A North Texas educational organization dedicated to inspiring young people through an arts-based, academic world-view.
2021 marks the 75th Anniversary of Texas Center for Arts + Academics. Since the first rehearsal of the Denton Civic Boys Choir in 1946, we have been working tirelessly to inspire lifelong passions for achieving academic excellence and pursuing artistic passions. By fostering the unmatched talent of our students our organization has grown and changed a great deal in the past 75 years, but our commitment to the artistic and academic achievements of our students has remained the same. This year, we are proud to celebrate our past and strong foundation of arts and culture in Fort Worth.
So many people are a part of our story, playing a crucial role in the enduring history of where we are now. We encourage you to participate in our celebrations and commemoration this coming year so you can be part of that history and join us as we look towards the future.
In the past 75 years, we have grown from a small Boychoir that served 37 young men, to a robust nonprofit that plays a significant role in the Fort Worth arts and culture community, reaching over 1,000 students each day. We are accustomed to changing with the times and continuously adapting our learning opportunities, programs, and performances to best meet our student’s needs. This year has brought unexpected challenges and changes, but we are confident as we look towards the future and build upon our solid foundation of student excellence. While we cannot celebrate in person together, we hope you will join us in virtually celebrating this milestone of 75 years of artistic and academic excellence in Fort Worth and beyond.
GIVE BACK TO THOSE WHO GIVE SO MUCH TO OUR STUDENTS. SUPPORT THE FACULTY FUND TODAY.
Throughout our 75 years, we have had thousands of amazing students and families share their creativity with the world. Please consider sharing a story or two about how you were changed by our teachers, schools, programs, and choirs.
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The Denton Civic Boys Choir School was founded in 1946 with 37 boys. The tuition for students was $1,200 per year which included room, board, instruction, voice, and piano lessons.
Denton Civic Boys Choir School changed its name to the Texas Boys Choir to better represent its broad draw of membership from singers around Texas. They permanently moved to Fort Worth and changed the school’s name to the Texas Boys Choir School. Having the ability to incorporating the singers’ rehearsals into their school days provided them with additional tour opportunities and the ability to simultaneously succeed on the academic stage.
Texas Boys Choir traveled to New York to perform on the “Pat Boone Show” with the Salt Lake City Tabernacle Choir, rising to national prominence.
Texas Boys Choir undertook a tour to Europe. The boys performed at the famous Eisteddfod Festival in Llangollen, Wales, and continued their tour across France, The Netherlands, and Italy. The climax of the tour was the singing of High Mass in St. Peter’s and an audience with the Pope in Rome. Following the completion of the extended European tour, the Boys’ Choir completed appearances in New York City and in Washington, DC where nation’s leaders including Lyndon Johnson praised the boys for their effectiveness as goodwill ambassadors from America to the people of the world.
The Choir performs for President and Mrs. John F. Kennedy. A joyous event, which quickly turned to sadness as later that day the President is assassinated.
The Texas Boys Choir wins their first GRAMMY AWARD in the “Best Classical Choral Performance (Other than Opera)” category for Ives: Music for Chorus.
The Texas Boys Choir wins their second GRAMMY AWARD in the “Best Classical Choral Performance (Other than Opera)” category for The Glory of Gabrieli which was recorded in St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice, Italy.
Texas Boys Choir was prominently featured in the documentary, “A Time of Waking.” This documentary was a philosophy of Boychoir. The documentary received the Bronze Award in 1970 from the International Film and TV Festival and in 1971 it received the George Washington Honor Medal from the Freedom Foundation at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. The film was sponsored by The Walsh Foundation.
Mary D. & F. Howard Walsh of Fort Worth gifted a building to be used as Texas Boys Choir’s home. This home was known as “A Place Called Christmas”.
“Ray Charles’ “The Continental Soldier Suite” was commissioned by the Texas Boys’ Choir in anticipation of the Bicentennial Celebration of the United States in 1976. The first performances were given during the Choir’s National Tour in 1972.
Texas Boys Choir celebrates its 3,000th performance. These performances came from 18 tours, 13 in the US, and 5 in Europe. They had also performed on radio and television and recorded 26 albums.
Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts (FWAFA) opened its doors for its first academic year. The public charter school is designed to foster the artistic talents of 3-12 graders while they pursue academic achievements.
Singing Girls of Texas, a professional-level women’s choral program, is founded as a sister organization to the Texas Boys Choir.
Texas Boys Choir participated in the World Choir Games in Bremen, Germany where they received a Gold medal and Championship medal in the category of Mixed Boys’ Choir under the direction of Dr. Jerome M. Bierschenk.
Texas School of the Arts (TeSA) was founded, offering an opportunity for K-6th graders to develop their artistic and academic talents.
Texas Boys Choir was invited to perform at the third annual Iguazu en Concierto: International Youth Orchestra and Choir Festival as the only representative from North America. This performance preceded a 12-day tour across Argentina. They performed in Buenos Aires, Mercedes, Mar de Plata, and Iguazu Falls. They performed with the internationally acclaimed Argentinian quartet Opus Cuatro for two of those performances.
Texas Boys Choir, Inc. rebrands itself to better represent the various ways they were supporting artistic excellence and academic success. The name changed to Texas Center for Arts + Academics.
Texas Dance Conservatory opened with a vision to provide rigorous, disciplined training to nurture the growth and development of young dancers.
Texas Boys choir opened the world premiere of the opera, JFK. After this performance, they traveled to Germany and Austria visiting prestigious locations such as St. Stephen’s in Vienna, and St. Thomas Church in Leipzig. During their visit, the group did cultural exchanges and shared concerts with the Wiltner Boy Choir of Innsbruck, the Dresden Kreuzchor, and the Vienna Boys Choir.
Texas Boys Choir undertook an international tour to China with 15 stops.
Texas Art Conservatory was founded to inspire young artists interested in 2D and 3D art forms and nurture students’ abilities to create and imagine.
The launch of the Texas Music Conservatory is announced. The courses are designed to engage the student in the fundamentals of music literacy, healthy vocal technique, and offers private music lessons in flute and clarinet.
“I was an active participant in dance, theater and choir. In each of those, I was taught to think creatively, to communicate effectively, and to develop intercultural empathy as I worked in diverse teams. While attending a school that was so supportive, I developed a confidence I really didn’t have before and each of those skills I learned have been instrumental to my success in the US and around the globe. If I’ve discovered anything from my career it’s art has the power to reduce conflict and bring people together.”
-Andrew Hill, 2006 Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts Graduate
