The Singing City Children's Choir

The Boards of Singing City and West Philadelphia Children’s Choir have agreed to merge.
After intense discussions and planning for almost half a year, a final agreement to merge was endorsed unanimously and enthusiastically by both boards in June 2010. Singing City and the West Philadelphia Children’s Choir have a strong mission, shared vision, and values.

What does this mean?

  • West Philadelphia Children’s Choir will become an integral part of Singing City with a new name: Singing City’s Children’s Choir
  • More children throughout the city can participate in the future
  • Increased opportunities for programming and performances for the Children’s Choir
  • Joint concerts, visits to retirement homes, performances with other non-profits (i.e. Mural Arts openings), and new exciting singing venues
  • Members of Singing City Choir can choose to mentor Children’s Choir singers,
    sharing music and support with both children and families
  • Enlarged Children’s Choir divides into age groups in the future

The merger was accomplished through a generous grant to Singing City from the
Pew Center for Arts and Heritage through the Philadelphia Cultural Management Initiative.

Background

The West Philadelphia Children’s Choir, now the Singing City Children's Choir, was established in 2003 as an outreach program of the Fine Arts Program at Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church. It is a choral music education organization, shaping the future by making a difference in the lives of children through musical excellence. It is open to children in grades 3-7 designed to provide a rich and rewarding musical experience for each child. The children study and perform a variety of music from simple unison folk songs to contemporary musical literature. The music chosen is commonly from many religious and secular traditions and performed in many settings.

Music from all styles and periods form the foundation for musical learning and serve as the basis for the curriculum. Concepts about music (melody, rhythm, harmony, timbre, dynamics, form, style and performance practice) and musical skills (singing, theory, sight reading, etc.) are taught throughout the rehearsals through singing, listening and analysis. Singing skill and musical understanding are essential components of the creative process and a fundamental resource basic to music education.

At the present time, students in two West Philadephia schools are eligible to participate: James Rhoads Elementary School and the Lewis C. Cassidy School.

Singing City Associate Music Director

Steve Fisher
Singing City Children's Choir Director Steve Fisher is co-founder and associate artistic director of the Commonwealth Youth Choirs, a non-profit organization that administers the Keystone State Boychoir and the Keystone State Girlchoir. He also serves as the associate music director and the managing director of the Keystone State Boychoir. From 1994 until 2001, Fisher served as the assistant director of the Philadelphia Boys Choir. He is well-acquainted with Singing City, having served as Workshop Director for Singing City in the Schools from 2004-2008.

Mr. Fisher has undergraduate degrees in music education and history, as well as a Masters in Music from Temple's Esther Boyer College of Music. He has studied conducting with Alan Harler, composition with Richard Broadhead, arranging with Alice Parker, and piano with Alexander Fiorello. In 1998, Temple University awarded him the prestigious Presser Foundation Award, which recognizes a graduate student who has the potential to make an outstanding contribution in the music world.

Fisher is a composer of musical theater. His work, Mandela, has been presented at the Tony award-winning Crossroads Theater, at the John Houseman Theater in New York City, and at the Windybrow Theatre in Johannesburg. His musical Isabelle and the Pretty-Ugly Spell has been presented at the ASCAP Musical Theater Workshop (under the direction of Stephen Schwartz), at the York Theatre, at the Actors Playhouse in Coral Gables, Florida, and at the New York Musical Theatre Festival, where it received a rave review from The New York Times.