY EARLY. IT IS NOT ENOUGH TO ENCOURAGE YOUNG WOMEN TO DREAM BIG. THEY MUST BE PROVIDED THE GUIDANCE, RESOURCES AND A COMMUNITY OF SUPPORT TO REALIZE THOSE DREAMS. IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF ALL OF US TO UNDERSTAND THEIR JOURNEY AND GIVE THEM THE SUPPORT THEY NEED TO DEVELOP THE CONFIDENCE AND SKILLS TO FIND THEIR OWN VOICE.
THE MANHATTAN GIRLS CHORUS IS A NURTURING COMMUNITY OF YOUNG WOMEN GRADES FIVE THROUGH TWELVE FROM ALL ETHNIC AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC BACKGROUNDS SEEKING AN EXTRAORDINARY MUSIC EDUCATION AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR PERFORMING EXCELLENCE. IT IS FREE FOR EVERY GIRL TO ENSURE THEY ALL FEEL EQUAL. IN ADDITION TO HELPING EACH SINGER REALIZE HER FULL MUSICAL POTENTIAL, WE ENCOURAGE MENTORING RELATIONSHIPS WITH WOMEN IN THE ARTS AND OTHER PROFESSIONS. SELF-ESTEEM, CONFIDENCE AND LEADERSHIP SKILLS ARE CULTIVATED THROUGH A COMMUNITY OF LOVE, RESPECT AND SUPPORT. OUR HOPE FOR EVERY YOUNG WOMAN IS FOR HER TO DEVELOP A LIFELONG PASSION FOR SINGING, SERVING OTHERS AND BRINGING HER INNER BEAUTY TO THE WORLD."