Today we’d like to introduce you to Crystal Harding.
Hi Crystal, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
The Ypsilanti Youth Choir was born in the spring of 2023. After high school choir director, Crystal Harding found herself separated from the local school district, the Ypsilanti Choral Association (a non-profit that supports Ypsilanti Choral programs) decided to remain aligned with Harding and her work in the community. The Ypsilanti Youth Choir was created to serve all Ypsilanti students, not just students from a specific school district. The newly formed choir was quickly called upon to perform in the City of Ypsilanti’s Bicentennial celebrations. Since it’s inception, the Ypsilanti Youth Choir has become Ypsilanti’s go-to choir for Christmas Tree lightings, July 4 celebrations, Black History and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Events. The choir performs all over the state of Michigan and beyond. In the summer of 2025, the Ypsilanti Youth Choir performed at the Michigan state capitol, Michigan Great Adventure in Muskegon, Silver Lake, Boyne Mountain and Mackinaw City. In the summer of 202, the choir performed at the Red Rocks Amphitheater in Denver, Colorado. The Ypsilanti Youth Choir boasts a membership of local public school students, charter school students and students from EMU’s Early College Alliance. The YYC is a multi-generational choir in which parents and grandparents are welcome to sing with their children to provide support. The Ypsilanti Youth Choir has also performed at many senior homes.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road has been remarkable. In just two short years, the choir has enjoyed over 50 performances and the requests continue to pour in. Membership growth has been slow but steady. The trickle of new members has allowed the choir to gel. Each new member is welcomed into a family. The closeness of the choir would be different had there been an onslaught of new members. Funding is always an issue. The Ypsilanti Choral Association has an endowment that only allows for travel. This is how the choir can afford one trip per year. In 2026 the choir will travel to Branson, Missouri and participate in a choral clinic and music festival.
Other expenses, such as sheet music, audio equipment, uniforms, costumes, etc. are covered by donations. The choir has been blessed with grants in the past, but in the current political environment, those opportunities have been drying up. The choir has been relying on donations of kindhearted supporters. Crystal Harding is not monetarily compensated for her work with the choir. In the past the Ypsilanti Choral Association has provided scholarships for graduating high school seniors. That effort would be continued with more funding.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
The Ypsilanti Youth Choir is a multi-generational choir that performs pretty much anywhere it is invited to perform. We specialize in singing four-part, SATB a cappella numbers. The age range is pre-K to 70+. The majority of the membership is middle school age and younger. The caliber of music we perform is very challenging for this age group. We are very proud of being able to just show up at a moment’s notice and being able to sing in four-part harmony with very little set-up. We do not charge for our performances. We receive donations. We are here to serve Ypsilanti and beyond. We have performed at EMU basketball games, the All Hallows Illumination of Frog Island Park, Little League Opening Day, and anywhere and everywhere one would find community. We are also known for closing each show with the official song of Ypsilanti, “Back to Ypsilanti,” written by Ypsilanti’s own Washington Lee Osler in 1983.
What’s next?
We are looking forward to touring Branson, Missouri in June 2026 and we are excited to be performing at Greenfield Village in Dearborn as part of their Holiday Nights. The choir has been going with the flow and the flow has been constant. As the director, I would like to branch out and perform in Detroit and U of M events. We have performed in Ann Arbor many times, but would love to perform at a U of M-sponsored event. Our true desire is to be able to serve as much of our community and as many communities as possible. It has been to gratifying to be able to greet our listeners and hear how much our performances mean to them. We are spreading cheer in every season. We are also participating, shopping, learning, educating and enjoying the events at which we perform. We don’t just sing and leave, be are part of the community.
Pricing:
- Donation link; paypal.me/ypsilantiyouthchoir
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ypsilantichoralassociation.net
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/YpsiYouthChoir
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@crystalharding4389/videos
