One Voice Children's Choir: A 2002 Olympic Legacy

Those attending Mountain Town Music's July 5th Wednesday concert at Deer Valley were treated to a real bonus. The opening act, ONE VOICE Children's Choir, originated from a group of children who sang at the 2002 Winter Olympics under the direction of Masa Fukuda and were so powerfully impacted by the experience they asked to continue to sing together.

Supportive parents and a very dedicated director, formed a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation whose vision statement reads: “Through music, we inspire, enrich, uplift and serve our global community, while building youth as One Voice.” Without a doubt, they do!

Amelia Critchfield, President, has two daughters in the choir and a son who just graduated, explained, “The choir kids are loving and accepting of everyone, every child is encouraged to grow and get out of their comfort zone and these children realize they can make a difference in the world. They’ve had so many opportunities to bring comfort, share joy, and uplift through music.  They’ve learned about problems around the world such as disease, poverty, war, and even suicide.  When they see an audience member wiping away tears or clapping joyfully or giving them a handshake or hug after a performance it helps them realize that our positive message improves our communities locally and around the world.”

Since it's inception, over 500 Utah children have participated. The current choir is made up of 140 children ages 4 to 18 who reside in northern Utah along the Wasatch Front.

“We performed locally 40-50 times per year but the choir was “under the radar” until 2014,” says Critchfield. “We were in a viral Alex Boye music video (“Let It Go”, now over 90 million views) and then appeared on America’s Got Talent.  Since then things have exploded!”

Everything they sing is original material or original arrangements penned by talented director Masa Fukuda, an international award-winning composer, arranger and producer. Born in Japan, he received college-level training in music theory, dictation, keyboard harmony, improvisation and orchestration at age 10 and by age 16 attended BYU on a scholarship.

His music was used during the 2002 Winter Olympic Games and was featured on the gold-faced commemorative CD for the Olympics 'LIGHT UP THE LAND'. Successful as an arranger and producer, Fukuda's real passion is cultivating talents. He devotes countless hours to teaching and helping choir children achieve their goals and dreams.

Learn more about the performers and organization at: onevoicechildrenschoir.com