page_title: Atlanta Boy Choir
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Atlanta Boy Choir / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Atlanta Boy Choir performed in St. Paul's Cathedral
context_page_description: The Atlanta Boy Choir is a renowned choral group for boys and men in Atlanta, Georgia. The choir, as it is known today, was founded in 1959 by Maestro Fletcher Wolfe. The choir is an ambassador internationally, performing across North America and Europe in many of the most renowned concert halls and cathedrals in the world.
  The choir sung for Pope John Paul II at the Vatican City five times. In 2006, the choir returned to Italy where it performed for Pope Benedict XVI in the Sistine Chapel of St. Peter's Basilica. In 1966, the choir marked its Carnegie Hall debut. In 1989, the choir won a Grammy Award for its performance and recording of Britten’s [War Requiem] with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. The choir has been featured on television, radio, and participated in solos and backups on various recordings such as The Power & The Majesty: Essential Choral Classics with conductor Robert Shaw and Classics for All Seasons with various composers/conductors. In 2009, the choir sang at Vienna's Musikverein during the International Haydn Festival commemorating the 200th anniversary of the death of Austrian composer, Joseph Haydn.
context_section_description: In 1946, the Atlanta Boy Choir was founded as part of the music program for the Atlanta City School System in 1946.  That early boy choir gave annual concerts locally and was composed of boys with unchanged voices.  In 1953, another boy choir, known as the Atlanta Boy Choir was founded by George Crawford.  That choir met at a local church.  When Mr. Crawford relocated to Alabama, parents of the members of that early choir formed a new choir and chose Fletcher Wolfe as the founding director.  That choir was legally incorporated as the Atlanta Boy Choir, Inc., in November 1959.
  Fletcher Wolfe continued to conduct the choir until the fall of 2001 when he retired and David White was hired to replace him. Maestro White continued the choir's collaborations with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and other area arts organizations and led the choir on tours of Russia and Austria. However, controversy arose between the conductor and the board of directors who felt that White was obligating the choir financially without board approval. The board agreed to raise $50,000 but only managed to raise $10,000 and was forced to take out a loan on the choirs Ponce De Leon Avenue mansion. https://www.ajc.com/entertainment/music/conductor-firing-sparks-rift-atlanta-boy-choir/NSWt9QWcrl8paaR2mu9RII/
  In the summer of 2009, the board of directors dismissed Mr. White.  Fletcher Wolfe was then asked by the Board of Directors to return and lead the Atlanta Boy Choir once again.
caption: The Atlanta Boy Choir performed in St. Paul's Cathedral in 1969
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