Sister Cities Girlchoir Second Annual Finale Fundraising Concert, “Broadway, Our Way”

April – May 2014

Sister Cities Girlchoir

Second Annual Finale Fundraising Concert, “Broadway, Our Way” April – May 2014

Simon PR launched an aggressive media relations campaign to share Sister Cities Girlchoir’s story of empowering at-risk girls by building resilience, leadership, mastery and connection. For the purpose of raising SCG’s recognition in the community and driving attendance to the Second Annual Finale Fundraising Concert, the Agency secured feature stories in prominent Philadelphia media outlets and advance calendar placements across the region. Feature Stories

• Simon PR showcased the passion of Executive Director Alysia Lee by coordinating a story on CBS Philly’s popular Brotherly Love segment. The segment’s producer and reporter shared their enthusiasm by responding and favoriting tweets about the story.

• The Agency secured a feature by Philadelphia Daily News columnist Helen Ubiñas. Reactions to the column included a “love this” note from the newspaper’s editor, which Ubiñas tweeted.

Advance Placements

• Simon PR secured 13 advance calendar placements for the Second Annual Finale Fundraising Concert.

• Placements in the Philly Fun Guide, Philadelphia Weekly, Daily Local News, Yelp, Eventful, Courier-Post and The Trentonian included a photo of the Girlchoir.

• The full calendar alert and photo ran in The Black Professionals News, reaching 10,000 readers.

Feature Stories

Sister Cities Girlchoir 2nd Annual Fundraising Concert

CBS-3 Brotherly Love May 13, 2014 at 5:30 p.m.

http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2014/05/13/brotherly-love-sister-cities-girlchoir/

By Ukee Washington

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – A choir is not just a choir. It’s a community. A singer is helping local young girls join choirs and find their voices in the hopes girls can change the world.

Growing up, Alysia Lee was a girl on the wrong path. “I was, the best word that I can come up with is a big bully,” she said.

http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2014/05/13/brotherly-love-sister-cities-girlchoir/

Alysia says singing gave her an outlet for her emotions.

Leyleni Miller, 6, said, “I think that she sings really nice.”

Now Alysia Lee is a classically trained musician and founder of Sister Cities Girlchoir, made up of six free music choirs for 250 at-risk girls ages 6 to 13.

“Those girls, when they have children, will be able to create a whole new set of positive factors for the next generation,” Alysia said, “and that’s how girls can really change the world.”

Alysia keeps the girls busy, always tapping out a beat to teach rhythm. Even snack time ends in a song and dance.

Zoey Murray, 7, said, “Sister Cities Girlchoir is the best thing ever.”

There are four Girlchoirs in Philadelphia, and two in Camden.

Alysia says the program is all girls for a reason.

“A lot of girls are just sitting at home, especially low income girls, and they don’t have activities that are planned just around them,” Alysia said.

Sister Cities Girlchoir is sponsored by the non-profit New York Foundation for the Arts. They hire professional music teachers who teach everything from pop hits to classical music.

“We do field trips sometimes, and we sing on stage,” said 7-year-old Kaelah Gillies.

Alysia said, “They’re going to be leaders in this city, and it’s important to invest in them now.”

Sister Cities Girlchoir has a fundraising concert Sunday, May 18 at Holy Trinity Church, Center City. It kicks off at 5:00 p.m. General admission tickets are $25, with VIP tickets for $100.

http://sistercitiesgirlchoir.org/

May 14, 2014

May 20, 2014

http://www.philly.com/

May 20, 2014

Sister Cities Girlchoir all about Girl Power

HELEN UBINAS

I WENT TO Harrity Elementary School in West Philly last week to get a sneak listen to the Sister Cities Girlchoir before their big concert.

I don't use the term "big" lightly here. On Sunday, about 700 proud relatives, friends and supporters filled Center City's Church of the Holy Trinity for their annual fundraiser.

It was a sight to behold, especially when just two years ago founder Alysia Lee was new to town, and knocking on doors looking for funding and girls to join the choir.

Sister Cities is now made up of six music choirs, which are free to 250 at-risk girls ages 6 to 13 in Philadelphia and Camden. It's expanding, too, because under the direction of this 33-year-old firecracker of a founder, of course it is.

http://www.philly.com/

In a basement room at Harrity, I witnessed the downright magical way Lee deals with all kinds of adolescent personalities - and hormones. I also got to hear a little of Tyanna Johnson-Deshield's solo. Small wonder the eighth-grader was recently admitted to the Arts Academy at Benjamin Rush.

And even smaller wonder that Lee has made such an impact in such a short amount of time.

Long after the rehearsal was over and the school emptied out, Lee and I sat in a cavernous stairwell talking about the importance of helping girls find their voice and claim their space in the world.

It's been a recurring theme recently - last week the Stoneleigh Foundation held a symposium asking: "What about the girls?" It's an incredibly important conversation to have because, as I've said in previous columns, young women hold the key to putting an end to what ails so much of this city, including poverty and violence.

If only they realized how much power they have.

"It would change the world," Lee agreed. And it has a lot to do with why she started the program that uses music to equip at-risk girls with the academic skills, healthy habits and support to tackle many of the obstacles they face in their neighborhoods.

Growing up in Baltimore, Lee said she remembers feeling as though she didn't have a say in her world.

"I just remember thinking, 'How come my voice doesn't matter?' "she said. That frustration led to a lot of academic and personal trouble.

But Lee eventually found her voice, and power, through singing. The classically trained mezzo-soprano went on to teach and sing professionally in New York. But she wanted to use her music to build community.

One night someone sent her a YouTube video of the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra. The orchestra is part of El Sistema, a tuition-free music-education system founded in Venezuela as a way to encourage disadvantaged young people to set and achieve goals.

"I was mesmerized," Lee said. "No. 1, they were all brown. And they were playing classical music excellently, and with such exuberance. I was really inspired."

That same night she discovered a Sistema Fellows Program at the New England Conservatory for people who were passionate about music and social change.

Perfect, except for two minor details: The deadline was just days away and they were not accepting singers.

Lee convinced them that was a mistake.

http://www.philly.com/

"You cannot launch a movement and ignore the power that singing has to transform a community," she told them.

After completing the program she came across the "Girl Effect" theory in a 2011 World Bank report that, in essence, said by investing in girls early we can potentially break the cycle of poverty.

Bingo!

"All of a sudden, I could just see what I was supposed to do so clearly," Lee said. "I knew that this was going to be a girl choir. I knew that there were girls out there waiting, just like I was, to find their voices."

In the first year of the program, one girl was so shy Lee wondered if she was mute. It turned out that she had been so mocked for her learning disabilities that she felt safer silent.

"A year later that same little girl sang a solo in front of a sold-out crowd," Lee said, choking up.

The transformation for this year's soloist was similarly striking. Johnson-Deshield said she always loved to sing, but was too shy to do it outside of her bedroom.

"The program taught me a lot about singing, but also a lot about confidence," she said.

As she took her place at the front of the church on Sunday, I couldn't stop thinking about why she said she finally took the scary step to sing in public.

"I want to be heard."

Email: ubinas@phillynews.com

Phone: 215-854-5943

On Twitter: @NotesFromHel

On Facebook: Helen.Ubinas

May 23, 2014

May 20, 2014

May 18, 2014

May 15, 2014

Advance Placements

https://phillyfunguide.com/events/sister-cities-girlchoir-performs-broadway-our-way-at-second-annual-finale-fundraising-concert

http://calendar.phillymag.com/philadelphia_pa/events/show/370297658-sister-cities-girlchoir-performs-broadway-our-way-at-second-annual-finale-fundraising-concert

http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/events/255784615.html

http://events.dailylocal.com/philadelphia_pa/events/sister-cities-girlchoir-performs-broadway-o-/E0-001-069720007-2

http://www.upcomingevents.com/events/philadelphia/church-of-the-holy-trinity-rittenhouse-square/sister-cities-girlchoir-performs-broadway-our-way-at-second-annual-fin-18598.asp

http://www.zvents.com/philadelphia_pa/events/show/370297658-sister-cities-girlchoir-performs-broadway-our-way-at-second-annual-finale-fundraising-concert

http://www.yelp.com/events/philadelphia-sister-cities-girlchoir-performs-broadway-our-way-at-second-annual-finale-fundraising-concert

http://www.philly.com/philly/calendar/256242801.html

http://philadelphia.eventful.com/events/sister-cities-girlchoir-performs-broadway-o-/E0-001-069720007-2

April 23, 2014

http://localsearch.courierpostonline.com/localevents/event/100/99055-Sister-Cities-Girlchoir-Performs-Broadway-Our-Way-at-Second-Annual-Finale-Fundraising-Concert

http://events.delcotimes.com/philadelphia_pa/events/sister-cities-girlchoir-performs-broadway-o-/E0-001-070025542-2

http://events.trentonian.com/philadelphia_pa/events/sister-cities-girlchoir-performs-broadway-o-/E0-001-069720007-2