Welcome To the Mountain Empire Children's Choral Academy, dedicated to providing the youth of our region with extraordinary choral music experiences. Through the performance of outstanding choral music our students develop the joys of singing, teamwork, musical understanding and artistic expression which fosters self-growth that will enhance their entire lives "There is a lot to be said for children’s choirs, both in musical terms – when they are at their best, they produce a pure tone that adult choirs cannot match – and in terms of the social relationships they foster, to say nothing of the affinity for performance they create among their young charges.”
-- Allan Kozinn, Music Reviewer for the New York Times, July 2007
Our singers have performed at Biltmore House in Asheville, NC, the Rhythm & Roots Festival in Bristol as well as with the Johnson City Symphony and the Symphony of the Mountains. The Highlands Youth Ensemble has sung at Carnegie Hall and competed in the 20th International Choral Competition of Pecs, Hungary. The East Tennessee Children's Choir was chartered 20 years ago as a non-profit organization in Tennessee by Dr. Carl D. King, a professor at East Tennessee State University. In 2003, the ETCC spun off a senior high school-age choir, the Highlands Youth Ensemble, under the direction of Beth McCoy, artistic director of the ETCC since 1994. The Mountain Empire Children's Choral Academy brought both of these choirs under one umbrella in 2006 for a joint artistic vision, for future expansion by the addition of preparatory choirs and for unified fund-raising efforts.
Click here to download the MECCA Brochure For more information about MECCA, e-mail artistic director Beth McCoy at director@meccacademy.org or volunteer coordinator Becky Whitlock at publicity@meccacademy.org. |