SAN FRANCISCO BOYS CHORUS

Artistic Director, Ian Robertson

Grammy Award-winning boys chorus offering high quality performance experience and musical training to boys in the San Francisco Bay Area for sixty years.

"...an educational organization as well as a respected artistic entity" San Francisco Classical Voice

HOME AUDITIONS ABOUT US ARCHIVES REVIEWS HELP US RECORDINGS CONTACT ALUMNI CORPORATE SPONSORS LOGIN - Members - Board - Faculty - Alumni

Press Releases

US Presidential Inauguration Jan. 20 to Feature Two Grammy-Winning San Francisco Choruses

JCCIC ANNOUNCES INAUGURAL PROGRAM (PDF)

From Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies.

Line-up Includes Musical Greats Aretha Franklin, Yo-Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman ... Musical Selections from the The San Francisco Boys Chorus and the San Francisco Girls Chorus.

US PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATION JAN. 20 TO FEATURE SF BOYS CHORUS and SF GIRLS CHORUS (PDF)

Recent News Coverage

      also see Inauguration Day clips

SF Choir Reflects on Experience of a Lifetime

NBC Bay Area - Jan. 21, 2009

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kids choir sings 'America'

A children's choir sings 'America' on Capitol Hill during inauguration festivities.

CNN National Broadcast - Jan. 20, 2009

They were first up on inauguration day Check out the singing of some of San Francisco's finest

NBC - Bay Area - Jan. 20, 2009

San Francisco Boys and Girls Choruses Lift Their Voices as Part of Inaugural Festivities

KRON 4 TV - Jan. 20, 2009

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Choristers prepare for inaugural performance with free concert
Channel NewsAsia's San Francisco - Jan. 20, 2009

--- related video

California Childrens Chorus to Sing at Inauguration

KNTV NEWS / USA Today - Jan 19, 2009

Locals Prepare For Part In Historic Inauguration

2 KTVU News - Jan. 19, 2009

SF Boys Chorus Appear on CBS The Early Show

CBS National TV - The Early Show - Jan 19, 2009

S.F. boys, girls choruses go to Washington /

YOUNG MUSICIANS: S.F. choir members get ready for biggest stage of their lives

San Francisco Chronicle / sfgate.com - Jan. 17, 2009

Chronicle Podcast - Hear the Chorus Sing

Chronicle Radio: SF youth chorus to sing during Obama inauguration - Jan. 2009

Inauguration song lyrics echo Obama's words

San Francisco Chronicle / sfgate.com - Jan. 17, 2009

San Francisco Choirs to Sing to Song Set to Obama Victory Speech

Washington Post / Washingtonpost.com - Jan. 16, 2009

SFO: San Francisco Boys And Girls Choruses Leave For Obama's Inauguration

2 KTVU News - Jan. 16, 2009

SF choruses head to Washington for Inaugural

ABC 7 News - Jan. 12, 2009

SF Boys Chorus On Their Way To Inauguration, 7 Of Them From Marin

More Marin - Jan. 16th 2009

SF Boys And Girls Choruses Will Perform At Inauguration

2 KTVU.com - Jan. 2 / Jan. 13, 2009

Insight with Brian Oxman and Kathryn Milofsky - Boys (part 2)

KLAA AM 830 Radio -Los Angeles - Jan. 9, 2009

Insight with Brian Oxman and Kathryn Milofsky - Ian Robertson, Artistic Director Interview (part 1)

KLAA AM 830 Radio -Los Angeles - Jan. 8, 2009

KCBS Radio- San Francisco - Dec. 23, 2008

Pre-Inaugural Jitters At San Francisco Chorus

NPR Radio - All Things Considered, December 18, 2008

Boys (and Girls) - Susan Brown (Willie L. Brown, Jr. Music Scholarship for Boys) December 19, 2008

The Bigelow Report - 7x7 San Francisco - December 19, 2008

Singing for the president: S.F. Boys Chorus and S.F. Girls Chorus join the inaugural ceremonies

Contra Costa Times - Dec. 19, 2008

Aretha Franklin to Participate in Inaugural Ceremony
New York Times- Dec. 17, 2008

Bay Area Youth to Perform at Presidential Inauguration
KRON 4 - Dec. 12, 2008

Date Lines: News from the Bay Area arts scene
Inaugural singing
San Francisco Chronicle - Dec. 12, 2008

SF Bay Times - Dec. 11, 2008

Bay Area groups to perform at inauguration

ABC 7 San Francisco - Dec. 10, 2008

San Francisco Examiner - Dec. 10, 2008

SF youth choruses to perform at inauguration

Mercury News - Dec 10, 2008

60th Anniversary

San Francisco Examiner - June 9, 2008 (PDF)

San Francisco Chronicle - June 8, 2008

Audio
(Email requests for media use of additional audio)

JOINT Recording of SF Boys Chorus and SF Girls Chorus featuring selections for the Inauguration Performance

                        - Musical Selection Detailed Info -

1. America the Beautiful - SF Boys Chorus and SF Girls Chorus

2. An American Hymn - SF Boys Chorus and SF Girls Chorus

3. Hymn to Freedom - SF Boys Chorus and SF Girls Chorus

4. Exhortation - SF Boys Chorus and SF Girls Chorus

by San Francisco composer David Conte and features the signature phrase "Yes, We Can!"

5. Give Us Hope - SF Boys Chorus and SF Girls Chorus

6. I Hear America Sing - SF Boys Chorus and SF Girls Chorus

SF Boys Chorus Recordings

Orchestrated Studio Version Available on iTunes - SFBC

Video
(Usage restricted to 60 seconds. For news and press coverage only)
Excerpts from Television Appearances
© San Francisco Boys Chorus 2008

Clip 1 (avi 39mb)

Clip 2 (avi 28mb)    Clip 2 (mp4 29mb)

Clip 3 (avi 2mb)      Clip 3b (mp4 2mb)

Clip 4 (avi 11mb)

Clip 5 (avi 18mb)

Upcoming Events

Send-Off Concert Hosted by Mayor Gavin Newsom - Jan. 15th, 2009

4:30pm - San Francisco City Hall’s Rotunda

Inauguration of President-Elect Barack Obama - January 20th, 2009

Annual SFBC Gala at St Regis Hotel, San Francisco - February 28th 2009 (Special Performance)
see invitation and purchase tickets

Spring Concert - Calvary Presbyterian Church, SF - June 13, 2009

Awards and Recognitions

Winner of 1992 Grammy Award for Best Choral Performance

Key People

IAN ROBERTSON - Artistic Director [BIO]

MARGARET NOMURA CLARK -

Director of Training Chorus, the Intermediate Chorus and East Bay Campus [BIO]

History / Background

Willie L. Brown, Jr. Music Scholarship for Boys (PDF)

SFBC Press Background Summary (PDF)

San Francisco Opera Performances (PDF)

Promotional Material

Audition Flyer - Jan. 10, 2009 (PDF)

Audition Poster - Jan. 10, 2009 (PDF)

INAUGURATION MEDIA CONTACT FOR BOTH THE SF BOYS CHORUS AND SF GIRLS CHORUS:

Scott Horton Communications
Phone: 510-735-9200

Photo Stream - Inauguration

COUNT-DOWN TO THE INAUGURATION & INAUGURATION PHOTOS

Images

3212x1272  or Med Res: 2500x1613 Photo:M. Farruggio

43 SF Boys Chorus Members to perform at the 2009 Inauguration of President Elect Barack Obama along with the SF Girls Chorus.

2400x3000

San Francisco Boys Chorus and San Francisco Girls Chorus on Times Square - New York City billboard jumbotron. Jan. 2009.

1502x1299

There are more than 200 boys in the San Francisco Boys Chorus from 5 bay area counties.

1950x1136

4992x3328

San Francisco Boys Chorus 60th Anniversary Concert at the War Memorial Opera House, June 2008.

2347x1760

The San Francisco Boys Chorus Perform at SF Mayor Gavin Newsoms Inauguration on Jan. 8, 2008.

1504x1435

508x420

1948 Founding Chorus Group with Madi Bacon.

Logos

TIF - logo

JPEG

150x197

JPEG - Largest - SFBC Logo

331x434

Major Inauguration Supporters and Sponsors

Full Inauguration Supporter List

Inauguration Musical Selections

America the Beautiful

Text: Katherine Lee Bates

Music: Samuel Ward

Arranged by Nancy Grundahl

SF Boys Chorus Orchestrated Studio Version Available on iTunes

An American Hymn

Music: Lee Holdrige

Arranged by Ian Robertson

SF Boys Chorus Orchestrated Studio Version Available on iTunes

Hymn to Freedom

Text: Harriette Hamilton

Music: Oscar Peterson

Arranged by Seppo Hovi

An Exhortation

Text: Barack Obama

Victory Speech, November 4th, 2008

Music: David Conte

Give Us Hope

Text: James Papoulis, Leo Schaff & Regine Urbach

Music: James Papoulis

Arranged by Francisco J. Núñez

I Hear America Singing!

Arranged, with new words and music, by Sally K. Albrecht and Jay Althouse