For nearly four decades, the Pensacola Children’s Chorus has helped shape the soundtrack of Pensacola’s arts community. What began in 1989 as a small youth choir formed to perform with the Pensacola Symphony Orchestra has grown into one of the largest children’s chorus organizations in the country, serving roughly 300 students each year across Northwest Florida and South Alabama.
Today, under the leadership of Artistic and Executive Director Alex Gartner, the organization is preparing for one of the biggest moments in its history: a return to Carnegie Hall this June as part of the National Youth Choir Festival.
For Gartner, who is currently in his tenth anniversary season with the organization, the upcoming performance represents much more than a concert.
“It’s cool to see the full circle,” Gartner said, reflecting on former chorus members now working across the country in music, theater, business, and countless other industries.
Originally from the Midwest, Gartner earned his undergraduate degree in Cincinnati before arriving in Pensacola in 2016. He later completed his master’s degree at the University of Florida and pursued a certificate in Arts & Culture Strategy at the University of Pennsylvania while employed with Pensacola Children’s Chorus.
What immediately stood out to him was Pensacola’s deep appreciation for the arts.
“The arts community here shouldn’t be what it is,” Gartner said. “It’s too big for how we are. The amount of support the community throws at the arts is impressive.”
That support has allowed the Pensacola Children’s Chorus to steadily expand over the years. What started as a single choir now includes between nine and fifteen ensembles annually, depending on programming and funding, with outreach extending into communities such as Century and Atmore.
But Gartner says the organization’s impact reaches far beyond music.
“We gave them the tools on how to be good people,” he said. “Responsibility, teamwork, accountability, confidence, and empathy. Those are the five things that we preach here.”
That philosophy has become central to the organization’s culture over the last decade. Gartner explained that one of the biggest lessons students learn is how to work as part of something larger than themselves.
“We can’t all be in the spotlight all the time,” he said. “We have to work as a team.”
The upcoming Carnegie Hall performance is the result of months of preparation. Students began rehearsing for their featured performance earlier this spring while simultaneously preparing festival music throughout the school year.
This year’s trip carries added significance for Gartner personally. In addition to leading the festival, he also composed an original piece that will be performed during the event. The composition features text by poet and Methodist minister Jan Richardson, whose writing Gartner says reflects the same compassion and affirmation he hopes students experience within the chorus program.
The organization is no stranger to large-scale productions. Beyond traditional choir performances, many of the Pensacola Children’s Chorus concerts are largely built in-house, with staff arranging music, orchestrating accompaniments, and designing productions specifically for their students.
One of the organization’s most recognizable annual events remains its Christmas performances, which have become a longstanding Pensacola holiday tradition.
Still, even as the organization celebrates national recognition and continued growth, challenges remain.
One of the largest focuses moving forward is ensuring financial accessibility for students. Over the years, the organization has provided tens of thousands of dollars annually in scholarships. Recently, changes in a partnership agreement with the Children’s Trust led the chorus to step away from a program that had helped fully subsidize tuition for dozens of students.
Now, leadership is working to ensure those students can continue participating.
“These are great kids,” Gartner said. “We’re trying to figure out how this is going to work.”
Despite the challenges, Gartner says the reward comes from watching students grow into confident young adults capable of succeeding both on stage and off.
“The ultimate purpose of a teacher,” he said, “is to give your kids the tools they need to be successful independently of you.”
Before departing for New York on June 12, the Pensacola Children’s Chorus will host a free send-off concert on June 11 at 6:30 p.m. inside the sanctuary at First Baptist Church of Pensacola. The performance will give the local community one final opportunity to celebrate the students before they take the stage at Carnegie Hall.
