March 16, 1988, Portland Observer, Page 9
Boys Choir of Harlem: Black Male Magic
» daily game
by Nyewusi Askari
Get ready Portland. There is
S9me“ forreal" black magic com
ing your way at 7 p.m., Sunday,
March 20 in the auditorium of
Benson High School, 546 N.E.
12 th Avenue.
^From B a ch’s St. Tho m as’
Church to Harlem’s Apollo Thea
ter by way of a southern planta
tion, the magic w ill be spun by
the world-renown "Boys Choir of
Harlem,” who w ill make a rare ap
pearance in Portland this coming
Sunday.
.Under the direction of Dr.
Walter J. Turnbill, the Choir has
delighted audiences world-wide
w ith a repertoire ranging from
classical music to popular
songs, gospel, jazz and spiri
tuals, highlighted by spirited
choreography.
The Boys Choir of Harlem pr
vides inner-city young peorJe
w ith a unique opportunity to ea-
lize their creative potential. The
Choir tours frequently through
out the United States and Eu
rope, in c lu d in g c o n c e rts at
Orchestra Hall in Chicago; Avery
Fisher Hall, Alice Tully hall and
Carnegie Hall in New York; and
Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis.
The Choirappears regularly on all
three major television networks
and CNN, and was the subject of
an Emmy award-winning docu
mentary, "From Harlem to Har
lem: the Story of a Choir Boy," in
1980.
An ensemble of 35, the Choir
features tenor and bass voices as
well as treble, allowing for great
musical versatility.
Founded in 1968 as a small
group of choir members at Ephe
sus Church in central Harlem, it
was incorporated as The Boys
Choir of Harlem in 1975. In the
ensuing decade, it has grown
from a small church choir to a ma
jor performing arts institution of
international reputation.
Since its inception, The Boys
Choir of Harlem has stressed not
only the teaching of music, but
also preparing its members for
productive lives. It has four basic
objectives: (1) to educate and
broaden the c h ild ’s aesthetic
perception; (2) to provide boys
and girls between the ages of 9
and 17 with the opportunity to
realize their creative potential
through the performance of vari
ous kinds of music; (3) to extend
successes in music to better and
more productive lifestyles; and
(4) to provide — in addition to
music — counseling, tutoring
and recreation activities which
assist in the total development of
the child.
Today, the Choir consists of
more than 125 young people.
They are organized into three
Community Mental Health
Rehabilitation
•
im a g in e you have just dis
covered you have diabetes. This
i$ s landed you in the hospital,
aid they just let you out on your
o^/n devices. All you know is that
/dtu’re sick. But, where do you
g^t help? What are the do’s and
dqn't’s of surviving with a dis
ease from which you could easily
erld up dead as a result?
iThis predicament confronts
m in y of the'm entally ill In far too
mfiny instances. In response to
this existing condition, the N/NE
Community Mental Health Cen-
te} has formulated an approach
which directly deals with helping
tag better equip those in-need in
dividuals to handle living ex
periences and responsibility in
thine community.
^The primary goal is to help the
nfentally ill client to learn to cope
w(ith their disability, with an em
phasis on accepting the disabili
ty and learning to live with it, and
achieve the highest quality of life
possible w ithin the lim itations of
their disability.
In retrospect, the relatively re
cent trend to return persons with
rpental conditions to the com mu
nity may be commendable. How
ever, the reality of the situation is
siich that providing support and
teaching the patient how to sur
vive is far more critical. The N/NE
dpm m unity Mental Health Cen
ter provides an array of services
ared specifically to help those
need cope and become viable
izens.
The semi-independent living
i
program is an in-clinic, day treat
ment project that focuses on re
creational and leisure activities
which develop coping skills.
This is done during structured ac
tivitie s in a non-threatening en
vironment. Activities may take
the form of outings, baking
group, arts and crafts instruction
group therapy, relaxation train
ing and teaching independent liv
ing skills. The objective of these
activities is to build self-worth,
s e lf-e s te e m , and s e lf- c o n fi
dence.
Another component to pro
viding comprehensive services
in this area is the N.E. Connec
tion which functions as a satel
lite program in the community.
The N.E. Connection is a social
ization center which provides
clients the opportunity to meet
people and feel connected to
others. Social, recreational and
self-help classes are available to
the clients.
The N/NE Community Mental
Health Center is deeply com m it
ted to developing the rehabilita
tion component of its services
for the care of the population that
it serves. The semi-independent
living program and the N.E. Con
nection reflect that commitment,
and demonstrate the earnest
ness of their mission in the com
munity._____________________
Readers of the Community Mental Health
column are invited to write to us: N/NE
Community Mental Health Center, Attn:
James Edmondson, 310 N.E. Oregon,
Portland Oregon.
choirs — performing, training
and the girls choir.
All choir members come from
New York City — the vast majori
ty of them from the heart of
Harlem. Although it is a thriving
com m unity that is making much
progress, it is far from the ideal
place for a boy or girl to grow up.
Drugs and crime abound. Eighty-
five percent of the school-age
students read below their grade
level. Less than half w ill gra
duate from high school. Only a
handful w ill go on to college.
Viewed against that backdrop,
the success of the alumni of The
Boys Choir of Harlem is nothing
short of spectacular. Many have
gone on to pursue degrees and
careers in music at places like
the Eastman School of Music in
Rochester and the Manhattan
School of Music. But others have
chosen quite different paths. To-
day’salum ni include not only mu
sicians and teachers of music,
but also Wall Street brokers, ac
countants, m inisters and hotel
managers.
The Boys Choir takes its mis
sion very seriously. Tutoring in
English and mathematics is pro
vided to choir members six days
a week. Choir members must
maintain a “ B” average in school.
Mandatory attendance at choir
rehearsals from 4:00 p.m. to 6:30
p.m. every weekday and all day on
Saturdays is strictly enforced.
During the summer, choir mem
bers attend day camp in New
York and live-away camp in the
Connecticut countryside. And, a
staff of full-tim e counselors pro
vide year-round career, family
and adolescent counseling.
Walter Turnbull, co-founder of
the Choir, is a native of Green
ville, M ississippi. After receiving
a Master’s degree and a Ph.D. de
gree from the Manhattan School
of Music, he taught in East
Harlem for several years.
"I
noticed that being in a music
course gave the kids a direction.
It was very rewarding, but I found
that the system was not helping
the needs of the people it was
supposed to serve. What I found
was a lot of talented kids and no
one to help them. I decided to do
something,” he recalled.
Mr.
Turnbull is at his peak perfor
mance in front of his choir. He
stresses perfection. He strives
for individual and group excel
lence. And he insists on one-
hundred-and-ten percent devo
tion and dedication from each
choir member.
Praise for the Choir has come
from many areas of the country.
“ This Choir, expertly guided by
director Walter J. Turnbull, is one
of the finest of its kind, splendid
ly disciplined in tone quality, pre
cision, balance and intonation,"
(New York Daily News). “ The
Boys Choir of Harlem brought
R ichm ond an u n fo rg e tta b le
Easter gift Saturday n ig h t... One
simply wanted to stand up and
cheer,” (The Richmond News
Leader). "The boys put on a truly
great show, one of the season’s
b e s t . . . Ir r e s is tib le , u n
forgettable, the Boys Choir of
Harlem created the kind of music
any country in the world could be
proud of.” (Dayton Beach News).
The Choir’s presence in Port
land is sponsored by Portland
Public Schools and is free to all
children and students living in
the Portland Metropolitan areas.
Portland Public Schools Super
intendent, M atthew Prophet,
said getting The Boys Choir to
appear in Portland was primarily
the efforts of Dr. Ernie Herzog
and Ken Berry. "We wanted to
show all students in our system
what can be achieved through
hard work, discipline and dedica
tion, especially on the part of
African-American students. We
also wanted an event that would
bring together families, parents,
relatives, churches, teachers,
educators and other members
from the various com m unities,”
Mr. Prophet said. Foradultsaged
18 and older, a $2 admission fee
w ill be charged.
So, Portland, buckle up your
spiritual and musical seatbelts.
This w ill be one unforgettable
magical ride! See you at the con
cert . . .
SUB-BIDS REQUESTED
Bus Passenger Waiting Shelters
Central Park Design
C-TRAN, Vancouver, Washington
BID DATE: March 17, 1988 at 10:00 A.M.
SPECIALTY STRUCTURES, INC.
P.O. Box 16798 • Portland, OR 97216
503/255-0022
We are an equal opportunity employer and request sub-bids
from small business and small disadvantaged sub contractors
and women and m inority business enterprises.
SUB-BIDS REQUESTED
Eugene Terminal Expansion
Mahlon Sweet Airport
BID DATE: March 29, 1988 at 2:00 P.M.
WILDISH BUILDING COMPANY
P.O. Box 7428 • Eugene, OR 97401
(503) 485-1700
Contact (Bob) McDonald
How can you
afford a home
o f your own?
We are an equal opportunity employer and request sub-bids
from small business and small disadvantaged sub-contractors
and women and m inority business enterprises.
SUB-BIDS REQUESTED
Write HUD for
this free
pam phlet
Mahlon Sweet Terminal Expansion
City of Eugene
BID DATE: March 29, 1988 at 2:00 P.M.
VIK CONSTRUCTION COMPANY
P.O. Box 2250 • Eugene, OR 97407
(503) 484-1188
U.S. Dept. o f HUD
P.O. Box 777
Portland, OR 97207
We are an equal opportunity employer and request sub-bids
from small business and small disadvantaged sub contractors
and women and m inority business enterprises.
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SUB-BIDS REQUESTED
Eugene Terminal Expansion
Mahlon Sweet Airport
BID DATE: March 29, 1988 at 2:00 P.M.
Anderson Construction Co. Inc.
6712 N. Cutter Circle • Portland, OR 97217
(503) 283-6712
We are an equal opportunity employer and request sub-bids
from small business and small disadvantaged sub-contractors
and women and m inority business enterprises.
SUB-BIDS REQUESTED
CIAP-PHASE ll-A
Housing Authority of Salem
BID DATE: March 23, 1988 at 11:00 A.M.
da Ike construction co.
P.O. Box 5170 • Salem, OR 97304
(503) 585-7403
We are an equal opportunity employer and request sub-bids
from small business and small disadvantaged sub-contractors
and women and m inority business enterprises.
SUB-BIDS REQUESTED
US Navy Hospital Addition
Whidby Island, WA
BID DATE: March 22, 1988 at 2:00 P.M.
Donald Drake Construction
1740 N.W. Flanders • Portland, OR 97209
503/226-3991
We are an equal opportunity employer and request sub-bids
from small business and small disadvantaged sub-contractors
and women and m inority business enterprises.
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