[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 66 (Tuesday, May 24, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: May 24, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
 THE APOLLO THEATER SALUTES THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BOYS CHOIR OF 
                                 HARLEM

                                 ______


                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 24, 1994

  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the Boys Choir of 
Harlem, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary season.
  The Boys Choir is one of Harlem's--indeed the Nation's--most 
cherished institutions. Under the inspired tutelage of Dr. Walter 
Turnbull, the choir's young voices--drawn from an area aptly called the 
Capital of Black America--have performed as ambassadors of America's 
cultural diversity and richness before monarchs and heads of state 
around the world.
  I am especially proud that in marking this 25-year milestone the Boys 
Choir will perform its first full-length concert at the Apollo Theater. 
The Apollo, whose parent foundation I am honored to chair, as Harlem's 
landmark entertainment center is the appropriate setting to celebrate 
the success of some of the community's finest young men.
  And to make way for others, Dr. Turnbull's Choir Academy, a unique 
satellite of the New York City public school system, prepares talented 
students from grades 4 through 10 in standard academics as well as 
music. Only a few of the 300 enrolled will make the choir, but 98 
percent of them will go on to college.
  I salute the Boys Choir of Harlem who do far more than entertain us. 
Their magnificent voices sing praises to the potential of young black 
men, in Harlem and across America.
  Mr. Speaker, I present for the benefit of my colleagues, and in honor 
of the Boys Choir of Harlem, the following article, written by David 
Hinckley for the New York Daily News, on May 11, 1994.

       Two of the brightest lights in uptown Manhattan come 
     together this weekend when the Boys Choir of Harlem does its 
     first-ever full-length concerts at the Apollo Theater Friday 
     and Saturday nights.
       ``We performed there before with the Philharmonic,'' says 
     Dr. Walter Turnbull, director of the Boys Choir and the 
     ChoirAcademy, where the singers attend school. ``But this 
     will be the first time we will be doing the full range of our 
     program there, from classical and jazz to popular.''
       The Boys Choir is also marking its 25th-anniversary season 
     with these concerts, and during that quarter-century, it has 
     established a reputation around the world, performing 
     anywhere from 75 to 100 shows each year.
       The choir has its first record coming out in the fall, on 
     Atlantic's East-West label, and Turnbull says he hopes that 
     will lead to other recordings, including a classical disc. A 
     Christmas single is also scheduled for release this year.
       The biggest news about the Boys Choir, however, is really 
     about the ChoirAcademy, which used to have grades 4-8 and now 
     has added ninth and 10th grades, with 11th and 12th coming in 
     the next two years.
       This will mean the ChoirAcademy, on W. 127th St., can keep 
     students from fourth grade through high school, with total 
     enrollment more than doubling to 600.
       The only problem, says Turnbull, is this still only begins 
     to fill the need.
       ``We audition more than 2,000 prospective students each 
     year,'' he says. ``There is a tremendous interest in the 
     community for a program like ours, from both students and 
     parents.''
       The numbers explain why. Some 98 percent of ChoirAcademy 
     students go on to college, and not only to become 
     professional musicians.
       ``Our graduates become doctors, lawyers, educators,'' says 
     Turnbull. ``What we give them is the foundation. We're not a 
     factory. We provide individual attention. Our program 
     requires discipline, and we find that the overwhelming 
     majority of our students accept this. Many are looking for 
     it.''
       As a satellite school of city District 5, the ChoirAcademy 
     places an emphasis on music, even looking for talented 
     musicians in other schools. All students are required to take 
     piano, and places in both the boys and girls choirs are 
     coveted.
       Far from the curriculum frill it is considered in many 
     schools, music is viewed at the ChoirAcademy as a rock on 
     which to build academic and personal success.
       ``If you can show students they are good at something, this 
     gives them confidence in all areas of their lives,'' says 
     Turnbull. ``It shows them they can do it.''
       It also helps keep them focused on achievement, in a world 
     where distractions are everywhere.
       ``You see the stereotypes of young people,'' says Turnbull, 
     and yes, he agrees, it can be frustrating when the media 
     focus on the bad guys. ``But the majority of the community is 
     not that way. We need to support and recognize the ones who 
     are doing something positive, who are accomplishing a goal.''

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