Boys Choir of Harlem

The Boys Choir of Harlem (also known as the Harlem Boys Choir) was a choir located in Harlem, New York City, United States. Its last performance was in 2007 and the group folded shortly thereafter due to several controversies, a large budget deficit, and the death of its founder.

Founded in 1968 by Dr. Walter Turnbull at the Ephesus Seventh-day Adventist Church in Harlem, the choir grew to be more than just a performing group. Drawn from children in the neighborhood, the majority of the choir's members were African American or Hispanic. In its early years, Rev. Frederick B. Williams gave them a base at the Church of the Intercession at 155th Street and Broadway.

The choir established a professional school incorporating a regular academic curriculum, the Choir Academy of Harlem. It was supervised by the New York City Department of Education; at its peak, it had a student body of over 500 boys and girls. Because of staff scandals, the group lost use of the school facility in 2006.

Performers received rigorous voice training and performed many types of music, including classical, hip-hop, R&B, jazz, and gospel music. The choir was internationally known. Over 150,000 people saw the choir live each year across the United States as well as in Canada, France, Japan, The Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. Unlike its Austrian cousin, the Vienna Boys Choir, the Boys Choir of Harlem did not include only boys who had not reached puberty. The range of music performed was such that it required both natural boy sopranos whose voices had not yet changed and more mature voices of teenagers who could sing tenor and bass roles.

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