are always welcome
Elton John's birthday concert at MSG
Elton birthday is a media extravaganza
A night to remember for the birthday boy
Video: Visit the BYCAThe smallest member of the Brooklyn Youth Chorus Academy had the biggest smile, and maybe it was because he had just been asked a question that hit home on many exhilarating levels.
Aside from the obvious reasons, the boy was asked, why was singing alongside his classmates during Elton John's history-making 60th birthday concert at Madison Square Garden such a special occasion?
"If it wasn't for Elton John, I wouldn't be born," he said. "My parents went on their first date to one of Elton John's concerts. So it really meant a lot to me."
Upon making these staggeringly cute comments to eltonjohn.com during a visit to the Academy's stately headquarters in Brooklyn, N.Y., mere weeks after the marathon concert that marked Elton's record-breaking 60th appearance at the storied New York venue, his classmates broke up in charmed laughter. Apparently they had been unaware of this news until that very moment.
In other words, the BYCA choristers were all still buzzing from their participation in one of the most anticipated musical events in Manhattan in years, and it was something they'd never forget.
"I got such a charge out of watching them and just seeing how into it they were," said BYCA founder and Artistic Director Dianne Berkun. "You know, the heads going up and the eyes closing, and whatever they were doing that was really so endearing. They had a great time."
The BYCA is no stranger to major collaborations, A-list performances and high-profile accolades.
Founded in 1992 "with a mission of helping children of all backgrounds realize their potential as musicians and as individuals," the academy provides New York City children with an unparalleled program of vocal and musicianship training. Choristers study and perform in the Academy's three training divisions and advanced Concert Chorus and can enhance their skills through BYCA's electives program of specialized music classes and private lessons.
The program works so well that the chorus has won a Grammy Award (Best Classical Album) for its 2002 debut performance with the New York Philharmonic in John Adams' On the Transmigration of Souls and has landed gigs not only with Elton (the 60th birthday bash and five shows in 2004) but with Sting, James Taylor, Lou Reed, Judy Collins, Andrea Bocelli, Ray Davies, P.O.D. and philharmonic orchestras in New York, Los Angeles and Brooklyn.
Television appearances have included The Late Show with David Letterman, Saturday Night Live, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, The Michael Jackson 30th Anniversary Celebration and the Martha Stewart Home for the Holidays Christmas Special.
Berkun says preparing for the 60th birthday show was fun, because the kids got to run through a few rehearsals with Elton and the band, but it was challenging, too.
"Of course I was going to do everything in my power to make sure we were as prepared and that we brought everything we could possibly bring to the music," Berkun says. "(Meeting Elton and the band) made a big difference for the kids in terms of them feeling like they were an integral part of the show and less a peripheral backing item. They were kind of the third element. (It was) Elton, the band and the chorus right there."
When the lights went down in the World's Most Famous Arena, after the introduction by former President Bill Clinton (whom, incidentally, the chorus has also met), Elton played a few songs before over 60 choristers took their spots on the risers behind the stage to join the party.
The songs they sang on? Classics, including "Ballad of a Well-Known Gun," "Take Me To The Pilot," "High Flying Bird," "Holiday Inn," "Burn Down The Mission," "Better Off Dead," "Levon," plus "Philadelphia Freedom," "Sad Songs," "Don't Let The Sun Go Down on Me," "I'm Still Standing," "The Bitch Is Back," "Crocodile Rock" and "Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting)."
The reactions of the kids afterwards? Even more classic.
"They have so much history behind them, and after a while it was kind of like, 'OK, this is Elton John,'" said one girl chorister. "Who gets a chance to sing with him every day? And even though we had (to keep our) professionalism, we were just milking it for every moment that it was worth, and it was amazing."
"When we first heard about it, everyone was pretty much excited like you would think because he's such a great rock star," one boy chorister added. "But wow. I'm still getting over it. It was awesome."
"To perform in front of all those people, it felt fantastic," another girl chorister said. "And just to rock out with all your friends and sing songs, it was just fun. It was a nervous feeling at the same time, because you don't want to be overexcited and mess up the song, but at the same time, it's fun, fun, fun."
That was the spirit of the event, and Berkun says it carried right over as soon as the house lights went back up and the kids could take a few moments to reflect on what they had just accomplished.
"When the show was over, I ran ahead to get to their dressing room before them," Berkun says. "They came back in en masse and the room just erupted in yells and cheers.
"That was the biggest testimony to how over-the-top excited they were."
