Photos courtesy of Columbus International Children's Choir
How many teenagers do you know who have performed throughout the U.S., Europe and South Africa, and have met President Barack Obama in the White House? The members of the award- winning Columbus International Children’s Choir know quite a few. Most of the high schoolers started their musical career by taking piano lessons with renowned instructor Tatiana Kats at the Columbus Music and Art Academy. Kats encouraged, and sometimes insisted, that her piano students also give choir a try. The programs continued to develop under Kats’ close watch, and now her students have more stamps on their passports than most adults.
In 1994, Kats and her husband, Ilya Utkin, moved to the U.S. from Moscow and currently live in Dublin. Utkin began work at The Ohio State University while Kats earned a Master of Arts degree in choral conducting and a master of music degree in piano pedagogy. She is now the founder and director of the Columbus International Children's Choir, Columbus International Community Choir, Columbus Music and Art Academy and the Central Ohio Singing Competition.
The CMA accepts children ages 4 through 18 with the youngest students singing in the Sunny Smiles Choir and the Creative Notes Choir. Children explore their singing voices and gain the confidence to sing alone and with others. They also learn proper posture, breathing techniques and how to follow a conductor. Dublin resident Hanrui Xu began taking piano lessons with Kats when he was 8 and tried choir as well.
“I didn’t think I would be very good or enjoy it, but eight years later, I still play piano and travel with the highest level Vocalise Choir,” says Xu, laughing. “You can definitely improve with practice and vocal exercises. Everyone can use more music in their life.”
The Vocalize Choir is an advanced, select choir for grades 8 through 12 and requires an audition. This group travels on yearly national and international concert tours and performs the most advanced repertoire.
Xu, now a junior at Columbus Academy, is a big fan of Vocalize and its travel opportunities. In 2016 he joined Kats and her choir groups in Italy, where they explored Venice, Florence, Milan, and Rome. The highlight was performing at mass at the center altar of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. Summer 2019 brought the choir to Ireland where they sang in multiple locations such as St. Mary’s Cathedral in Limerick and Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin. Fifty-five children and adults made the trip and enjoyed visiting the Cliffs of Moher and the Rock of Cashel.
One of Xu’s favorite experiences was visiting and singing in Washington D.C. in 2016. Earlier in the day, the Vocalize choir had a tour of the U.S. Capital, met Ohio Senator Rob Portman and performed for Congress. Twenty-five of the students were invited to shake hands with and sing a private concert for President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama.
“At one point the President thought we were finished with our song and started clapping too early. He was embarrassed and started laughing and hid behind his wife,” says Xu. “It was really funny.”
Brittaney Jin is a senior at Dublin Coffman High School and has been studying piano and voice with Kats since she was six. Jin recently finished the 10th level of piano, which is the final step before professional, and sings in the hamber and Vocalize Choirs. Her 14-year-old sister, Christina, plays violin, piano and is in choir as well. One of their favorite trips was performing at the World Choir Games (WCG) in South Africa in 2016.
“There are opening and closing ceremonies, a parade of nations where you walk with your flag and a presentation by the home country,” explains Kats. “We took 90 people on that trip, including 65 students, and came home with two gold medals: one in Youth Choir and one in musica sacra, or sacred music.”
The students all say they loved the sense of community and learning about the many cultures at the WCG.
“You could feel the energy,” says Jin. “In South Africa they have dance and movement associated with all of their music, which was great to experience because we don’t have that. Afterward we taught them dances from popular U.S. culture.”
Xu feels that competitions can be stressful due to the added rehearsals and trying to stay healthy and in good form.
“But it’s really fun to explore the world with your friends,” he says.
In summer 2020, the WCG are in Belgium and Kats plans to bring the same number of singers to compete.
Since The Columbus Music and Art Academy is a non-profit, it is planning fundraisers throughout the year to create scholarships for students with financial need. In addition to teaching singing and instruments, the school offers music theory and teaches skills such as harmony and ear-training, sight singing, reading music, and visual art.
“There are so many benefits to learning art and music that can help in other areas of your life,” says Kats.
Their website www.cmaacademy.org mentions getting exposure to foreign languages through songs, developing the confidence to perform on stage and increasing self-discipline and responsibility.
“Tatiana is extra passionate and super detail-oriented,” says Jin. “She meticulously goes through tons of songs to find the right ones that will be accepted for the World Choir Games and still be fun for us to learn.”
“Tatiana is so dedicated and keeps us at the top competition level with just one Saturday practice per week,” Christina says.
“It’s true,” adds Jins. “I wouldn’t want to spend my Saturday any other way.”
Colleen D’Angelo is a freelancer writer who lives in Dublin with her husband, three children and several small animals. She enjoys playing tennis, walking the Dublin bike paths and traveling.
