AMP’s Top Ten Moments of 2023

Young musicians from AMP's South Bend Center After-School Band program perform their holiday concert at the AMP Center for Performance & Education.

As the year comes to a close, we are reflecting on the significant milestones we have achieve in 2023 – all with your continued support!

In 2023, we pushed our musicians outside their comfort zones, both inside the performance hall and beyond. We presented new opportunities for them to embrace new repertoire, perform on bigger stages, and seize college and career-building opportunities – unsure of how they would take it all on.

But our musicians rose to each new challenge, with grit, determination, and tenacity. 

We are so proud of all that they, and our faculty, have accomplished this year. Keep scrolling as we share the highlights of our most memorable moments from the year!

HONORABLE MENTION
Performance at Correll Pavilion Ribbon-Cutting

The AMP Senior Youth Choir performed for dignitaries and donors at the ribbon cutting for Grady Hospital’s new Correll Pavillion. Watch the Fox 5 new segment.

HONORABLE MENTION
AMP Summer Series Elementary Concert

For the first time we added elementary school students to the AMP Summer Series. Opening their final concert with African Drum & Dance (led by Manga African Dance), our elementary band, orchestra and choir ensembles performed a most memorable show.

#10 AMP Senior Choir at Spelman Choral Festival

The AMP Senior Youth Choir & conductor B.E. Boykin were invited to perform at the 2023 Spelman College Choral Festival. They got to share the stage with the Spelman College Glee Club and the Ndlovu Youth Choir, a South African youth choir that appeared on America’s Got Talent.

#9 The AMP Class of 2023 

The AMP Senior Send-Off for the Class of 2023! Shout out to our guest speaker Alexis Roe, Vice-President of DEI Impact & Strategic Initiatives with the Atlanta Hawks. This was a big moment in the lives of these now AMP alumni, some of whom were AMP students for a decade! The class of 2023 received acceptances and scholarships to attend prestigious institutions such as Morehouse College, Boston University, and Tuskegee University.

#8 AMP Merch Store 

In 2023 the AMP Merch Store went live! Our community had been patiently waiting for AMP gear for years, and now it’s finally possible to sport the AMP brand all while supporting our tuition-free programs. Thank you to our student models: Faith, London, Kree, and Jonah. Get your AMP gear here!

#7 AMP Music School College Fair

We held our first Annual Music School College Fair, where we invited dozens of post-secondary music institutions from around the country to the AMP Center to meet our students and share about their programs and scholarships. We had top music conservatories, as well as top college and HBCU music programs in attendance.

#6 National Anthem at State of the City Breakfast

At the invitation of Mayor Andre Dickens, the AMP Senior Youth Orchestra and Choir led by conductor B.E. Boykin, performed a rousing rendition of the Star Spangled Banner at the Annual State of the City Breakfast. Watch the performance here.

#5 The AMP Experience

The goal of The AMP Experience was to bring together the entire AMP community to collectively share the breadth of our work. Held at Pullman Yards, the AMP Experience featured all of AMP’s students, culminating in a special performance by all 350 current students of Oscar Peterson’s Hymn To Freedom, conducted by Logan Souther. This was AMP’s largest ever concert with 700 tickets sold. There were food trucks, AMP merchandise, and a red carpet. All in all, a true AMP Experience!

#4 AMP on Monica Pearson One on One

For the second year in the row, Monica Pearson One on One’s Holiday Special featured the Atlanta Music Project. The taping took place at the AMP Center where the AMP Senior Youth Orchestra and Choir recorded under the direction of Pablo Zamora and Keeyen Martin. Ms. Pearson also interviewed four current AMP students. The special aired on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Watch the episode.

#3 AMP on NPR’s From The Top

Getting featured on NPR’s From The Top, a national radio show featuring talented young classical musicians, was a monumental milestone in the organization’s history. The episode was even filmed at the AMP Center and featured performances by AMP cellist Sage Mae Lima-Jeffries accompanied by host and pianist Peter Dougan, and the AMP Senior Youth Choir under the direction of B.E. Boykin. Watch and listen to the episode.

#2 AMP Receives Transformational Gifts

AMP announced the receipt of two transformational gifts totaling $4.6 million, one from the Chestnut Family Foundation and another from an anonymous donor. These extraordinary donations will forever change the trajectory and impact of AMP. More details to come in the new year! Read the AJC article.

#1 Sterling Elliott’s AMP Residency

Cellist Sterling Elliott’s residency at AMP culminated with his phenomenal performance of the Cello Concerto in A Minor by French composer Camille Saint-Saens alongside the AMP Summer Series Festival Orchestra under the baton of John Concklin. Mr. Elliott received a rousing ovation from the standing-room-only crowd of over 500, the most tickets sold for an AMP concert (until the AMP Experience happened!). He even performed an encore! A monumental inspiration for our students, Mr. Elliiott was gracious with his time, leading a masterclasses with AMP cellists, giving a fireside chat for the community, and hosting a mentoring session with AMP students. Read all about Sterling Elliott’s residency.