July started out with a bang for the Girls Choral Academy when Lori Tennenhouse, the founder and artistic director of the Grand Rapids Women's Chorus, became the Executive and Artistic Director of Girls Choral Academy on July 1. Tennenhouse brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the position and replaces Dr. Monique Salina, founder of the Girls Choral Academy.
"I couldn't be more excited to join such an exceptional organization and look forward to touching and enhancing the lives of girls through music!" says Tennenhouse.
Founded in 1997, the
Girls Choral Academy (2920 Fuller Ave. NE, Suite 104, Grand Rapids) enriches the lives of West Michigan girls through a program for those who love to sing and wish to grow musically, personally, in self-esteem, and in leadership skills. The organization also focuses on increasing math and reading comprehension through music education.
Girls Choral Academy performs three major concerts each year involving girls in nine choirs. These girls are from all over West Michigan and from a wide variety of ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds. They attend public, private, charter, parochial schools, and some are home-schooled, but they are all united by their excitement about singing, about choir, and about being a girl. The organization is firmly committed to diversity in membership and repertoire.
Three of the choirs are located in southwest, urban Grand Rapids near Grandville Avenue. These choirs operate in cooperation with the Grand Rapids Public Schools (GRPS), including Southwest Community Campus School, Buchanan Elementary, and Chavez Elementary.
Get involved:
-
Learn more about Girls Choral Academy.
- To become a member,
click here or call (616) 361-6111.
-
Donate to Girls Choral Academy.
-
Become a mentor.
-
Join the Girls Choral Academy Guild.
Images: Courtesy of Girls Choral Academy website
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.