John Alston, associate professor of music

The children in the Chester Children’s Chorus and I have much to be proud of. We have learned to love the “Hallelujah Chorus,” Mozart’s Requiem, and dozens of Renaissance madrigals and motets. When we sing gospel and R&B, audiences cheer wildly. But these beautiful children live in poverty and attend some of the worst schools in the nation. Beyond the music, what can we do alongside them to help create a good society?

In 1994, Associate Professor of Music John Alston created a community of strivers and seekers in the Chester Children’s Chorus. His efforts to opening of the Chester Upland School of the Arts in 2008.