Members of the Savannah Children’s Choir have something unique to put on their future resumes: “Featured on a Grammy Award-winning album at a very young age.”
In 2010, the choir worked with an artist-in-residence named Esperanza Spalding. Yes, that Esperanza Spalding — the one who won the “Best New Vocalist” award at the 2011 Grammy Awards, then won the Best in Jazz Vocal Category in 2013 for her album “Radio Music Society.”
Spalding also won her third Grammy at this year’s awards ceremony. With Thara Memory, she accepted the award for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalists for “City of Roses” from “Radio Music Society.”
“She’s amazing,” says Roger Moss, Savannah Children’s Choir artistic director. “I’d heard of her, which was why I brought her here, and she was wonderful.”
Listen to the hit song “Black Gold” from the album, and you’ll hear the Savannah Children’s Choir providing backup. While working with the choir, Spalding rehearsed and performed in concert with them and visited local school choral, band and orchestra programs.
When she began recording “Radio Music Society,” Spalding returned to Savannah because she “liked the sound” of the Savannah Children’s Choir. She spent a day recording a backup track for “Black Gold” with the choir with the help of local recording engineer Kevin Rose of Elevated Basement Studios.
“Her success is a thrill for us too,” says Cuffy Sullivan, the choir’s executive director. “It’s a pretty surprising thing for our young singers to have on their resume — singing backup on a Grammy-award winning album.
The choir is traveling to Nashville in May. As part of the trip, they will go into a recording studio, and as a result of Spalding’s record, some of them have previous experience.
From 7-9 p.m. March 8, the Savannah Children’s Choir will host its One Small Voice Awards at the American Legion, 1108 Bull St.
“For the first time ever, we’ve opened nominations to the community,” Sullivan says.
The semifinalists are Catherine Killingsworth, Kerri Goodrich, Molly Lieberman, Nancy Larsen and Tom McKee. “We celebrate people who are doing great things in the lives of children,” Sullivan says.
All five semi-finalists will be presented and two winners announced. Tickets are $75 and available atsavannahchoir.org.
The choir will present a concert at the event.
“It will end with a cocktail party and entertainment by The Train Wrecks,” Sullivan says. “There’s a little bit of something for everybody.”
The choir members certainly won’t sit on their laurels. Most don’t realize just how special an accomplishment it is they’ve achieved.
“It’s one of those things I think years from now, they’re going to say, ‘We did that,’” Moss says. “It’s remarkable. These kids are constantly blowing my mind.”