Photo courtesy of Birmingham Girls Choir
Birmingham Girls Choir Director Margaret Heron leads a rehearsal with choristers. The nonprofit serves more than 130 girls across the metro area through performance and music education.
Q: Please tell our readers about the Birmingham Girls Choir. When and how was it founded?
A: In its beginning, BGC was started as the “Birmingham Children’s Choir” in 2001 by a professor at the University of Alabama, with funding from a grant. Over a decade later, when Amanda Klimko, long-time Birmingham music educator, became the executive director, the choir was changed to the “Birmingham Girls Choir” as Amanda knew that our city had an amazing boys choir established. For the next decade, BGC was extremely small in number but remained an organization of musical excellence. During the pandemic, BGC was forced to shut down. Upon reopening, I took on the role of executive director, and BGC had four remaining girls to start our post-pandemic season. So, the current BGC launched then and now has over 130 girls enrolled, grades K-12.
Q: What is your favorite thing about being the director of the Birmingham Girls Choir? How long have you been involved with the choir?
A: I absolutely love growing girls in musical excellence and witnessing each of our choristers build confidence, poise and independence as they learn accountability in the community that choir provides. I was a teacher with BGC for five years prior to the shutdown and then took on the executive director position in the summer of 2021. I retired from public education in 2022, and now BGC is my focus.
Q: Who can be a member of the choir? What schools are represented among your singers? How are they selected for the choir?
A: Any girl in grades K-12 can audition with us at any time. For our “littles” (through third or fourth grade), this is not a formal audition but rather a voice and personality assessment. For older girls, we are assessing aural and rhythmic ability, focus and success in following instruction. No prior music knowledge is needed. BGC now has over 60 schools represented in our choirs.
Q: What is the mission of Birmingham Girls Choir?
A: BGC is a nonprofit organization that instills excellence in young girls through the study and performance of choral music, providing superior performing experience within a community of high expectations. Our motto is the “3Cs” — Committed to excellence, considerate of others, composed in behavior and learning.
Q: Do you have any special events or concerts coming up?
A: Yes! BGC is growing so quickly, our performance calendar continues to expand! Here are some of our upcoming events:
Nov. 14–15 — Collaboration performance with The Dance Foundation in Homewood
Nov. 20 — Fall concert featuring all of our girls, Vestavia Methodist Church, 6:30 p.m.
Dec. 5 — Carols at the Birmingham Zoo, 6 p.m.
Dec. 11 — Caroling in Edgewood, 5:30-6:30 p.m.
Dec. 14 — Collaboration with Opera Birmingham, Holiday Concert, 2:30 p.m., Samford University
Dec. 16 — Carols at the Daniel Foundation, 4-5 p.m.
Q: I know that the choir is a nonprofit. How can the community support the Birmingham Girls Choir?
A: As we continue to expand as a nonprofit, we are committed to providing the highest level of training for our girls and to reaching as many as possible. Last season, we opened two satellite rehearsal locations, in Gardendale and Pelham, to serve more families, with plans to open new sites in the east and west areas soon. Also, we have begun touring with our choirs and performing more in our communities. In addition, we offer scholarships to those in need. Though our girls pay tuition, it only covers 55% of cost for our organization. The remainder is covered by donations from individuals and businesses. To support our girls, go to birminghamgirlschoir.org/support and make a tax-deductible donation. We would love for you to support our girls by sharing in one of their performances so you can hear and see first-hand the beauty they create together.
Q: What accomplishments with the choir are you most proud of?
A: Oh my, that list is very long. In the four seasons I have been in leadership, I have seen so many accomplishments and remarkable progress in our girls and organization. First, the musical growth has been amazing. Since many of our singers have been with us all four years, the maturity and beauty of their singing is extraordinary. I am so proud of the teachers at BGC; each of them is among the best in the Southeast. Also, we partner with Birmingham universities to provide future music educators a place to come to learn from our teachers and grow their teaching skills of all ages. I love the climate of excellence within every rehearsal and witnessing our girls learning and modeling the confidence and maturity of the ladies teaching and working with them. It is an amazing place for girls, from the ground up, to learn and grow together. I’m humbled and honored to be a part of such an incredible community.
