Glorystar Children's Chorus started in 1996 with 25 children and held rehearsals at the Wheaton Presbyterian Church. After three months' training, Glorystar gave the first concert in the summer of 1996. It was an instant success. As the news of quality choral training and performance spread, Glorystar was further divided into two groups, Choirs A and B, in order to meet the increasing needs of talented young singers in the greater Washington, D.C. area. The rehearsals were then moved to the Bethesda Art Gallery in September 1996. Glorystar was expanded into three groups, Beginning Choir, Training Choir, and Concert Choir, when the rehearsals were moved to the current location at the Seven Locks Baptist Church in September 1998. In September 2000, Glorystar further established a Youth Choir to enrich the musicianship and vocal needs of our senior and self-motivated singers. Currently, Glorystar has more than 100 choristers in four singing groups, ages 5 to 17.
Glorystar carries on its tradition and upholds its high standards and expectations from the members. Its accomplishments are extraordinary. In May 1996, Glorystar was "discovered" by the Concept Video Company to produce an educational program "How To Sing" for the TV Public Broadcast System. In addition to the annual winter and spring concerts, Glorystar has performed at the National Institutes of Health, the National Lutheran Home, the Brighton Gardens Assisted Living Home, Kai Zen Nursing Home, Asbury Methodist Village, the Seven Lock Baptist Church, the Faith United Methodist Church (joint concert with the Maryland Boys' Choir and the Frederick Children's Chorus), Barnes & Noble, the Carmina Burana Concert, the Overseas Chinese Culture and Art Festival, the Taiwan Culture Concert, the Twin Oak Garden Festival, and the Asian Pacific Night Concert.
Glorystar has earned various awards and honors. It was invited to perform at the White House East Room in December 1997 and 1998. It won the first place in the community division in the Third Annual Building Hope with Songs of Hope Choral Competition in April 1998. Outstanding singers from Glorystar have been selected as members of the Honors Chorus of Montgomery County Public School, the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) Maryland/Virginia/Washington, D.C. Children's Honor Choirs, and the ACDA Eastern Division High School and Children Honor Choirs. In June 2000, Glorystar was selected with six other groups to sing at the 2000 Pacific International Children's Choir Festival in Eugene, Oregon, and its superb performance led to a second invitation to join this festival again in 2005. In 2001, Glorystar was one of the six choirs that were selected out of 54 choirs to participate in the Princeton Invitational Choir Festival in New Jersey (although this festival was subsequently cancelled because of scheduling conflicts). In the summer of 2003, Glorystar attended the prestigious Tuscany International Children's Chorus Festival in Florence, Italy. In June 2004, Glorystar participated in the Vermont International Choir Festival. Glorystar has also been invited to perform at the 2003 and 2004 National No Child Left Behind Summits organized by the U.S. Department of Education.
We strongly believe that the training and activities of Glorystar not only give children the experience and joy of singing together but also foster harmony, a sense of pride and self-confidence through teamwork, discipline, and responsibility. Our music training includes vocal techniques, music theory, sight reading, ear training, music appreciation, and chorus harmony. Glorystar is a non-profit, multi-cultural and multi-ethnic group. It invites children of all backgrounds to participate in a joyful environment, strive for excellence, cultivate caring for one another, and promote community harmony and world peace in the future.