One Voice Children’s Choir (originally known as the 2002 Winter Olympic Children’s Choir and Studio A Children’s Choir) is an American children’s choir in Utah.
The group was founded by children and Masa Fukuda in 2001 after he composed the song “It Just Takes Love” for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. Fukuda asked students to participate in a commemorative CD for the Olympics. Some of the students also were “children of light” performers for the Olympics, whom he volunteered to help train. After the Olympics, 25 students wanted to continue singing together, and Fukuda formed the choir as a nonprofit organization to continue working with them.
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One Voice Children’s Choir is led by choir director Masa Fukuda and Artistic Directors Michelle Boothe and Tanner DeWaal and has 180 members ages 5–18. Every year, the choir performs around 50 to 70 times. The group meets year-round for once-a-week practices. They perform a vast selection of music such as pop, gospel, classical, Broadway, and patriotic.
In 2003, the choir sang the Christmas song “Innocence of Youth” and won the John Lennon International Music Award after singing in a competition for Yoko Ono. In 2014, One Voice received national attention for their rendition of the Disney song “Let It Go”, starring Lexi Walker and Alex Boyé. Their video received 1 million views in one day, 18 million in 10 days, and over 60 million by July 2015. They were invited to compete in the ninth season of America’s Got Talent (AGT) in 2014 and reached the quarterfinals.
Brigham Young University student, Masa Fukuda, heard about a contest for nearby composers to write music for sale as soundtracks during the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah.[2] He and Jeannine Lasky wrote the song “It Just Takes Love” on an impulse, not expecting to win because he felt that others like Kurt Bestor was far better than he.[2][3] In 2001, Fukuda and Gael Shults enlisted the aid of 1,621 students from 69 elementary schools in the Alpine, Nebo, and Provo school districts, to make a commemorative CD, “Light Up the Land.[3][4] He sent the song to the organizers, and his song was selected among other songs for the Olympic CD and received two Pearl Awards.[4] Some of the students who volunteered to sing for the CD were “children of light” for the Olympics’ Open Ceremony and Closing Ceremony. Fukuda offered to train and supervise the students during Olympic events.[2] Their group was the 2002 Winter Olympic Children’s Choir.[2]
After the Olympics were over, the student performers had formed strong friendships,[4] and about 25 of them told Fukuda they hoped to keep performing with each other.[2][3] By September 2003, the group grew to 130 members.[3] In a 2015 interview with the Deseret News, Fukuda said, “We had performed a lot together, so we decided to do it.”[4] Fukuda and Shults served as the choir’s co-directors.[5] Originally called the 2002 Winter Olympic Children’s Choir,[2] by 2003, the group was called Studio A Children’s Choir.[5] In 2005, the choir was renamed One Voice Children’s Choir.[6] It became a nonprofit organization and has an advisory board.[2] According to The Salt Lake Tribune‘s David Burger, Fukuda’s aim is “to create a nurturing, tolerant environment with high standards and a commitment to singing uplifting songs”.
Members and performances
Composed of children ages 4–18, One Voice at the beginning had practices in Fukuda’s apartment where he would set up 45 folding chairs in his living room.In the past, the group had practices once a week throughout the year. Because of the choir’s size and the geographical distribution of its members, some of whom commuted from Wyoming and Idaho, it changed to having two practices a week. The two practices are held in both Utah and Salt Lake counties. Members can attend the more accessible practice. One Voice has roughly 55 to 70 performances yearly. The choir has made several Christmas and Easter CDs and is posting more of its recordings to YouTube. According to a 2015 article in the Deseret News, the 140-member One Voice has biannual auditions, in January and August, while according to a 2017 Broadway World article, the choir has auditions each May. The group does not split singers into different age groups. When boys undergo voice changes, they become tenors. In January 2015, they had a waiting list of 250 children. Sometimes, there are merely six to 10 open spots in a year. After a child has been accepted into the choir, he or she pays a $30 monthly fee and is permitted to stay in the choir until turning 18.
In 2008, it was the host choir for In Harmony, an annual international children’s music festival. One Voice has performed at Abravanel Hall during Bestor’s annual show “A Kurt Bestor Christmas”. They have performed at the Salt Palace during RootsTech. They have collaborated with Ben Rector, David Archuleta, Jenny Oaks Baker Sam Cardon, Peter Breinholt, Barry Manilow, Janice Kapp Perry, The Piano Guys, Jon Schmidt, Garth Smith, Ryan Shupe, Vocal Point, and Mat & Savanna Shaw. In February 2012, the first members of the choir who had participated in the Olympics performed at the 2002 Winter Games Tenth Anniversary Legacy Event. The group performs at charitable events including those hosted by Operation Smile and the Ouelessebougou Alliance.
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