The members of the Phoenix Boys Choir have taken the stage around the world for some notable performances over the past 75 years, including singing for presidents, the U.S Supreme Court and the U.S. Senate. But the choir is more than a place for kids to learn about music. It’s about helping kids grow and develop as people.
Originally called the Moore’s Boys Chorus — having been named after the choir’s sponsor the funeral home A.L. Moore & Sons — the choir began in 1947, according to a paper by Richard Shaffer. During the choir’s first years, under the direction of a vocalist for the funeral home, Hervey “Jim” Mastin, about 25 children would rehearse in the mortuary’s chapel, according to Shaffer’s paper.
In the following decades, the choir moved out of the funeral home, got a new sponsor — the Orpheus Male Chorus — and changed its name. By the time the Phoenix Boys Choir became 501(c)(3) organization in 1971, it had grown in both size and recognition. Its artistic director, Dr. Harvey Smith, had been at the helm for over a decade by then — and he’d stay there for another 30 years.
“He was demanding but kind, and [he] just clearly had a vision for the potential [of the choir] and knew how to make that vision become a reality,” says Mitra Khazai, the executive director of the choir. “You can't not acknowledge Dr. Smith's work and vision for why we are where we are today,” she adds.
Today, under the leadership of artistic director and alumnus Herbert Washington, the Phoenix Boys Choir has focused on reaching the community on and off the stage. With a sudden shift to online rehearsals and choristers performing in their rooms, the COVID-19 pandemic brought a new set of challenges for the choir’s 2020-21 season.
The season’s performances didn’t just look different — they sounded different, too. “It was very much a response to a lot of the social justice issues that were happening across the country,” Khazai says. “Social justice has not always been an area that we've done, I think, as much good work as we should be [doing], since we are a youth development organization.”
In honor of the choir’s 75th anniversary, the 2022-23 season’s repertoire will feature the top three works from the organization’s inaugural choral composition competition, New Works Rising.
While the choir has been making changes to its repertoire, it has also focused on reaching kids from different backgrounds. “To ensure that the choir is a better reflection of our community,” Khazai says, it’s important that “families know up front that we have a very generous financial aid program for those choristers who qualify. One of our basic values is that no boy should be turned away due to an inability to pay.”
For more information about the Phoenix Boys Choir, including upcoming 75th anniversary performances, visit boyschoir.org.