California’s Iris Stevenson , The choir director whose story served loosely as the basis for the movie Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit.
I am always intrigued by stories about educators who have caught the attention of Hollywood. One of these is Iris Stevenson, a Los Angeles music teacher whose story is, loosely, the basis for the hit movie Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit. The movie starred Whoopi Goldberg
Iris was raised in public housing in Buffalo, New York. Her father earned his living as a blue-collar worker and part-time musician. Her mother worked as a domestic. At an early age, Iris demonstrated an extraordinary talent for music. As a young girl, she attended Villa Maria Institute, a program for talented young musicians. When she was 15, Iris earned a four-year scholarship to attend the prestigious Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Ohio. Once she graduated from Oberlin, Iris began teaching courses at Canisius College. She also earned her Master’s degree in Fine Arts from the State University of New York, Buffalo.
In 1985 Iris relocated to southern California, where she accepted a position as a music teacher at Crenshaw High School in the Los Angeles Unified School District. There she serves as the Chair of the Music Department. She also teaches piano, choir, music theory, and practical application of music at Crenshaw High School. Crenshaw has a student population that is a predominantly African American.
Under the expert leadership of Iris, Crenshaw’s choir students have performed on several national television specials. In 1992 and 1993, she escorted her students to Nice, France, to perform in the Worldwide Music Festival. Her choir also garnered first place in the Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival four years in a row. In 2011, the group traveled to China to compete in the World Choir Games, where they earned a Gold Medal. In 2014, this amazing educator took her choir to the White House to perform with Jennifer Hudson for President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama.
To read more about this amazing educator, see this story printed in the Los Angeles Times.
