Wes McRae | July 16, 2024 – Atlanta, GA

Brittney Boykin, assistant professor in the School of Music, led a group of young Atlanta singers to victory in the largest international choral festival and competition in the world. With Boykin conducting, the Senior Youth Choir of the Atlanta Music Project (AMP) won the Youth Choir category and earned the second highest score across all categories in the World Choir Games' Open Competition.

AMP has never competed in a formal competition, Boykin said, but they started big. "This competition has been likened to the Olympic Games of choral music. This year, the World Choir Games welcomed 11,000 participants in 250 choirs representing 42 countries and regions from all over the world.

"It was already a huge honor to have been invited to participate in the World Choir Games due to its competitiveness," she said. "We were excited for the students to even have that opportunity."

"But to walk away with a gold AND to be crowned the category winner - that is major!"

Because of this win, AMP is qualified to participate in Interkultur's other major competitions — such as the World Choir Games - The Champions Competition, World Choir Championships - The Champions Round and the Grand Prix of Nations — over the next 5 years, Boykin said.

"This major win for a youth choir from Atlanta opens up other opportunities that could lead to Senior Choir being ranked as one of the top youth choirs in the world."

“My heartfelt congratulations to our conductor B.E. Boykin and the Atlanta Music Project Senior Youth Choir,” said Aisha Moody, co-founder and chief program officer of AMP, in the group's announcement. “Our young singers have set a new bar for musical excellence for themselves and for future generations of AMP students."

"Our outstanding AMP choral faculty also deserve our recognition and gratitude for their pedagogical skill and unwavering belief in our children’s abilities to be young musicians of the highest caliber.”

According to AMP, the Senior Youth Choir is a select, mixed-voice ensemble of high school-aged singers in metro Atlanta, Georgia. Under Boykin's direction, this advanced vocal ensemble performs standard choral literature and songs representing the culture of their communities.

Boykin, who has been the conductor of the group for five years, sees AMP students throughout an academic calendar year that runs from August to May, paralleling her work with students at Tech. "Between both organizations, I always do my best to ensure that my singers have musical experiences that are guided by connection and collaboration within the music."

The choir performed four pieces for competition: Dies Irae from Requiem by Michael John Trotta, Mata del Anima Sola by Antonio Estévez, Quiet Place by Ralph Carmichael and arranged by Jerry Rubino, and Elijah Rock, a Traditional Spiritual arranged by Moses Hogan.

The competition took place in Auckland, New Zealand. AMP’s participation in the World Choir Games was made possible with funding from AMP’s Travel & Tour Endowment, established in 2023 through an anonymous donor and the Chestnut Family Foundation.