Young Ambassadors

The Young Ambassadors are a song and dance performing group from Brigham Young University. They were founded by Janie Thompson. Since their first international performance at world exposition 1970 in Osaka, Japan, they have performed throughout the United States and over 56 other nations. Their audiences have included the prime minister of India, the queen of Thailand, and the king and queen of Jordan. Live and televised appearances in major concert halls and impromptu performances in hospitals, orphanages, town squares and government palaces reach millions of people each year.

The Young Ambassadors company consists of 20 performers (10 men and 10 women), a 10 piece show band (keyboard, drums, guitar and bass guitar, etc.) and 9 technical personnel.

Prior to 1970, the group was known as Curtain Time USA. In the 1960s, their world tour stops included Lebanon, Jordan, and Iraq.

The Young Ambassadors have been directed by Randy Boothe since 1978.

Past members

• Sharlene Wells Hawkes, Miss America
• Candese Marchese, Eponine in Broadway cast of Les Misérables
• Christeena Michelle Riggs, Eponine in Broadway cast of Les Misérables, Cosette in the 10th Anniversary Production.
• Dan Truman, country music group Diamond Rio keyboardist
• Emily Tyndall, actress in Napoleon Dynamite

Directors

• Randy Boothe, Director
• Ron Simpson, Associate Director
• Janielle Christensen, Associate Director
• John Shurtleff, Technical Director

Tour history

This tour history beings in 1970 and continues up to present day

• 1970 Japan (Osaka World Exposition)
• 1971-1972 California, Eastern United States, Germany, Netherlands
• 1972-1973 New Mexico, Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, El Salvador
• 1973-1974 Midwestern United States, Southern California, South Africa
• 1974-1975 Northern California, Utah, Eastern United States
• 1975-1976 Alberta, Southern United States, Central United States
• 1976-1977 Arizona, Netherlands, Germany, France, Belgium, Switzerland
• 1977-1978 New Mexico, Midwestern United States, Eastern United States, Montana, Wyoming, Russia, Poland
• 1978-1979 Arizona, Central Canada, Northern United States, Canada, Poland, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, People's Republic of China, Hong Kong, Guam, Hawaii, California
• 1979-1980 New Mexico, Arizona, Hawaii, People's Republic of China, Philippines, Hong Kong, Southern United States, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka
• 1980-1981 Colorado, Wyoming, Northern California, Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Romania (twice), Russia, Yugoslavia, Egypt, Greece
• 1981-1982 Northwest United States, Arizona, Southern California, India, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Turkey, Jordan, New York, Tennessee World Exposition, San Diego, California (Holiday Bowl)
• 1982-1983 Utah, Southern California, Idaho, Washington, California (twice), Nevada, Japan, People's Republic of China, Republic of China, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti, Hawaii
• 1983-1984 Colorado, Arizona, Utah, Southern California, Northeast United States, Southern United States, Louisiana World Exposition
• 1984-1985 Northern California, Southern California, Nevada, Yugoslavia, Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Austria, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Greece, Jerash
• 1985-1986 Nevada, Northern California, Montana, Alberta, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Japan, People's Republic of China, Taiwan, Hong Kong
• 1986-1987 Arizona, Northeast United States, Canada
• 1987-1988 Northwest U.S., United Kingdom, Ireland

• 1988-1989 Northern California, Southeast United States, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic
• 1989-1990 Southern California, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway
• 1990-1991 New Mexico, Russia, Berlin, Germany
• 1991-1992 Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, Washington D.C., Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Kentucky, Berlin, Germany
• 1992-1993 Northern California, Russia, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia
• 1993-1994 Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Spain, Morocco, Tunisia
• 1994-1995 Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota
• 1995-1996 California, Vietnam, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China, Philippines, Malaysia
• 1996-1997 Arizona, Morocco, Tunisia
• 1997-1998 Northern California, Nevada, South Africa, Swaziland, Botswana
• 1998-1999 Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand
• 1999-2000 Southern California, Nevada, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia (U.S. State), Louisiana
• 2000-2001 Arizona, Far East Russia, Japan
• 2001-2002 Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Alberta, Canada
• 2002-2003 California, Northern Nevada
• 2003-2004 Southern Nevada, California, Brazil, Argentina
• 2004-2005 Colorado, New Mexico, Hong Kong, China, South Korea
• 2005-2006 Montana, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Nauvoo, Illinois
• 2006-2007 Wyoming, Colorado, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, China
• 2007-2008 Montana, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, California, Australia
• 2008-2009 New Mexico, Texas, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland

Albums

• The Lord is My Light
• The New American Songbook

External links

• Official Young Ambassadors webpage
• BYU Performing Arts Management webpage for Young Ambassadors
• BYU Young Ambassadors Alumni
• Young Ambassadors, UA 5395 Series 4 Suberies 28 Subseries 8 carton 3 folder 1-3 at L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Brigham Young University