ABOUT US
Rise Up, Utah’s premiere contemporary vocal performance group for young people ages 5 to 18, ignites a love of music and encourages the full expression of each child’s potential for artistic and personal excellence through the collaborative experiences of singing, recording, and performing.
OUR MISSION
OUR BIORAPHY
The 2021 winner of Utah’s Best of State award for “Best Music Education Organization,” Rise Up has a global audience with over a quarter of a million subscribers to their YouTube channel and over 30 million views of their music videos. They have won the Utah Music Video Awards’ “Best Music Video Award” for their stunning rendition of “Speechless” which has reached over 14 million views on YouTube. The choir was recognized by the #1 KPOP band BTS on Twitter for their cover of “Dynamite,” which was also named “Best Cover of Dynamite” by KPOP Chart; and recognized by the Contemporary A Cappella Society for their collaboration of “Believe” with BYU’s Vocal Point. The choir has collaborated in live performances with the trio Gentri to sold-out audiences at the Eccles Theatre, Broadway stars Dallyn Bayles and Elisabeth Evans at Libby Gardner Hall, and American Idol-winner Taylor Hicks.
Rise Up is comprised of four ensembles – Ignite Choir for children ages 5 to 13 with musical direction by Katie Houts; Children’s Choir for youth ages 7 to 18 under the direction of Carson Trautma; Amplify, our small, advanced-level mixed-voice ensemble for youth ages 11 to 18 and under the direction of Bronwyn Jensen; and Lumina, our small, advanced-level all-female ensemble for girls ages 11 to 18 under the direction of Amy Lynn Whitcomb. The award-winning founders of Rise Up are Amy Oakeson and Suzy Oliveira, who collectively have over 300,000,000 views of their creative work on YouTube.
Rise Up, Utah’s premiere contemporary vocal performance group for young people ages 5 to 18, ignites a love of music and encourages the full expression of each child’s potential for artistic and personal excellence through the collaborative experiences of singing, recording, and performing.
In a professional environment with a diverse and talented staff of experts in their fields, young performers are given the opportunity to develop their talents, collaborate with artists in the production and performance of live music and recorded music videos, and share their uplifting messages of hope and joy with live audiences and online viewers around the world.
Rise Up uses social media in wonderful and transformative ways to make the world a better place – one view, one like, and one share at a time. Through the creation of positive, powerful, professional and entertaining content across our various social media platforms, the group engages audiences emotionally, encourages dialogue about important issues and causes, and delivers much needed optimism and inspiration.
Every child is born with talents and passions. Rise Up is a place where young performers are encouraged to pursue their passions and celebrate life through creative expression and personal discovery, both as members of the choir and in their daily lives. We foster talent, offer inspiration, provide support, and give our young performers the courage to follow their dreams.
