Birmingham residents will have the chance to see this talented youth choir — and support their journey west — before they compete on “America’s Got Talent” next month.
On Sunday, the Birmingham Youth and Young Adult Fellowship Choir will perform in “Raise the Praise: A Golden Sendoff” at The Heights Event and Entertainment Center, located at 4016 Avenue I in Birmingham. The concert begins at 3 p.m. Tickets are $10.
The concert will feature guest performers, vendors, and the choir itself. The show is a fundraiser for the choir’s trip back to California, where they will compete live against entertainers from around the country.
After receiving a “golden buzzer” in the July 8 episode of season 20 of “America’s Got Talent,” the youth choir moved straight to the quarterfinals round, airing Sept. 9 on NBC.
The group, which was founded in 2015, features several Birmingham City Schools students.
“It’s been 10 years of a lot of hard work, a lot of dedication, a lot of sacrifice and I’m really excited,” said Akheem Lee, the group’s founder and director. “The choir was founded originally as a one-time thing but God had other plans and a lot of young people in the city wanted to be a part of this, so we kept it going and 10 years later we are still here.”
Lee and two other friends started the choir as part of a back-to-school fundraiser for school supplies. After the success of the choir’s first back to school concert, the choir continued.
The mission of the group is to provide a creative space for young people to develop their musical talents “through proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” according to the group’s ticket sales site.
The group wowed the judges and audiences with its performance, earning a standing ovation. Notoriously picky judge Simon Cowell gave the group the golden buzzer, at which point the choir’s supporters in the audience came to the stage.
“That was big,” Cowell said during the July 8 show. “I could see and hear how much work went into this. Every single one of you played the perfect part…I’m so honored that you would come here, on our 20th anniversary.”
If the group advances from the quarterfinal round, they will compete in a semifinal round airing on Sept. 16 and 17. The final round of the competition will air Sept. 23 and 24.
You can watch live on NBC, or the next day on the streaming service Peacock. The episode airs at 7 p.m.
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