In March, I had the pleasure of attending a concertfeaturing The Boys Choir of Harlem. The concert was held at SymphonyHall in Boston, Massachusetts.

My immediate impression as thechoir walked onto the stage was, Hey, these aren't boys! There wereseveral older looking gentlemen, even one with a bald head, which waspuzzling to me. Then the boys came on stage. Later, the directorexplained that the men helped sing the baritone part, which few boys cansing.

The choir was extremely professional in how they looked andcarried themselves. From their maturity on stage, you could see theiroverwhelming experience.

They started the concert with classicalpieces by Bach and Haydn. The solo voices were clear and true, while theunited voices of the choir took me away. I found myself sitting back,closing my eyes and listening to the sound.

The second half ofthe concert was more modern, upbeat and showy. The choir started with aBroadway and jazz medley, including "One" and "Take the ATrain," and they performed a choreographed dance with striped vestsand top hats. The mood then changed to rap and hip-hop beats. Thesingers wore colorful shirts, and invited you to spend a day "Up inHarlem." Their final selections consisted of gospelmusic.

This concert gave me the opportunity to experiencesomething that not many people get a chance to encounter. The Boys Choirof Harlem is a wonderful representation of not only African-Americans,but also of the United States. These boys are world-renowned and aretruly an inspiration to us all.