Bartow Series Performance
Cincinnati Boychoir Directed by Former Faculty

On April 15 and 16, the Cincinnati Boychoir, under the direction of Christopher Eanes (a past director of the Blair Academy Singers), were the special guests of Blair Academy. The choir performed with the Blair Academy Singers and Blair Academy Strings on Thursday, then presented a Bartow Series performance on Friday for the entire Blair community, accompanied at times by the Blair Academy Strings. Performing Arts Chair Jennifer Pagotto noted that these talented young boys offered something quite unique to their audience – a performance that was certainly “ethereal” in quality. Their repertoire ranged from classical to gospel, with “God Bless America” their first song and “What a Wonderful World” their last.

Founded in 1965, the Cincinnati Boychoir seeks to enhance the social, emotional, and musical development of boys by instilling in them a sense of dedication, self-discipline and respect. By striving for artistic excellence and learning a diverse repertory of choral literature, the boys are prepared for a lifelong love of music and ensemble singing. For more information, check out the choir’s Web site at http://cincinnatiboychoir.org/

Christopher Eanes, a former director of the Blair Academy Singers, began as artistic director of the Cincinnati Boychoir on June 1, 2009, a week after moving to the Queen City from Los Angeles. Born and raised in Connecticut’s Litchfield Hills, Chris studied conducting, voice and piano at Occidental College, the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music, and with several teachers in Milan, Italy. Chris holds a master’s degree in choral music from USC, and is continuing his doctoral work on the same campus. In October of 2006, Chris produced and conducted a University-funded production of Purcell’s Dido & Aeneas; as a result of this project, he was appointed artistic director of the Chamber Opera of USC, in which capacity he oversaw and conducted several productions annually. As a performer, he has sung in Los Angeles with the USC Thornton Choral Artists under the direction of Christoph von Dohnányi, Carl St. Clair, and William Dehning, and in the USC Chamber Choir with Paul Salamunovich. Chris spends June and July of each summer coaching gifted high school musicians at the Hotchkiss Summer Portals program in Lakeville, Conn., where he has also been working on a project to edit and perform the sacred works of Baldassare Galuppi.

Nevitt Bartow taught at Blair from 1961 until his death in l973 from leukemia at the age of 39. He was a dedicated music teacher and talented composer who helped shape Blair’s arts program. The Bartow Series is a program endowed with the mission to expand the artistic experiences of Blair students by bringing professional performers from far and wide to the Blair stage.

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Updated 4/17/2010

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