700 youth singers from 10 schools across Boston will come together to sing on June 10 at Strand Theatre in Dorchester
Boston, MA (May 20, 2025) — Boston Children’s Chorus (BCC) today announced details for an expanded Big Sing, a special performance featuring about 700 youth singers from Dorchester, East Boston, Mattapan, Roxbury, and South Boston in grades 2 through 6on June 10 at the Strand Theatre in Dorchester. The concert will bring together singers from 10 schools across Boston neighborhoods to perform with special guest artist Tamar Greene, who is currently starring in the Broadway company of Hamilton, for a morning of joyful singing, celebration, and community.
The schools participating in the event are:
- Mildred Avenue K-8 School, Mattapan
- Samuel W. Mason Pilot Elementary, Roxbury
- The Oliver Hazard Perry School, South Boston
- Higginson Lewis School, Roxbury
- The Mather School, Dorchester
- Codman Academy, Dorchester
- Grew Elementary, Hyde Park
- Bradley Elementary School, East Boston
- Ellison Parks, Mattapan
- Ellis School, Roxbury
This year’s concert will be the largest Big Sing event since its inception in 2023, thanks to the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture’s Neighborhood Activation Grant program established to fund community-focused arts, cultural, and creative activations in public spaces that foster joy, strengthen community wellbeing across the city, and advance placemaking in Boston neighborhoods. This funding allows BCC to expand the program to 6 new schools, bringing together a substantial number of students.
In a stirring tribute to the 1963 Children’s Crusade and Boston’s pivotal 1974 busing decision to desegregate public schools, students from across the city will come together for a special performance titled Better Together! The program, which features a six-piece live band, will spotlight songs of triumph, joy, and unity—drawing from a wide range of musical traditions that reflect the city’s diverse cultural heritage.
The 1974 busing decision, a federal mandate to address racial segregation in Boston’s schools, marked a critical—and controversial—moment in the city’s civil rights history. Paired with the legacy of the Birmingham children who marched for justice in 1963, the performance serves as a powerful reminder of young people’s enduring role in social change.
Led by BCC’s Conductor of In-School Programs Robert McFletcher-Jones, this year’s Big Sing is the culmination of a series of workshops at all BCC-affiliated schools throughout the 2024-25 school year. Students participating in the program will meet weekly to rehearse for four weeks, beginning in May. The concert will be the first time 700students perform all together as part of a BCC program.
“Sixty-two years ago, 1,000 children changed the course of the civil rights movement. On June 10th, an army of vocal activists will show up and let their voices be heard!” said McFletcher-Jones. “They are the change we need, and it’s an honor to see these young leaders across Boston come together to harness the power of music to inspire and enact change.”
BCC reaches hundreds of students annually across 10 Boston and Chelsea Public Schools, providing year-long, in-school choral music programs that foster musical artistry and cultural awareness, empowering youth to sing with purpose and pride. Each week, students engage in activities like physical and vocal warm-ups, aural training, music literacy, sight reading, body mapping, and culturally relevant repertoire across genres like Gospel, Neo-Soul, Musical Theatre, Contemporary, and Sacred Choral music, building an age-appropriate understanding of their vocal instrument. Schools can choose year-long, six-month, or short-term programs tailored to their needs.
“The energy and spirit these kids bring—singing songs rooted in their cultural traditions and social justice—truly showcase the vibrancy of our communities,” McFletcher-Jones added. “I can’t wait to see everyone come together for a morning filled with music, joy, and connection.”
“We are delighted to have our students at the Perry 2nd – 4th graders participate in the Big Sing this year,” said The Oliver Hazard Perry Principal Mr. Andrew Rollins. “Boston Children’s Chorus has been a true difference maker in our school community, bringing our children together through song and providing an outlet for their creativity and dynamism to shine through. Not only do they grow as singers, but they grow as people through their work with BCC!”
“The Mason is incredibly grateful for our partnership with BCC,” said the Samuel W. Mason Pilot Elementary Principal Ben Rockoff, “Robert and his team are amazing!!! Throughout the year, scholars have had powerful music instruction that has fostered a love of the arts, brought joy to our community, and helped highlight and strengthen our students’ talents.”
BCC’s Big Sing concert will take place at 12:00 PM on June 10 at Strand Theatre in Dorchester. Tickets are free, open to the public on a first-come first-served basis and can be reserved here.
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About Boston Children’s Chorus
Boston Children’s Chorus (BCC) was founded in 2003 by Hubie Jones, a civic leader who has worked for six decades to address the social problems facing Boston’s underserved children and communities. Named Boston’s “Ambassadors of Harmony” by The Boston Globe, BCC harnesses the power of music to connect Boston’s diverse communities, cultivate empathy, and inspire social inquiry. BCC choir programs include 10 choirs with singers from 110 different zip codes in and around Boston. BCC presents over 50 performances per season in a wide range of public and private events. They have performed in venues from Boston Symphony Hall, and Royal Albert Hall in London, to Sydney Opera House, and the White House.
BCC is supported in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency, and in part by a grant from the Boston Cultural Council, a local agency which is funded by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, administered by the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture.
About Tamar Greene
Tamar Greene is currently starring in the Broadway company of Hamilton playing the role of George Washington. Prior to becoming Broadway’s longest-running George Washington, Tamar played the same role in the Hamilton Chicago company through the end of its run. Other favorite theatrical credits include the Broadway National Tours of Love Never Dies (the sequel to Broadway’s The Phantom of the Opera), The Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, Ragtime (where he received a Theater Circle Award for Outstanding Performer in a Musical for the role of Coalhouse Walker Jr.),and Broadway’s celebration of Harlem’s Golden Age, After Midnight. Tamar was also seen as the Crab Man at the Spoleto Festival’s production of Porgy and Bess and as a featured singer in the PBS broadcast of Show Boat at Lincoln Center.
Tamar performed as a featured soloist with the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra. He was recently seen in Sondheim on Sondheim with the Kansas City Lyric Opera, as the soloist for the Bozeman Symphony Orchestra and in a special orchestral performance airing on Comedy Central for the 25th Anniversary of South Park. Later this season, he will be featured with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra and the Kansas City Symphony Pops Series.
As a voice over and commercial actor, Tamar has appeared on Audible, WEtv, Netflix Jr Jams, and can be heard on all streaming platforms with his single, Soaring.
Tamar holds a Master of Music from the Eastman School of Music, and two bachelor degrees from SUNY Oswego; a B.A. in Music with a focus in Vocal and Piano Performance and a B.A. in Computer Information Systems from SUNY Oswego. Of all of these accomplishments, Tamar is proudest to play the role of husband and new father alongside his wife to their 1 year old son. @Tamar.Greene. www.TamarGreene.com
