Our History

The Choir’s history begins with Ms. Eva Wiseman, who also developed the Burlington School System’s entire music program, and an inspirational performance she heard by The Vienna Boys’ Choir in the early 1940’s. Once the idea was conceived, there was considerable planning and fundraising which resulted in the formation of the choir in 1958 with its first performance in 1959. In addition to Ms. Wiseman, Dr. L.E. Spikes, the Burlington City Schools Superintendent, George Colclough from The Burlington Rotary Club, and Thomasine Sparks and Wynn Riley, music students at then Elon College, were all instrumental to its formation.

Even though our dear Ms. Wiseman passed away in 2005, she will always be a part of and is at the heart of our choir. In her thirty-six years of service to The Choir, she taught over 500 boys to sing! Her life, an incredible gift from God, created a “Choir of Angels” we proudly and affectionately call The Burlington Boy’s Choir.

PERFORMANCES IN ALAMANCE COUNTY

The choir is a regular at Burlington’s famous Carousel Festival every September where they perform Saturday and Sunday as well as have an ice cream booth to raise money. We also perform at other Burlington Recreation Department activities, Alamance County Arts Council events, the county fair, weddings, and combined concerts with Elon University groups and the Alamance Chorale.

Our featured public performances include two dessert concerts per year, one on the first Friday in May and the Christmas Dessert Concert on the first Friday in December. They really showcase our talent and hard work and are not to be missed!

PERFORMANCES THROUGHOUT NORTH CAROLINA

The Choir has performed at over 300 different churches throughout North Carolina and the South. They have performed at the Governor’s Mansion on five different occasions, including the inaugural dinner of Gov. Robert Scott.

Since 1991, our choir has performed in the featured “Winter Garden” during The Christmas Candlelight Evening Tour at Asheville’s Biltmore House. Our choir was the first and is the longest running children’s choir invited to perform at this elegant event. “This is one of the best entertaining attractions during the Christmas season. The Burlington Boys Choir has the largest crowds” – Biltmore Staff

The Choir has performed at a Baccalaureate service at Wake Forest University, the Christmas Eve service at Duke Chapel, Tryon Place in New Bern, the Chinqua-Penn Plantation, Hargrave Academy, the North Carolina Zoo, The Miss Alamance County Beauty Pageant, and at the state legislature.

The choir has done four operas and one oratorio with the Greensboro Symphony under the direction of Dr. Peter Paul Fuchs and several other times with other directors. They worked with the North Carolina Symphony three times under the direction of Skitch Henderson. Most recently the choir performed Mefistofele under the direction of Peter Perret with soloist John Cheeck and the Winston Salem Symphony. Peter Perret said, “The boys were a pleasure to work with” and invited us back for a 1997 performance.

PERFORMANCES AROUND OUR NATION

The Choir has been guests of The White House on five occasions- the latest in December 1997.

“This choir was among the best groups whom had ever performed at the White House” – Former President Richard Nixon

They have performed at many famous U.S. churches and cathedrals, including the National Cathedral, in Washington, Riverside Church in New York, the National Civitan Convention, in Jacksonville, Florida, and The U.S. Boys Choir School, in Princeton, New Jersey. They have also visited the Charleston and New York Harbors, Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, Times Square, and The Martin Luther King Memorial, in Atlanta, Georgia.

PERFORMANCES AROUND THE WORLD

Our choir has performed on five different continents with many performances in Europe.

“This was the only American Boys Choir that I have heard that sounded like Americans. All the others sounded like Europeans, you are obviously well-trained” – Bruce-Payne, Director, Westminster Boys Choir

The choir sang in Amsterdam where the pilgrims worshipped before sailing to America. In Austria, where “Silent Night” was first sung and visited where “The Sound of Music” was filmed.

Additionally, The Choir been to the home of Mozart in Salzburg, and Beethoven’s home in Bonn. They have rehearsed at the U.S. Consulate in Seville, Spain, and performed at The Seville Cathedral, the third largest cathedral in the world. We have performed in Greece and in Paris, at The Sacre Coeur. A concert was scheduled for the Cathedral of Notre Dame, but was postponed due to the unexpected arrival of the Pope. They have sung at the Cologne Cathedral, in Germany, the tallest cathedral in the world. The choir has performed in Tokyo and at the world’s largest shopping mall, located in Hong Kong. In 2005 they performed at Our Lady of la Soledad Church in Burlington’s newly adopted sister city, Soledad de Graciano Sanchez, in the state of San Luis Potosi, Mexico and at Guadalupe Shrine, in Mexico City, the largest church in North America. It was a special honor to be included in a Mass Service of over 10,000 people.

The choir has visited the Heidleburg Castle in Germany, the Louvre Museum in Paris, Mars Hill, where the Apostle Paul preached, and the Vienna Boys Choir School in Austria. They have also ridden down the Rhine River, the Seine, the East Rivers, and have climbed pyramids in Mexico.

They have performed on The Norway and The Bermuda Star. They visited Nassau, St. Thomas, St. Martin, Cayman Islands and other ports in the Caribbean. They performed in Montreal and on Prince Edward Island. The choir has also performed at the Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, Great Britain.