Joshua Flores has been accepted to the American Boychoir School in New Jersey. He is the only child from Texas asked by the school to enroll for the upcoming fall semester.

Joshua Flores began exhibiting a unique gift for music when he was just two years old. By age six, he could play the piano and almost two years ago, he began playing the guitar.

Now, at just ten years old, Joshua has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to cultivate his God-given talent for music. The Corpus Christi fifth-grader has been accepted to the American Boychoir School in Princeton, New Jersey, the only child from Texas asked by the school to enroll for the upcoming fall semester.

"We had attended the concert by The American Boychoir as part of the Cathedral Concert Series on February 20," explained Nick Flores, Joshua's father. "After the concert they held open auditions for the school. Two days later, Joshua was called and we were asked if we'd be interested in visiting the school. Before extending an invitation to attend, they want to make sure it would be a good fit for everyone. Joshua fit in perfectly with the other students there."

The choir is regarded as the premier concert boys' choir in the United States, performing recently alongside the Boston Symphony Orchestra, pop star Beyonce' and former Beatles recording artist Paul McCartney. As part of the choir's regular travels, they regularly perform at Carnegie Hall in New York City, among other cities around the world.

His loving parents are doing everything in their power to ensure he has the chance to study music the way a musical prodigy should; alongside the best and brightest in the country from his grade-school peers all the way up to his world-renowned instructors.

"We're excited for Joshua and want to help him achieve his dreams of becoming a professional musician someday," said his mother Angie, who noted although it will be a monumental sacrifice financially, she and her husband are willing to forgo life as they know it now for Joshua's future.

According to Nick, one year's tuition to the prestigious school can cost over $20,000 and even though the family is selling their home so Nick can move to New Jersey with their son, the expenses are already mounting.

"I'll immediately start looking for a job once I'm up there. Living expenses for me will be high, but we feel it's important for Joshua to have one of us nearby," explained Nick.

Angie, a coordinator for professional development at the Corpus Christi Independent School District, will stay with her 18-year-old autistic son, Zachary Allender, at her parent's house while Nick and Joshua are in New Jersey.

The Coastal Bend community is also rallying behind Joshua with several fundraisers to help the family with moving and living expenses. National recording artist Paula DeAnda, a Corpus Christi native and former music student of Nick's at Most Precious Blood, recently sang with Joshua during a fundraiser in May.

For Mother's Day, Joshua serenaded mothers at St. Philip the Apostle with a song he wrote himself, a talent his father said comes naturally for him.

"I was casually playing a melody on the piano and he automatically started writing lyrics to the music, so the Mother's Day piece was a family collaboration," said Nick, who will leave his jobs as a guitar instructor at John Paul II High School and music director at St. Philip the Apostle in August, when he and Joshua will leave for New Jersey.

The next event, a CD Release Party, is scheduled for Tuesday, June 30 at the Corpus Christi Cathedral's St. Joseph Hall, at 6:30 p.m.

The CD featuring Joshua's singing talent will be available for purchase at the party. Live music at the CD Release Party includes Clarissa Serna and Joshua, with more musical acts being added. Tickets for a raffle will be available for purchase and a silent auction is expected to be popular for partygoers, added Nick Flores.

Prizes for the raffle include a Seagull acoustic guitar with a hard case, valued at $500, gift baskets from Mary Kay, Wal-Mart, HEB, Brighton Jewelry and a handbag from King Ranch Leather.

Meanwhile Joshua, an altar server at both St. Philip the Apostle and St. John the Baptist, is taking all the attention in stride.

He just wants to enjoy his love of music on a full-time basis.

"I'm a little bit sad leaving home, but I'm very excited to go to this school. All the kids there have the same interests as I do," he said with a shy smile.

For ticket information on fundraising projects for Joshua, please call Nick Flores at (361) 563-5492.