Teen Voices of the City Ensemble
(T-VOCE)
Mission Statement
Teen Voices of the City Ensemble (T-VOCE) welcomes youth from the greater Philadelphia area to join in the experience of choral singing. Through rehearsals, workshops, and performances, members are given the tools to realize their potential as artists. It celebrates an inclusive community where individuals come together to create a shared expression.
Teen Voices of the City Ensemble, or T-VOCE (tee VO-chay), is a FREE, inclusive choir that welcomes youth from all backgrounds to share their talents and be themselves in a safe and supportive space. Open to anyone ages 13-19, we use choral music to build musicianship and vocal skills, but also as a means of self-expression, to explore issues important to our members, and build community. T-VOCE comes from the Italian word "voce," meaning "voice," because this choir empowers and celebrates the voices of Philadelphia youth.
We encourage you to join the choir to share your voice and make friends as well as great music. T-VOCE welcomes everyone and embraces all that you bring to T-VOCE. There are no auditions; all you need is a love of singing! It’s FREE to participate!
Rehearsals take place on Saturdays from 10 am-Noon, October through April at Friends Center, 1501 Cherry Street in Philadelphia. No special equipment is needed, just an internet connection or phone. Again, you don’t need to have any musical training or background to join T-VOCE, just a love of singing!
Free voice lessons are provided to Philadelphia-area students through ArtSmart, and monthly workshops are offered for teens to explore other forms of expression including poetry writing, spoken word, singer-songwriting, and more.
T-VOCE is a collaboration between AMLA, ArtSmart, Opera Philadelphia, and Singing City.
T-VOCE Director
Dr. Whitney Covalle, PhD,
is a singer, researcher, and choral music educator. Prior to her doctoral studies, Dr. Covalle was a choir director in public schools and community music organizations in urban settings for seventeen years. She served as choir director at Jones College Prep High School, a public high school in downtown Chicago which combines students from every neighborhood in the city. At Jones she grew a 40 singer choir into a 200 + voice multi-level program with a social justice mission to build a “choir family” among the diverse student body. She facilitated yearly participatory “friendship choir festivals” combining Jones Choirs with local and regional high school choirs for musical exchanges, culminating in a notable “Friendship Tour” to Detroit. Prior to her work at Jones, Dr. Covalle was the conductor of the Lincoln Park-DePaul chapter of Chicago Children’s Choir serving students age 8-18 where her choirs performed throughout the community and she co-conducted the Lyric Opera Children’s Chorus.
Dr. Covalle holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Michigan State University and a Master of Music Education degree with choral emphasis from Westminster Choir College, and a PhD in in Music Education from Temple University.
teenvoicesofthecityensemble@gmail.com
T-VOCE Accompanist
Julian Nguyen is an eclectic multi-genre pianist and vocalist. His formal training in classical and jazz piano—in combination with a wide range of experience in R&B, soul, pop, gospel, and musical theatre—has made him a versatile performer and skilled collaborator in the greater Philadelphia area. He frequently accompanies choral organizations and soloists across various age groups and styles and holds several accolades at the state and national levels. He is currently attending the Boyer College of Music and Dance at Temple University to attain his B.M. in music education with a concentration in jazz piano and an emphasis on choral music. There, he is an active member of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association (PMEA), and the National Association for Music Education (NAfME).
“T-VOCE feels like family to me. Everyone is unique and it is cool to see everyone’s individual traits blend together to create a really unique experience that you really can’t find anywhere and in any other choirs.”
- Ajanie H. (T-VOCE member)