Michelle Boyles

Starting this July, Mr. Frank Van Atta will join Dr. Elizabeth Parker in leading CY’s Programs.

Philadelphia, (June 2, 2021) – Following an extensive national search, Commonwealth Youthchoirs (CY) is thrilled to announce that Mr. Frank J. Van Atta will join the organization as next Co-Artistic Director beginning July 15.  

“Mr. Van Atta brings a wealth of experience as a music educator and choral conductor, demonstrating deep care and exceptional leadership with developing voices,” says CY Co-Artistic partner, Dr. Elizabeth Parker. “He is poised to apply his knowledge, talent and passion for excellence in choral music education to inspire the next generation of Commonwealth Youthchoirs. We couldn’t be more excited to have Mr. Van Atta join our team.”

In this role, Van Atta will lead Keystone State Boychoir and New Jersey Boychoir, and will work collaboratively with Parker, who leads Pennsylvania Girlchoir and Garden State Girlchoir. Together, they will oversee the organization’s community engagement program, Find Your Instrument! and shape the next chapter of Commonwealth Youthchoirs’ family of programs, currently celebrating its 20th season. Both Parker and Van Atta are available for interviews upon request. 

For the last nine years, Van Atta has taught secondary choral and general music in Boston and Philadelphia, and has served as Organist and Choir Director at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church in Milton, MA and Trinity Episcopal Church in Ambler, PA. Holding music education and organ performance degrees from the Jacobs School of Music (Indiana University) and a graduate degree in choral conducting from the Boyer College of Music and Dance (Temple University), Mr. Van Atta is the current Upper School Choral Director at Germantown Friends School, a position in which he will continue next year. 

As a young singer, Mr. Van Atta grew up in community-based choral programs, specifically the Pittsburgh Youth Chorus, formerly the Children’s Festival Chorus of Pittsburgh (CFC), under the direction of Christine Jordanoff and the Junior Mendelssohn Choir, under the direction of the late Dr. Robert Page. “I owe so much of my formative musical experiences not only to school-based opportunities but to the decade in which I participated in CFC and the Junior Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh,” says Van Atta. “I hope to provide a space where singers from every neighborhood in Philadelphia and beyond can thrive.”

Van Atta will work closely with Parker to continue Commonwealth Youthchoirs’ critical mission to transform the lives of young people through the power of making music together. More than 600 singers take part in Commonwealth Youthchoirs’ five award-winning programs: Keystone State Boychoir, Pennsylvania Girlchoir, Find Your Instrument!, Garden State Girlchoir and New Jersey Boychoir. 

“I am incredibly excited to be able to serve the Greater Philadelphia community through music as Co-Artistic Director. Singers in Commonwealth Youthchoirs have long served as ambassadors of song throughout the world, and we will continue to tell the stories that reflect our community through music,” Van Atta asserts. “The 2021-2022 season will be just the beginning of the long and exciting future ahead, and we cannot wait to welcome audiences back to our in-person performances.”

For the past 20 years, Commonwealth Youthchoirs has been on the forefront of transforming young lives through song. Even amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, CY has kept singing, with virtual performances featured at the Democratic National Convention, NBC’s Today Show, and the 2021 Presidential Inauguration. After more than a year, CY celebrated a triumphant return to in-person rehearsals this Spring and joined several arts partners in exciting collaborative projects. Thanks to the dedicated staff, singers are well-prepared to return for an unforgettable 2021-2022 performance season this Fall, including intercultural exchanges through domestic and international tours beginning in June 2022. 

About Commonwealth Youthchoirs: Commonwealth Youthchoirs (CY) is a Philadelphia-based nonprofit with a mission to transform the lives of young people through the power of making music together — one song at a time. Its family of programs includes: Find Your Instrument!, Garden State Girlchoir, Keystone State Boychoir, New Jersey Boychoir and Pennsylvania Girlchoir. CY serves more than 600 children in the greater Philadelphia and South Jersey region between the ages of 7 and 18.