Monday, July 30, 2007

7 Years And 500,000 Viewings of PS22 Chorus Videos And Counting....

Congrats to all of the PS22 Chorus members throughout the years!! You have achieved over 500,000 viewings of your videos!!! INCREDIBLE!!! Keep singing and inspiring! The world is listening!



The Chorus Of 2006-7

The Chorus of 2005-6

The Chorus of 2004-5

The Chorus of 2003-4

The Chorus of 2002-3

The Chorus of 2001-2

The Chorus of 2000-2001

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

The New Tribute WTC Exhibit Is Greeted With Enthusiasm!


Mrs. Burns (l), Mr. Breinberg, and Mrs. Johnson (r) at the opening of the new exhibit in TRIBUTE WTC, the World Trade Center Museum in Manhattan.



Last night's opening reception at The Tribute WTC museum was a tremendously powerful experience for all who attended. We were extremely gratified to hear today from one of the museum's curators, Meriam Lobel, who said that she has already begun receiving glowing responses about the new exhibit, one which prominently features video excerpts and written quotes from PS22's September 11th film from 2002. Thanks to Meri, Caroline, Lee, and everyone at the museum for everything, including the pics you see above and below. Most importantly, we thank them for taking this project, one in which we had so much of ourselves emotionally invested, completely seriously. We are overwhelmed by the museum presenting us the huge honor of having it exhibited for 100's of thousands to see. We are humbled and awed. So make sure to read the previous post for more information about the museum, it's location, and PS22's contribution to this remarkable exhibit.

Monday, July 16, 2007

The New World Trade Center Museum Exhibit Opens Tomorrow, Featuring Excerpts From The PS22 Film, "The Conference"


Several months ago we posted about having been contacted by Tribute WTC 9/11 Visitor Center, asking permission to use excerpts from PS22's 2002 documentary/film focusing on September 11th, in their upcoming exhibit. (You can see that post here: PS22 Chorus: World Trade Center Museum Is Interested In P.S.22's September 11th Docu-drama For Possible Exhibition.) We are proud to announce that tomorrow evening from 6:00 - 8:00 PM will be the reception celebrating the opening new exhibit that does indeed feature video excerpts and written quotes from our video. It formally opens to the public on Wednesday, and will close on January 18th (despite the incorrect closing date printed on the invitation below).


The theme of the new exhibit is children's responses to the events of September 11th. The museum will be incorporating footage from all 3 components of PS22's film entry (documentary, scripted acting, and choral selections). We are honored and humbled with regard to our inclusion in this extremely special exhibit, and any and all are invited to attend. The above pic and the following info is from the invitation we received from WTC Tribute:


(Click to enlarge)



We hope that you will be able to come down and witness the loving care and hard work the museum has put into its new exhibit. Our previous visit to the museum was a breathtaking, deeply emotional experience -- and we encourage you to come down and see for yourself. We assure you it will be a moving experience that you will never forget.

Congratulations to all the PS22 students involved in the making of the movie, on achieving a place in history. If you would like to see some excerpts from our September 11th movie, click on the following link: PS22 Chorus: Excerpts from "The Conference", PS22's award-winning September 11th Movie

Sunday, July 15, 2007

Tori Amos Mentions The PS22 Chorus in New Interview!!

Martin Jan Stepanek, the amazing writer who wrote such a great article last month about the PS22 Chorus for the German/Austrian press, had the distinct privilege of sitting down with Tori Amos for a half hour interview last week! Apparently he was so taken with the chorus that he even included them in his discussion with Tori!!! The following is an excerpt from the interview where they discuss the Sony Atrium experience the chorus had with Tori in May.


(Click to enlarge)



Martin was kind enough to e-mail me to let me know about the interview. He also said that her beautiful words don't convey the depth of emotion Tori showed when he brought up the chorus during their conversation. In the e-mail, he told me, "The written answer maybe doesn't sound so spectacular, but the first five seconds, after I posed the question and where she didn't say anything, kinda said it all!!!" Pretty amazing!

The chorus and I thank Martin for all of his support from overseas! If you in turn would like to support Martin (as he has supported us), and if you would like to see the article as it appears in the German news distibutor, click on the following link:

"iPod-Hören ist wie Wein aus Plastikbechern trinken" - pressetext.austria

Again, big BIG thanks to Martin and Tori, and congratulations to the chorus, who've obviously made their impression on one of the most extraordinary musicians/human beings on the planet!!

Wednesday, July 04, 2007

THE TOP 11 PS22 CHORUS VIDEOS!! Happy 4th!!

Just for fun......

To celebrate July 4th chorus-style, check out the TOP 11 most viewed PS22 Chorus videos on the internet. If your choice isn't up here, well..... KEEP WATCHING IT OVER AND OVER, AND DON'T EAT OR SLEEP UNTIL IT'S #1.... I'm kidding, kids. Please don't try this at home. ;) I think the videos that seemed to go "viral" are great, but there are many personal favorites not on this list. There are many that are -- starting with....

....#11

Academy Award Winner MARCIA GAY HARDEN sings her praises to the chorus, AND teaches Justin a lesson!


VIEWS: 9,224


....#10

Tori's Not The Red Baron, sung to utter perfection by DAVID in 2003!


VIEWS: 10,119


....#9

The Chorus of 2006 featuring the always-astounding JUSTIN singing Lift Every Voice & Sing!


VIEWS: 11,973


....#8

The entire Graduating Class of 2001 sings TWINKLE by TORI AMOS, poignantly.


VIEWS: 13,699


....#7

Highlights from the PS22 2003 American Idol Auditions!!


VIEWS: 15,076


....#6

The PS22 Chorus of 2005 featuring the unbelievable voice of BEN sings NOW BEHOLD THE LAMB by KIRK FRANKLIN


VIEWS: 16,981


....#5

The PS22 Chorus of 2003 featuring Noshavyah and Corey sings a powerful version of WINTER by TORI AMOS!


VIEWS: 17,049


....#4

JUSTIN sings his heart out at the MLK Ceremony in Albany New York! American Idol Finalist George Huff has some high praise for Justin at the end of the video.


VIEWS: 19,290


....#3

PS22 CHORUS of 2007 sings FATHER'S SON by TORI AMOS with the multi-platinum artist herself at the SONY Atrium in NYC!!!!


VIEWS: 23,314


....#2

PS22 CHORUS of 2004 sings Esa Enai for Chanukah as Dritan does his legendary Latkes rap!



VIEWS: 45,580


AND.......


FINALLY........




THE #1 MOST WATCHED PS22 CHORUS VIDEO IS..........


DRUMROLL PLEASE.......











awkward silence courtesy of Tariq, the Rab-beast........













THE PS22 CHORUS of 2007 sings DRAGON for the song's composer, TORI AMOS, and moves her to tears!



VIEWS: 79,907










All together, the PS22 Chorus has reached across the globe to earn over 461,000 viewings of its videos worldwide!! AMAZING!!!! We'll have to plan a reunion party or something for when we reach 1,000,000! With an average of over 1000 PS22 Chorus videos being watched daily, you'd better start thinking about what you're going to wear....






Happy July 4th!!