NEWS

The nonprofit has big plans for 2022

The Pensacola Children’s Chorus has been celebrating the beautiful voices of children (grades first through 12^th) throughout Northwest Florida since its inception in 1990. Over the years, the nonprofit has planned and executed numerous choral events, and it’s continuing on with a strong calendar of events in 2022. Artistic and Executive Director Alex Gartner recently shared with us all of the exciting events coming up and why this year will be a big one for the community-based youth arts education program.

Q: What’s the first big program on the calendar for Pensacola Children’s Chorus this year?

A:  Right now the big performance we’re working toward is One World, Many Voices. Scheduled for Saturday, March 5, it’s a choral concert that will celebrate the diversity we find not only in our own choral room but across the world. We have many languages that will be represented, a multitude of countries, and empowering messages—and of course, the message is amplified because it’s being sung by children. This is a wonderful annual event, and it’s one you don’t want to miss. It will be held at First Baptist Church Pensacola, and tickets are on sale now through our website.

Q: There’s no slowing down for the program as there’s another fun annual event coming up soon after, right?

A: Yes, after One World, Many Voices, we have our next big program, Showtime coming up in May (May 6-8). This is an event that typically involves dynamic music, staging, costumes, and lights. It will be a Broadway-style extravaganza, and it will feature music from a variety of genres: music from Broadway, music from movies, and a lot of popular music as well. Everyone will hear songs they love with Showtime. A special part of the event will be that we’ll be highlighting the music of the late Broadway composer Stephen Sondheim, who was tragically lost late last year.

Q: The plans for these two events speak so much about the amazing kids that participate with Pensacola Children’s Chorus and their talent.

A: We have 250 singers enrolled right now, and they are all incredible. In fact, our group has been invited to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York City. It’s a really big deal for our kids—they are the ones who earned it, and it’s a big honor for us to do that. It’s the first time the organization has performed there, and we’re extremely excited about that performance coming up in June.

Q: And the organization is working harder than ever to get these types of opportunities to more children throughout the community with its regional choir initiatives. Any updates on that?

A: We just launched the first of our regional choir initiatives, and we’re excited about it. We typically serve singers primarily in the coastal region of Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties, but our mission is to serve the entire communities. Now we’re starting a group that extends closer to the border to provide opportunities for children further inland in northwest Florida and even southern Alabama. We’re still working out the details and logistics, but plans are to bring our current groups up there and the new group to the coastal area for some collaborative performances. We’re really excited about getting these opportunities to some new communities.