Singing City
Singing City was founded as an integrated choir in 1948 in
Philadelphia by Dr. Elaine Brown. The Choir was born out of the
Fellowship House movement, which believed that differences between
races, religions, and cultures could be bridged by ordinary people
coming together in shared activities. In addition to performances in and
around Philadelphia, the Choir traveled to the South during the 1950s
and '60s struggle for civil rights, performing before integrated
audiences.
As a result of critical acclaim through performances with The
Philadelphia Orchestra, the Choir was invited to perform in Israel with
Zubin Mehta and the Israel Philharmonic and also in Jordan and Egypt
while on tour in the 1970s and 80s. Singing City was the first western
choir to perform with the Leningrad Philharmonic in Leningrad in 1990.
In May 2000, Singing City was the lead choir at the First International
Choral Festival de Cuba. The choir toured Northern Ireland and the
Republic of Ireland in the summer of 2004. In 2008, the choir embarked
on a 10-day tour of Brazil.
Singing City, comprised of approximately 115 voices under the guidance
and direction of Music Director Jeffrey
Brillhart, continues to bring choral music to the underserved,
performing not only in concert halls, but also in homeless shelters and
nursing homes in and around Philadelphia. Singing City's nationally
recognized schools residency program, Singing City in the Schools, has
brought music rudiments, choral singing, and composition techniques to
children in the Philadelphia public schools and to some private schools
in the area. Singing City in the Schools was taken to a new level with
the launching of the Singing City Prize for Young Composers in the
spring of 2004. This is a composition competition for area high school
and college students. The winners will benefit from a monetary prize, a
performance of their work by Singing City, and a year under the tutelage
of a professional composer.
Under the banner of Performance, Community and Education, Singing City
strives to be an artistic, social and spiritual force, bringing people
together through choral music.
More information regarding the outreach of “Singing City” can be
found at www.singingcity.org.
Last revised
February 14, 2010