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Mississippi Boychoir

Mississippi Boychoir was founded in 1995 by Mrs. Margaret Ewing Thomas in Columbus, Mississippi. Following the centuries-old traditions of European boys' choirs, Mrs. Thomas created the state's first and only nonprofit boychoir to bring the unique sound to the Deep South. The choir is guided by an all-volunteer board of directors, an advisory board, a parents' committee, and a small administrative and artistic staff. Since 2010, the Boychoir has been directed by Artistic Director Mr. Lelon Thompson.

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Mississippi Boychoir holds several core values:

• Singing is basic to communication and enriches Mississippi’s community life.
• Excellence in performance creates self-esteem and provides training for leadership.
• Respect for others is essential for a successful community.
• Early training in choir helps boys as adults to participate in the cultural life of communities.

These core values inform the Boychoir's mission:

• Identify boys with natural talent for singing, regardless of economic status, race, or previous vocal training
• Provide boys with excellent training in musicianship
• Enhance boys’ personal growth by requiring them to accept responsibility, develop self-discipline, and have respect for others
• Schedule boys to perform in a variety of venues to showcase their talents and to broaden their horizons
• Represent Mississippi inside and outside the state.

Under the leadership of Mr. Lelon Thompson, a member of the American Choral Director's Association (ACDA), and as a result of increased music literacy, self-discipline, and opportunities for performance, members have gone on to great things, including:

• Wesley Speed, whose credits include playing Amahl in Amahl and the Night Visitors, was a soloist with the Mississippi Chorus and attended the Mississippi School of the Arts.
• Aaron Conerly went on to Broadway where he played the part of Young Simba in Disney’s The Lion King.
• Seth Womack graduated out of the Mississippi Boychoir with a full scholarship for his first three years of college and a half scholarship for his last two years.
• James Simmons and Jared Anderson both attended The American Boychoir School in Princeton, NJ.
• Charter member and former Head Choirboy Ben Mason attended a music conservatory and graduated with a degree in music and theatre.
• Charter member Mark Edwards was in Boychoir for 6 years (two years as Head Choirboy) and loves and lives his music and never misses an opportunity to sing or play his trumpet at his church.
• Matt Cooksey, who traveled to festivals in Minnesota and England and sang in a Regional Honor Choir, moved to another state and was soon chosen as the only soprano soloist in an honor choir.
• At age 12, John Dean Puckett is an experienced wedding and church soloist and has since been featured as soloist with a college choir.
• Tamarceo Shaw was selected from 450 singers as the only soprano soloist in the final concert of the 2005 World Festival of Singing for Men and Boys.

External links

• http://www.mississippiboychoir.org
• http://www.acda.org
• http://www.americanboychoir.org/index.php