Pardon Me for Crowing!

Last Thursday the chorus that I’m Director of was honored by the Tennessee House of Representatives by their issuing House Resolution No. 28.  It reads:

As a Resolution to honor and commend The David Johnson Chorus upon winning three Silver Diplomas at the 2012 World Choir Games.

Whereas, the members of the General Assembly are pleased to specially recognize those fine institutions that bring the joys of artistic expression and culture to the citizens of the State while promoting the importance of the performing arts; and

Whereas, The David Johnson Chorus (DJC) is one such laudable institution that was formed fifteen years ago, in 1998, when David Johnson, formerly of Dresden, reunited with several of his former Dresden High School Chorus students from the mid-1970s and early 1980s; and

Whereas, the chorus auditioned and added members from Northwest Tennessee and Southwest Kentucky to perform for audiences throughout the Mid-South and as far away as Washington, D.C.; Atlanta, Georgia; and St. Louis, Missouri; and

Whereas, the auditioned chorus grew to forty voices, with most members coming from small towns throughout Northwest Tennessee.  The unpaid, amateur members, who range in age from nineteen to seventy, purchase their own performing attire and pay their way to every venue, with sponsors helping defray chorus operating costs for transportation and equipment; and

Whereas, during the last fifteen years, DJC has been faithful to carry its message in song to more than 200 venues, from performing arts centers, schools, and other special venures, to children’s and veteran’s hospitals, as well as centers for the mentally and physically chalenged in several states; and

Whereas, The David Johnson Chorus has sponsored appearances by the Nashville Chamber Orchestra and the “newgrass” group, Nickel Creek, with the intent to make a difference in the community by bringing in groups that would broaden the musical horizons of Tennesseans; and

Whereas, the chorus has performed for hundreds of elementary schools students across West Tennessee, many of who experienced the joy of choral music for the first time in the company of the DJC, which has performed a wide variety of songs, ranging from Disney songs and patriotic songs, to a cappella music and music written by American composers; and

Whereas; The David Johnson Chorus has performed for thousands of people at outdoor events on the Fourth of July; at the Tennessee State Fair; at The Parthenon in Nashville; at churches from Memphis to Knoxville; at performing arts centers, including those in Jackson, Memphis, Paris, Huntingdon and Murray, Kentucky; and at major venues, such as The Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina, where the DJC has been invited to perform six times; and

Whereas, a pinnacle of the DJC’s stellar record of achievements came July 3-8, 2012, when it competed as one of only two choruses from the great State of Tennessee in the World Choir Games (WCG) in Cincinnati, Ohio.  The WCG involved more than 15,000 participants from over 350 choral groups representing sixty-seven countries; and

Whereas, The David Johnson Chorus competed in three categories and won a Silver Diploma in the categories of Mixed Choirs, Folklore, and Sacred Music.  In so doing, its members served as outstanding ambassadors for their hometowns and the State of Tennessee, and it was with great pride that DJC Director David Johnson and General Manager Gil Dyer stood on the podium to accept the three awards; and

Whereas, The David Johnson Chorus not only shares its talents with the State but also lays the fou9ndation for the appreciation of music and provides a rich musical heritage for future generations, and it is appropriate that its members be applauded; no, therefore,

Be it Resolved BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ON HUNDRED EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE, that we here by honor and commend The David Johnson Chorus for its invaluable contributions to this State and its cultural landscape, congratulate its members upon winning a Silver Diploma in three categories at the 2012 World Choir Games, and extend to the DJC members our best wishes for every continued success in all their future endeavors.

ADOPTED:  February 7, 2013