(Atlanta, GA) (July 14, 2024) — The Atlanta Music Project (AMP) Senior Youth Choir has been crowned a “Category Winner of the World Choir Games – The Open Competition” at the 2024 World Choir Games in Auckland, New Zealand. The award was announced on July 13, 2024 in Auckland.

For its competition performance, the AMP Senior Youth Choir was also awarded the “Golden Diploma Level VI” with an overall score of 26.39 – out of a possible 30 – the highest in its competition category. In addition, its score of 26.39 was the second highest awarded on the night, of all the choirs in The Open Competition. The AMP Senior Youth Choir was led by Atlanta-based composer and conductor B.E. Boykin.

Photo courtesy of Chontalle Musson.

The AMP Senior Youth Choir competed in and won the O4 Youth Choirs category, which is open to mixed and equal voices choirs with singers between the ages of 12 and 25. The winning AMP Senior Youth Choir consisted of 38 singers, with the oldest member aged 20 years old, and the youngest aged 14 years old.
There were seven choirs in the O4 Youth Choirs category. Including the AMP Senior Youth Choir, there were two choirs from the Philippines, two from Australia, two from New Zealand, and one from Canada. The five jurors for the category hailed from Australia, New Zealand, the People’s Republic of China, Japan, and Italy, respectively.

“My heartfelt congratulations to our conductor B.E. Boykin and the Atlanta Music Project Senior Youth Choir,” stated Aisha Moody, Co-Founder & Chief Program Officer of AMP. She added “This extraordinary, international recognition signals a new era for the Atlanta Music Project. Our young singers have set a new bar for musical excellence for themselves and for future generations of AMP students. Traveling, touring and winning international competitions is now the expectation at AMP, rather than the exception. Our outstanding AMP choral faculty also deserve our recognition and gratitude for their pedagogical skill and unwavering belief in our children’s abilities to be young musicians of the highest caliber.”

“This is a historic achievement for the Atlanta Music Project,” said Dantes Rameau, Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer of AMP. He continued, “Thanks to our generous donors and supporters, AMP’s young singers have been offered the opportunity to access musical opportunities of the highest renown, such as the World Choir Games. And through their own determination, their commitment to excellence, and their world-class artistry, they have stepped onto the international stage, for the first time, and earned the top prize. I could not be more proud of this group of outstanding young Atlantans.”

Photo courtesy of Chontalle Musson.

After successfully submitting an application and audition tape, this was AMP’s first appearance at the World Choir Games which started in 2000 and is the largest international choral festival and competition in the world. The 2024 edition is being held in Auckland, New Zealand from July 10, 2024 to July 20, 2024. There are 250 choirs and 11,000 participants from 42 countries and regions.

The AMP Senior Youth Choir’s competition repertoire consisted of four pieces: Dies Irae from “Requiem” by Michael John Trotta, Mata del Anima Sola by Antonio Estévez, Quiet Place by Ralph Carmichael and arranged by Jerry Rubino, and Elijah Rock, a Traditional Spiritual arranged by Moses Hogan.
In addition to the competition performance, AMP performed in two Friendship Concerts in Auckland, where they performed alongside youth choirs from Chinese Taipei, China, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia, in free, public concerts.

AMP’s participation in the World Choir Games is made possible with funding from AMP’s Travel & Tour Endowment, established in 2023 through an anonymous donor and the Chestnut Family Foundation.

The AMP Senior Youth Choir returns to Atlanta on July 15, 2024.

About the Atlanta Music Project Senior Youth Choir

The Atlanta Music Project Senior Youth Choir is the top-performing choir of the Atlanta Music Project (AMP), a non-profit organization providing world-class music training and performance opportunities supporting youth growth and development.

The Atlanta Music Project Senior Youth Choir is a select, mixed-voice ensemble of some of the finest high school-aged singers in metro Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Under the direction of conductor B.E. Boykin, this advanced vocal ensemble performs standard choral literature and songs representing the culture of their communities. The choir has performed at renowned venues across Atlanta, including the Cobb Energy Centre for the Performing Arts, Georgia World Congress Center, and Spivey Hall. In 2016, the choir was the first choral ensemble invited to perform at Mercedes-Benz Stadium: home of the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United FC.

The AMP Senior Youth Choir was awarded the Choral Sweepstakes and Grand Champion Trophies at the 2022 Southern Star Music Festival. Additional recognitions include invitations to perform at the 2022 Georgia-American Choral Directors Association Fall Conference, the Mayor of Atlanta’s 2023 State of the City Address, and the 2023 Spelman College US-South Africa Voices “Of Change” Concert. Most recently, the AMP Senior Youth Choir was featured on National Public Radio’s From the Top, America’s largest national platform celebrating young classically-trained musicians. The choir regularly collaborates with renowned artists and has performed alongside Grammy-winning performers such as operatic baritone Edward Parks, R&B singer Monica, and gospel rapper Lecrae. In July 2024, the AMP Senior Youth Choir will embark on its first international trip as an ensemble to compete in the 2024 World Choir Games in Auckland, New Zealand.

About the Atlanta Music Project

Founded in 2010, the Atlanta Music Project (AMP) provides world-class music training and performance opportunities supporting youth growth and development. Operating in under-resourced communities, AMP’s mission is to empower youth to realize their possibilities through music. AMP serves 700 young musicians annually through: beginner-level choir, band and orchestra through the AMP Preparatory School; the intermediate and advanced AMP Youth Orchestras & Choirs; private instrumental and vocal lessons through the AMP Academy; and the annual month-long AMP Summer Series. Additionally, AMP runs a college and career program, supporting AMP high school students and AMP alumni. Since 2021, AMP has awarded 70 college scholarships to its alumni, totaling $306,375.

AMP music ensembles perform more than 60 concerts annually, performing in venues all across Atlanta, from community centers to the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. AMP music ensembles have performed alongside international stars such as cellist Sterling Elliott, rapper Lecrae, operatic baritone Edward Parks, R&B singer Monica, The Piano Guys, the Harlem Quartet, electric violinist Lindsey Stirling, pianist Terrence Wilson, and the Imani Winds. AMP musicians can be seen performing with rapper T.I. on NPR’s Tiny Desk concert series. AMP’s young musicians have successfully auditioned for Georgia All-State ensembles, performed with the Atlanta Opera and the Atlanta Ballet, and have concertized as far away as Los Angeles, Aspen, Mexico, and Canada.

AMP is the recipient of several prestigious awards: 2015 Local Community Service Award (Spelman College), 2016 Neighborhood Builder (Bank of America), 2016 & 2017 Top 50 Youth Arts Program (USA President’s Committee on the Arts & Humanities), 2018 MLK Jr. Community Service Award (Emory University), 2019 Luminary Award for Arts Education (ArtsATL), and 2021 Infusion Award (Lewis Prize for Music).

AMP’s existence is a direct result of the 2009 TED Prize, which was awarded to Dr. Jose Antonio Abreu, founder of Venezuela’s El Sistema. AMP’s co-founders were members of the Sistema Fellows Program at the New England Conservatory in Boston. AMP is a member of “El Sistema USA,” the National Alliance of El Sistema Inspired Programs.

AMP’s current and past funders include Carnegie Hall, PwC, Georgia Power, Bank of America, the Chick-fil-A Foundation, the Coca-Cola Foundation, Mailchimp, The Zeist Foundation, the Abraham J. & Phyllis Katz Foundation, the Harland Charitable Foundation, the Arthur M. Blank Foundation, Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs, Fulton County Arts Council, Georgia Council for the Arts, Georgia Music Foundation and the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta.
In 2024, AMP became the recipient of five Steinway pianos and was awarded the prestigious honor of being a Steinway Select School, making AMP one of eight schools in the country with this distinction.
AMP’s partners and collaborators include the City of Atlanta Department of Parks and Recreation, Atlanta Public Schools, Clayton State University, and the Chestnut Family Foundation.
AMP is a member of “El Sistema USA,” the National Alliance of El Sistema Inspired Programs.

For more information visit http://www.atlantamusicproject.org