Pittsburgh Youth Chorus creates new BIPOC artist-in-residence position, institutes sliding tuition scale

The Pittsburgh Youth Chorus will kick off its 2021-‘22 season with a return to in-person rehearsals, an income-based sliding scale for tuition, and a new artist-in-residence program for Black, indigenous and people of color (BIPOC).

“PYC’s conducting staff is comprised of white women and men whose musical training is rooted predominantly in the Western classical music canon and traditions,” PYC officials said in a news release. “The new BIPOC Artist-in-Residence program will engage professional BIPOC musicians and conductors in a newly created leadership role within PYC.”

The first person in that role will be Pittsburgh native Michael Warren. He’s an assistant principal at Pittsburgh King PreK-8 school, and former choir director at the Avonworth School District.

Warren holds a degree in music education, a master’s degree in education administration, and is currently preparing to defend his dissertation for Duquesne University’s Doctor of Educational Leadership program in 2022. He is also a recipient of the university’s 2020 Duquesne Duke of the Decade award for his accomplishments following graduation from the Mary Pappert School of Music and School of Education.

“I love teaching music, but more importantly, I love teaching young kiddos to sing,” Warren said. “Every young person who comes to the rehearsal room has a uniquely different voice and back-story that sets them apart.”

Warren will select choral repertoire, conduct alongside Pittsburgh Youth Chorus’s artistic team and work with PYC singers to teach how musical traditions rooted in the cultural heritage of BIPOC communities have influenced the larger landscape of American music.

“Being a conductor allows me to utilize their diverse stories while telling a unified story in song,” Warren said. “I’m looking forward to jumping on board with PYC to make music together!”

Pittsburgh Youth Chorus Artistic Director Shawn Funk is excited as well.

“(Warren’s) performance and teaching background, paired with his passion for inspiring a love of singing and music in young people, made him the perfect fit for this new program,” Funk said.

In addition to Warren’s new position, PYC has also implemented a sliding scale for tuition for the first time, based on income with the aim of making its choral programs accessible to as many children as possible.

“We are actively trying to break down as many barriers to entry as possible, so we can create a PYC that is more diverse in every sense of the word,” said Pittsburgh Youth Chorus Executive Director Lee Saville-Iksic.