The Amarillo Youth Choirs

Amarillo Youth Choirs, Inc. is celebrating its twenty-first season. Under the direction of Artistic Director, Jerry Perales, the “Concert Choirs” have been internationally recognized, and continue to earn performance trophies and recognition every year. The Amarillo Youth Choirs program includes the Amarillo Boy Concert Choir, the Amarillo Boy Preparatory Choir, the Amarillo Girl Concert Choir and the Amarillo Girl Preparatory Choir. The Amarillo Youth Choirs, Inc. is dedicated to the purpose of teaching boys and girls the joys of vocal music in a friendly, disciplined, and encouraging environment.

Membership in our four choirs currently stands at 228. Both boys and girls may audition for the Boy Preparatory Choir and Girl Preparatory Choir as early as the third grade. These choirs focus primarily on the fundamentals of voice and performance. Older boys with unchanged voices and older girls up to the 8th grade may be accepted in one of the Concert Choirs at the director’s discretion. Each Concert Choir provides an excellent opportunity for our young men and ladies to learn what is expected from them as choir members and to sample the enthusiastic acceptance shown to the choirs by many audiences. Each choir normally rehearses only once a week during the school year; however, the performance level is extremely high.

Three season concerts are given by all choirs in Amarillo as well as various concerts throughout the area including 16 in-school concerts. Every January, AYC sponsors an annual vocal camp available to all boys and girls, 2nd - 6th grades. Classes offered during this camp include “See It, Sing It, Live It!” (sight-singing), “Movin’ & Groovin’,” “Performance Perfection,” “Ensemble Extravaganza,” and individual mini voice lessons. In August, AYC offers an annual one-week music theory camp where boys and girls, 3rd - 8th grades can expand their musical theory knowledge.

During its history, the Amarillo Boy Choir has performed with the Vienna Boy Choir, the American Boychoir, the Texas Boys Choir, the Wiltener Boy Choir, the Southend-on-Sea Boys Choir, the Tuscon Arizona Boy Chorus, the Albuquerque Boy Choir, the Amarillo Symphony Orchestra, Amarillo Opera, Amarillo Little Theatre, Chamber Music Amarillo, and the West Texas A&M University Orchestra. The Boy Choir also has been honored to perform for the Southwest American Choral Directors Association Convention in March 2004, the Texas Music Educators Association’s annual convention in San Antonio in February 1995, twice for the American Choral Directors Association Leadership Conference in August 1999 and 2001 and for the American Choral Directors Association National Convention in Miami, Florida in March 2007.

The Amarillo Boy Choir’s performance level has been such that the Concert Choir has been awarded the distinction of “Outstanding Choir” for fourteen years at the Greater Southwest Music Festival. Other awards for the Amarillo Boy Choir include Grand Champion Choir in the Winter Park Ski-Music Festival in 2010, Grand Champion Choir in the Spring in the Park Music Festival in 2008, Best in Class all male choir in the Winter Park Ski-Music Festival in 2002, the Men’s Chorus Grand Championship Award from the San Antonio American Classics Bluebonnet Festival in 1998, as well as the Men’s Chorus Grand Championship Award from the 13-week national Orlando Musicfest competition in 1997. Other past performances include the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City, United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, the state capitol of Oklahoma, and a Netherlands television documentary.

In March 2009, the Amarillo Boy Choir traveled to Rome, Italy to perform in the Saint John in Lateran Cathedral and at St. Peter's Basilica.  This one-week tour also took the boys to the medieval village of Orvieto to perform in the Cathedral there and to the ruins of Pompeii.  In March 2005, the Amarillo Boy Choir traveled to England to perform in the prestigious Canterbury Cathedral.  During the tour, the Amarillo Boy Choir sang in a joint concert with the Southend Boys Choir where the Deputy Mayor of Southend -on-Sea presented the Amarillo Boy Choir with a plaque of appreciation.  In addition, Artistic Director Jerry Perales and the Amarillo Boy Choir presented a workshop for the Westcliff School for Boys in Southend-on-Sea.  The Choir finished the tour with a performance in the Church of St. Anne's and St. Agnes in Center City London.  In the spring of 2001, the Amarillo Boy Choir traveled to Germany and Austria performing for and with the world-renown Vienna Boy Choir.  The Amarillo Boy Choir was the first American boy choir to accept an invitation to perform at the Vienna Boy Choir school as well as tour its facilities.

The Amarillo Girl Concert Choir is in its ninth year of existence.  This past March, the Amarillo Girl Choir ventured for the second time internationally.  This time they traveled to Madrid, Spain to perform in the national Almudena Cathedral.  The one-week also took the girls to the medieval villages of Avila, Segovia, and Toledo to perform in the exquisite Cathedrals there.  In March 2006, the Amarillo Girl Concert Choir traveled to Austria to perform in Salzburg’s Dom Cathedral. The tour to Austria and Germany also featured performances at the St. Georg Pfarrkirche in Bergheim, Austria, the Mondsee Cathedral, the former Dachau Concentration Camp, the St. Moritz Church in Augsburg, Germany, and Neuschwanstein Castle. The Amarillo Girl Concert Choir has toured New York City, Williamsburg, VA, Washington, DC, and in Southern California performing at the internationally known Crystal Cathedral. In addition, the Amarillo Girl Concert Choir competed in the Winter Park Ski-Music Festival in 2005 where they received  the Best in Class trophy. In May 2003, the Amarillo Girl Concert Choir competed in the Alamo Music Festival in San Antonio earning a superior rating and bringing home the overall Outstanding in Class trophy. The Amarillo Girl Concert Choir also has received “Outstanding” ratings at the Greater Southwest Music Festival for seven years. In February 2008, the Amarillo Girl Concert Choir was invited to perform for the Texas Music Educators Association annual convention.

Members of “Spotlight”, a small group of our young men that features choreography and lighter music, and “Pizzazz”, a select group of our ladies that also features choreography and lighter music, rehearse extra hours to provide entertainment often requested for community functions and other special events.