Contributed by Doug Ferguson
When a friend of my partner’s mentioned that a free concert by a traveling men’s choir would be held at a local church on July 29, we decided to attend. Having sung in a well-known Men’s Glee Club in the 1950s at the then Case Institute of Technology while studying engineering, I was especially interested.
To our surprise and delight, the concert was actually performed by a traveling choir of the Maryland State Boychoir. This was the first of several concerts in Alaska, making it the 49th state the group has visited over the years. Curiously, the only state they have yet to visit is Oklahoma.
According to marylandstateboychoir.org, the organization was founded in 1987 with just 14 boys. Its mission is to foster the boychoir tradition while helping talented young singers build self-esteem, self-discipline and character. The late Maryland Gov. William Donald Schaefer named the group an official goodwill ambassador of the state, and the choir later performed at his funeral.
Today, The Maryland State Boychoir (MSB), Maryland’s “Official Goodwill Ambassadors,” includes approximately 130 choristers, ages 7-20, representing a wide range of ethnic, socioeconomic and religious backgrounds. Members come from nine Maryland counties, Baltimore City and the Washington, D.C. suburbs.
The organization welcomes talented boys who love to sing regardless of their families’ financial means. Prior musical training is not required, although an audition is. Auditions are held in the fall, winter and spring.
Stephen Holmes, the current Artistic Director and President, started as a choirboy at age 9 and is now in his 20th year as a staff member. He has received many choral honors and conducted concerts for organizations throughout Maryland and the Baltimore/Washington, D.C. region.
At my request, he graciously spoke with me after the concert. We discussed my background in the Case Men’s Glee Club in the 1950s and his familiarity with our director at the time, Dr. Baird Whitlock. I have written about Dr. Whitlock here before as one of my personal Great Americans, someone who took our Glee Club to Europe for a concert tour and had a lasting influence on many young people.
I define a personal Great American as someone in one’s youth or young adulthood who not only had a positive influence on you, but on many young people.
Certainly, Stephen Holmes should be considered a “Personal Great American” to the many young men who have been part of his choir.
