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The Colorado Springs Children’s Chorale is delighted to be celebrating 30 years of sharing music and friendship in the Pikes Peak region, working with many great partners over the years including the Colorado Springs Philharmonic, and its predecessor, the Colorado Springs Symphony. Founded in 1977 as a civic children’s choir, the Colorado Springs Children’s Chorale has grown from one choir of 25 children to five choirs with an enrollment of over 130 children from throughout the Pikes Peak Region. The five choirs of the Children’s Chorale include a training choir; an apprentice choir; a concert choir; a touring choir; and a choir for high school singers. These young people have sung with symphonies, chamber orchestras, and adult chorales, as well as other children’s choirs from all over the world. The Chorale’s musical excellence has earned them national recognition as one of the country’s outstanding children’s choirs and invitations to international choir festivals. Due to their personal dedication to excellence, the Chorale’s fine young singers have been honored with three first place Gold Medals in international competitions, competing with exceptional choirs from around the world including Russia, Taiwan, Canada, Denmark, and the Czech Republic. In the spirit of international exchange, in 1997, 1999, 2002 and 2005, the Colorado Springs Children’s Chorale traveled to Japan with performances in Tokyo, Hiroshima, Yamagata Prefecture, Shizuoka, and Fujioshida. In June, 2000 the touring choir embarked on a 23-day tour of Austria, Poland, Czech Republic, and Hungary, and brought back first place honors from the Prague International Choir Festival. In the United States, the choirs of the Children’s Chorale have been honored as guest performers at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. and at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Recently, the Colorado Springs Children’s Chorale was the recipient of the El Pomar Award for Excellence in the Arts and Humanities for the state of Colorado, and the Mayor’s International Award for International Outreach. During the summer of 2004, the Children’s Chorale pioneered the Pikes Peak International Music Festival - In Harmony, a traveling festival which has now been hosted in Colorado (2004), Japan (2005) and Chicago (2006), including young singers from across the nation and around the world. During the summer of 2005, the Summit Ensemble toured in England, Scotland and Wales, where they were invited to compete in the prestigious Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod, one of only two American choirs to receive that honor. The Pikes Peak Singers visited Australia (where they performed at the Sydney Opera House), New Zealand and Japan, where they participated in the international music festival at the World Expo in Aichi.
Although the Colorado Springs Children’s Chorale has garnered an exceptional array of awards and recognitions abroad, its heart and spirit is firmly rooted in Colorado and the Colorado Springs community. A main focus is its outreach program within the state, including its Adopt-a-School program, School Blitz days, All city Boychoir Festival, an extensive Tuition Assistance Program, workshops in schools, and concerts all over the state for groups including Pikes Peak Hospice, Cancer Survivors, CASA, and nursing homes. The children of Colorado Springs Children’s Chorale have the ability to touch the emotions of their audiences through music and reinforce their mission of “sharing our dreams of a better world through song.”
The Colorado Springs Children’s Chorale performances are noted for their purity of tone, beautiful harmonies, and lively choreography. They are goodwill ambassadors representing the positive contributions that the youth in the Pikes Peak Region have to offer.
Karen Roberts
Springs Singers Director
Mrs. Roberts graduated from Northeast Missouri State University with a degree in vocal music education, and recently celebrated the completion of her masters degree in counseling from the University of Northern Colorado. She taught private voice and piano lessons for 15 years in Germany and Colorado Springs and was the Director of Music at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church for 10 years. Mrs. Roberts taught vocal music at Penrose Elementary School from 1989 to 2001. She was instrumental in the formation of the Annual District 11 Elementary Choir Festival. Currently, Mrs. Roberts is a counselor at Irving Middle School. She is in her 13th season as a member of the Colorado Springs Children’s Chorale artistic staff.
Robert H. Crowder, Jr.
Artistic Advisor, Co-Founder & Pikes Peak Singers Director
In addition to directing the Pikes Peak Singers, Mr. Crowder teaches at William J. Palmer High School in Colorado Springs, where he serves as Vocal Music Director. Mr. Crowder received a Bachelor of Science degree in Music Education from the University of Southern Colorado, where he studied with Kent Holliday. He earned a Master of Music degree from Arizona State University, having studied with Douglas R. McEwen, former Assistant Director of the Roger Wagner Chorale. Mr. Crowder is the recipient of the 2004-2005 Crystal Apple Award recognizing excellence in education in Colorado Springs, and the Arts, Business, & Education Distinguished Teacher Award. Under Mr. Crowder’s musical leadership, the Colorado Springs Children’s Chorale has earned a reputation as one of the leading children’s choirs in the United States. Under Mr. Crowder’s musical direction, the Pikes Peak Singers received a Gold Medal in the 1993 Golden Gate International Children’s Choir Festival in Piedmont, California, and First Place in the Children’s Choir Division of the 1994 International Kathaumixw in Powell River, British Columbia, and first place in the Prague International Festival in 2000. In 1998, the Pikes Peak Singers were featured at the American Guild of Organists National Convention, where they premiered Mr. Crowder’s Setting of Five Poems by William Blake.