Shining Light award recognizes Anthony White for his work with Detroit Youth Choir

Since getting its big break on “America’s Got Talent” in 2019, the Detroit Youth Choir hasn’t slowed down or rested on its laurels. The credit for that goes to the artistic director who has made the nonprofit group his mission for more than 20 years.

Says Anthony White, “I can’t stop and I won’t stop until all of the kids in the city — everybody in the city — understands what the Detroit Youth Choir stands for.”

Excellence. Integrity. Empathy. Creativity. Those are qualities that White stresses to the young people who take the journey as DYC members.

As this year’s recipient of the Eleanor Josaitis Unsung Hero Award of the 2023 Shining Light Awards, White is being honored not just for helping bring the Motor City into the national spotlight. What makes him stand out is his commitment to guiding Detroit students to use their talents in meaningful ways.

The Detroit Youth Choir has become a symbol to the rest of the nation of what’s possible in Detroit.

“The way that Berry Gordy made (teenagers from Detroit) see how excellent they could be, what was possible for them, that it what Anthony White has done with some of these young people who came together to be part of this choir,” said Rochelle Riley, the director of arts and culture for the city of Detroit.

“That type of elevation of art, that type of elevation of creative performance, that lifts the city up.”

Celebrate the Shining Light honorees: Tickets are available to the Oct. 5 awards breakfast

More Shining Light honorees: Sharnese Marshall, 2023 Shining Light Award winner, 'konnects' kids to keep them in school

When White’s story is told, it usually begins with DYC’s amazing 2019 run on the NBC reality competition “America’s Got Talent.” From the start, the choral group made a big impression with its on-air audition, an inspirational version of the Macklemore & Ryan Lewis hit "Can't Hold Us.”

Host Terry Crews was so moved by the performance that he gave DYC a golden buzzer, which automatically sent the group to the show’s finals. Crews told viewers that the group represented his own past as a young man from Flint dreaming of success.

“Let me tell you something, Mr. White. All it takes is one person to believe in a young man or woman for them to reach their dreams, and you are that man, sir!" Crews said on the air.

Throughout the season, the DYC captivated “AGT” viewers as they ultimately earned second place and returned to a homecoming celebration at Campus Martius, during which Detroit-based foundations and local business leaders announced a $1 million endowment for the choir.

But that’s only a chapter of White’s saga. His interest in the power of music goes all the way back to when he was a student of Greater Grace Christian Academy (now David Ellis Academy) and continued as he earned a bachelor of arts degree at Marygrove College.

White, 44, sang in young people's choirs and performed in several musicals in college. In 2001, while barely in his 20s, he began leading the Detroit Youth Choir, which had been founded in 1996.

According to White, it had seven members when he took over.

Since then, the DYC, which teaches students from ages 8 to 18 through music education, dance and theatrical arts, has grown so much that it now has three different choirs: Limelight, Prime Time and Center Stage. Along with holding performances and recording songs and albums, DYC helps members with the challenges they may face in life, through elements like its college readiness program.

“I really want to see these kids go on and become choir directors and teachers or doctors or lawyers, because they have so much to give to the world,” said White of the big-picture goals of the organization.

The headquarters for the Detroit Youth Choir is now at the Marygrove Conservancy, which manages operations and stewards the 53-acre campus of his alma mater, the former Marygrove College in northwest Detroit. In fact, it is located in White’s old music department.

“It’s cool to have an office that says ‘Mr. White’ down the hall where I used to be scared to walk in those doors,” he said. “That’s truly full circle.”

White has used the momentum from “America’s Got Talent” to pursue one-of-a-kind opportunities for the choir — some of which have given the participating kids a chance to raise their voices for important social causes.

More Shining Light honorees: Former Chief Justice Maura Corrigan receives Neal Shine award for leadership

In 2020, in the aftermath of the police murder of George Floyd, the young singers recorded the Oscar-winning song "Glory" — from 2014's "Selma” directed by Ava DuVernay and starring David Oyowelo as civil rights legend Martin Luther King Jr. — as a call for racial justice.

The DYC version earned praise from one of the song's co-writers, John Legend, who tweeted, "Beautiful. Powerful. Thank you.”

In 2022, in the wake of numerous school shootings, the DYC recorded “Sweet Child o’ Mine,” the Guns N’ Roses hit, in 2022 to address the need to protect schools and communities from the tragedy of gun violence. The song was chosen to pay tribute to Layla Salazar, 11, who was among the 19 children and two teachers killed at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas. Salazar and her father were both fans of the rock ballad.

And when DYC sings, people listen. In June 2023, its members gave a special performance at New York City’s Tribeca Film Festival for a screening of the upcoming Disney+ docuseries , “Choir.” The docuseries follows the Detroit Youth Choir members as they prepare for a command performance at New York’s legendary Carnegie Hall. It is expected to arrive on the streaming site sometime later this year.

In January of this year, the DYC returned to NBC to compete on “America’s Got Talent: All Stars,” a spinoff of the original series that pitted 60 outstanding former acts against each other for a reality show version of an all-star game. Once again, Crews gave the choir a golden buzzer to make it one of 11 finalists.

Although the choral group didn’t make it into the winner’s circle, “AGT” judge Simon Cowell awarded them what could be described as the ultimate compliment. After a rendition during the season of Panic! At the Disco’s “Hey Look Ma, I Made It,” Cowell raved about the young members, “You know what I was thinking when I was watching it? ... They should be booked on the Super Bowl.”

All this while, the DYC has maintained a busy schedule of concerts and appearances in Detroit and the surrounding region. In March, the young singers gave their first-ever performance at Orchestra Hall in a concert that included special guest LaChanze, a Tony Award winner for her work as Celie in the original Broadway production of “The Color Purple.”

The concert was done in partnership with the Detroit Office of Arts, Culture and Entrepreneurship led by Riley, who sees the DYC as a symbol of the rich potential of young people in all genres of art and performance across the city.

“They are doing more and more, and our goal is to continue to help them rise and make sure that we as a city are helping all of our kids see that,” said Riley. “That’s how we keep that national prominence in music and art and everything else, by continuing to support young artists.”

White would rather talk about what’s coming next than dwell on past highlights. During a recent interview, he mentions that the DYC just won its second Stellar Gospel Music Award, this time for the group’s album “Rockspell.” He describes the latest single, “Poppin’” (from an album coming in 2024) as being different from anything the choir has done before.

And “before” includes classical, gospel, pop, rock and nearly every other genre of music under the sun.

“We can do everything,” said White, sharing the message he has given to the 1,500 or so students he has directed over the years.

Contact Detroit Free Press pop culture critic Julie Hinds at jhinds@freepress.com.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Youth Choir Anthony White recognized for supporting talent