The Michigan Daily-Wednesday, February 3, 1988-Page 9

Boys

Choir shares

art

of

Harlem

By Spiro A. Skentzos
They are, according to most
sources, "irresistible, unforgettable,
and thrilling!"
They are The Boys Choir of
Harlem and they will be performing
tonight at the Power Center. The
Choir will present a number o f
pieces ranging from classical
compositions such as Bach's "Jesu
der du meine Seele," to jazz and
gospel pieces such as "Glorify the
Lord."
In 1968, a few choir members
from central Harlem's Ephesus
Church banded together to form the
Boys Choir of Harlem under the
guidance of Walter Turnbull and
Ruth Nixon. Since its inception, it
has grown from a small church choir
to an internationally reputed
performing arts group of 35 young
men ranging from ages eight to 18.
The Boys Choir has performed at
the White House, the United Na-
tions, and Carnegie Hall, and has
toured Europe three times, visiting
France, Austria, and Italy. This sea-
son they have begun an intensive
coast-to-coast tour of the United
States, which brings them to this
evening's Ann Arbor performance.
The Boys Choir has been on all
three major television networks, and
on PBS's "Great Performances:
Ellington and His Music." They are
also currently involved in a number
of recording projects, and can be
heard on Kathleen Battle's album of
Christmas music.
In addition to stressing the teach-
ing and performing of music, the
Boys Choir provides its members
with a well-rounded education that
will help them build their adult

lives. The group is tutored in all
subjects ranging from English to
history, six days a week. They are
required to maintain a B average in
their studies.
On top of their rigorous tutoring
schedule, a full-time counseling staff
provides year-round guidance and ex-
plores possible future options for the
members. They also offer counseling
services ranging from drug abuse to
education and employment. Frank
Jones, Jr., Coordinator of Counsel-
ing Services at the Boys Choir of
Harlem, says that in addition to be-
ing a performing arts group there are
"support services that we provide to
members of the Choir... and to their
families and surrounding commu-
nity. You don't have to be in the
choir."
The musical education and perfor-
mances combined with the tutoring
and counseling services expose the
members of the Choir to a number
of opportunities that might other-
wise not be presented to them. "It
broadens their awareness of what
they can do in their life," says Jones.
"It helps them develop a better sense
as to what are the options that a per-
son has in our society, students
without that exposure might not get
that awareness of what you can do
with that talent."
The choir also provides its mem-
bers with a means of directing their
energy and interests. Jones remarks,
"Just like any other child, they don't
know what they are looking for half
the time. This way they get more
exposure to the options with their
talent."
Jones, referring to the Harlem Re-
naissance, also says that it is a form
of urban art from the community:
"Harlem is very art-oriented in that

The Boys Choir of Harlem will be performing classical, jazz, and gospel compositions that prove that
Harlem is still making noise in the art world. The Choir, which had its humble beginning in 1968,
has since toured Europe and is currently touring the United States.

every child on the street chooses
some medium- graffiti, dance, mu-
sic- to express how they feel art is
language, a common way to express
your ideas and kids have to teach
each other how to decode each other's

ideas, and the Boys Choir does that."
Often it is that very urban art that
is introduced to mainstream America
"in a refined way," says Jones. Ac-
cording to him, the art forms are not
given proper geographical origin so

"people think that the art comes
from a different area." The Boys
Choir of Harlem will expose the
University and the Ann Arbor com-
munity to their language and their
art, in a performance that will decode

their message.


THE BOYS CHOIR OF
HARLEM performs tonight at 8
p.m. at the Power Center. Tickeis
are $15 and $13.50.


Theatres are

charging

nightmarish prices

-

By David Peltz
Welcome to my nightmare...
Martin Sheen has six more sons
and they all want to become actors.
Sorry, wrong nightmare.
Take two...
I'm in the parking lot of my
neighborhood theatre. Through the
stifling fog, I can barely discern the
box office looming menacingly
ahead.With my date at my side I
saunter on, oblivious to the horrors
which await.
Arriving at the ticket counter, I
take out my wallet and with much
bravado declare, "Two please." With
a voice reminiscent of Satan him-
self, the 13-year-old behind the
counter makes it perfectly clear what
the inflationary price is for a pair of
tickets. On this evening however,
the contents of my billfold are not
sufficient.
At this point, I usually wake up
in a cold sweat, relieved to have es-
caped from this "theatre of the
damned." Lately though, I've been
Traditional, sophisticated,
contemporary, toformal ... 

shocked to discover that my ghoul-
ish nightmare is becoming more
true with each passing day. If you
haven't been to the theatre recently,
prepare yourself for a jolt - ticket
prices are on the rise again.
Late last summer, most Detroit
area first-run theatres raised their
prices by 25 cents (up from the pre-
vious high of $4.25). Now, at least
one area theatre group has gone a

step further. On December 18th, the
United Artist theatre chain, of which
Briarwood is a member, raised its
cost of admission to a full $5.
Chances are good that the other ma-
jor chains will follow United
Artist's lead. Soon it may become
commonplace to slap down a five-
spot everytime you want to see a
first-run film.
United Artists' Midwest Supervi-

sor, Bill Spurlin, is quick to point
out that Detroit has the lowest
average ticket price of all major
U.S. metropolitan areas. Tickets
have exceeded the $5 mark in cities
like New York, Chicago, and Los
Angeles for quite some time. But
Detroit isn't New York and the en-
tertainment dollar has always gone
much further here. Citing Detroit's
lower ticket price doesn't disguise

the fact that movie prices are slowly
creeping up all over the country.
Just last month, controversy
arose in New York City, as the
Cineplex Odeon theater chain raised
the price of admission for its Man-
hattan moviehouses to $7 per ticket.
Price increases elsewhere were pre-
dicted. Mayor Ed Koch was so out-
raged that he quickly arranged a
much-publicized boycott of the $7

ticket. But Cineplex Odeon is offer-
ing its customers something quite
extraordinary in exchange for its
high price - luxury moviegoing.
From specialized food items right
down to sparkling clean theatres,
Cineplex Odeon is at least justify-
ing its extravagant price.
Here in the Detroit area,
moviegoers are not likely to see any
See ARE, Page 10

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