Uniting Voices Chicago

Uniting Voices Launch Event

One month as Uniting Voices down ✅ Many, many more months to come 🙌 Since our big announcement, we launched our season at Navy Pier, raised more than $2 million to support our programs at Red Jacket Optional and now winter season Community Concerts are about to start! Come see the magic in-person and create a more harmonious world with us 🌎🎶

Red Jacket Optional 2022 Honorees: David and Lesly Koo

We could not have raised a record-breaking $2 million in funds to support our programs at Red Jacket Optional without David and Lesly Koo. We honored their dedication to our city’s youth at RJO 2022. Their absolute commitment to our success is apparent in David’s drive as a decade-long leader of Uniting Voices Chicago’s Board of Directors and in Lesly’s unyielding, welcoming spirit.

Nick Page Testimonial

Thanks to Nick Page, who was one of the first conductors at Uniting Voices Chicago (formerly Chicago Children's Choir) for his kind words on our evolution.

Uniting Voices Chicago is now on TikTok!

We're on TikTok now! 🤳 Follow us: https://www.tiktok.com/@unitingvoicesorg

American Tune, at Red Jacket Option 2022

Happy birthday Paul Simon! 🎂 To celebrate, here's Kurt Elling and our Voice of Chicago choral ensemble covering his classic "American Tune" at last year's Red Jacket Optional. RJO is Chicago's most inspirational gala, and this year's edition is next week! We can't wait to celebrate the incredible impact our programs have on thousands of youth across Chicago each year, like a 100% high school graduation rate. With your support, we can continue investing in the next generation and empowering them to succeed by helping 70% of our singers participate for free.

La Gozadera, Live at Red Jacket Optional 2016

When Uniting Voices Chicago traveled to Cuba in 2016 as part of a landmark tour, our singers covered Gente de Zona's "La Gozadera" to show the respect and appreciation the choir has for all genres of music, including Latin music. 🇨🇺 #HispanicHeritageMonth

We are Uniting Voices Chicago

BIG NEWS ✨ Chicago Children’s Choir is now Uniting Voices Chicago. We were founded at the dawn of the Civil Rights Movement with a simple mission: unite young people from every background through music and they’ll discover their common humanity. Over the past 65 years, a single choir in Hyde Park has evolved into an internationally recognized organization that has empowered more than 50,000 young people to find their voice and become the leaders of tomorrow. And now we’ve got a name to match our legacy and our story. Chicago Children’s Choir is now Uniting Voices Chicago. #UnitingVoices Celebrate with us at unitingvoiceschicago.org.

🗣 Afternoon music break! Let's throw it wayyy back to 2009 to our performance of Son de Camaguey at @RaviniaFestival. 🇨🇺 We're sharing this Cuban folk song as part of our ongoing celebration of #HispanicHeritageMonth.

Candela

Hear members of Voice of Chicago sing Candela alongside guest artist Bomba con Buya. Candela is a traditional Creole song from the Dominican Republic. As part of our ongoing celebration of #HispanicHeritageMonth, we're sharing songs from past Canto Latinos, our pillar event celebrating Chicago's rich Latino history.

Amor Prohibido | Canto Latino 2021

Happy Mexican Independence Day! 🇲🇽 Check out our cover of Amor Prohibido, by Mexican-American icon Selena Quintanilla. The video features guest artist Son Monarcas , a Latin Folk Fusion ensemble based in Chicago. As part of our ongoing celebration of #HispanicHeritageMonth, we're sharing songs from past Canto Latinos, our pillar event celebrating Chicago's rich Latino history.

Student Success Stories from this Season! We sat down and talked with artistic leader and conductor, Lonnie Norwood about some of the stories of perseverance and evolution he has seen from current students from the Englewood Neighborhood Choir program. Lonnie joined the artistic staff at CCC as a conductor in 2012 and opened the vivacious Englewood Neighborhood Choir (2013). He has recently been appointed Director of Africana Studies at CCC. One of the students that stuck out to Lonnie Norwood is, Jordan Patterson. "Jordan Patterson’s enthusiasm to participate on every online Choir project and submit precise, expressive and beautiful recordings was showcased throughout the program. When she auditioned for an in-person solo opportunity for Black History Month’s concert, the physical presence excelled beyond the digital and she knocked her audition for a gospel reggae song, “Stay Connected,” out of the park." - Lonnie Norwood

What is the note your voice will play? Earlier this year we collaborated with Ayanna Woods and Julian Davis Reid of The JuJu Exchange on an original piece, “Look into the Sky.” While on the surface, the piece addresses the adverse effects of climate change on the environment in Chicago’s dense urban landscape, at its core “Look into the Sky” is about each person’s potential to change the world—and how much more is possible when we bring our efforts together.

There is room for all! 💃🕺 at Rainbow Beach See you at the South Shore Cultural Center this Friday at 5pm for a concert reading of our in-progress commission, “Rainbow Beach,” a project that uses music to tell the story of how Chicago’s lakefront beaches became integrated. [NOTE: This production features strong language and representations of violence against protesters; it is not recommended for children under 12 years of age.]

Chicago Children's Choir in Egypt

"My experience in Egypt will shape the way I approach the rest of my life." At the end of last month, a group of Chicago Children's Choir singers embarked on a 10-day, 5-city tour of Egypt, collaborating with one of country's biggest pop stars, Nesma Mahgoub, for a tour that will go down as one of our most impactful yet. Beyond first-hand experiences at some of the most significant treasures of the ancient world, our singers forged real connections with other young people from all over Egypt. Whether it was at our performances or on the streets of Cairo, this tour created opportunities for CCC singers to encounter other ways of being in the world, laying the foundation for the future leaders of our world to celebrate the differences that make us all human. So, take a quick look back at our 2022 Egypt tour and catch a glimpse of a more harmonious world in the making.

This #July4th we take account of what makes our country’s past complex while advocating for the power of change that our youth vocalize every day. Through music, we’ll always find ways of celebrating our common humanity and what makes us indivisible.

Happy Juneteenth! Today is America’s true Independence Day, the day that slavery was fully abolished in the United States, and we celebrate this day with a song about freedom and its importance to everyone. #juneteenth

SoundBites 2022 recap

Last night, our Ambassadors Board brought together Chicago's trendsetters and tastemakers to Walden Chicago for our first ever SoundBites. And it was a huge success. Thanks to the support of our incredible 200 sponsors and guests, we raised more than $100,000 to directly support thousands of young people in every corner of Chicago. Very special thanks to our sponsors (particularly our Premier Sponsors, Anonymous and Lincoln Park Preschool and Kindergarten), as well as our event sponsors: Boka Catering Group, Kehoe Designs, the Art of Kohler Chocolates, Love Tito's, Revolution Brewing, Wicked Good Cupcakes and Winebow Imports.

EXCLUSIVE NEW MUSIC ALERT 📣📣 When @vasilg takes the stage at the Walden next week, he’ll do an exclusive performance of his NEW track “Dangerous Waters” which won’t be released until later this year—and SoundBites attendees will be the first to hear it. For the next week, when you buy your tickets to SoundBites, you get a FREE download if this powerful song by CCC alum and @eurovision star Vasil. Get your tickets to this one-of-a-kind fundraiser at ccchoir.org/soundbites (that link is in our bio too!), and you’ll help us raise vital funds for our transformational programs AND you’ll get a sneak peek at some powerful new sounds. That’s music to our ears.

Next Thursday—we WILL rock you. Paint the Town Red. Millennium Park. May 26. 11am. It’s a day three years in the making. And you won’t want to miss a single song.

We’re movin’ and groovin’ to our own beat and the upcoming spring concerts 🕺 Whether you’re in the North or South, CCC concerts are happening all across the city. Here’s our first batch of concerts: - Bucktown, Dimension, Beverly (4/28 @ 7:30pm) - Austin and Humboldt Park (5/4 @ 7pm) - Gage Park and Garfield Park/Off the Street Club (5/6 @7pm) View the full line up at https://www.ccchoir.org/upcoming-events. We can’t wait to see you there 👋

Changing the World - Nick Page (Chicago Children's Choir)

“We are making the world a better place through our voices, through our heart.” —Former CCC Conductor, Nick Page And that’s why singing is so important, it has the ability to change the world. 🌍

Better When I'm Dancing (Chicago Children's Choir)

We’re dancing 💃 into the new month with a handful of CCC events happening all over Chicago and it’s never felt better. And whether you’re an avid CCC event attender or have yet to attend one, these singers will give you a show you can move to. Join us on the many musical journeys happening in the Windy City. Click https://www.ccchoir.org/upcoming-events to save all the dates. 📆

Stop This Train (Chicago Children's Choir)

Spring is on its way 🌸 and new CCC projects are blossoming! Take a look back at one of last year’s spring projects by Voice of Chicago seniors, “Stop This Train,” an emotional performance about the harsh realities of growing up. Click https://bit.ly/3J4O4r2 to watch a performance that will hit all the right heartstrings. 🎤

Cassiette Talks About Chicago Children's Choir

“If you have a talent, or skill, or whatever God has blessed you with, you have to know how to share that gift, and improve your community.” - CCC alum Cassiette West-Williams We couldn’t have said it better ourselves. 👏

We’re melting the snow away with a fire solo. 🔥 No matter the cold, CCC singers always give a fiery performance wherever they are. Check out this solo from our “Chicago Fire” song in our Long Way Home album 💿 and see for yourself just how much talent our singers can put out. Stream the full song (and the rest of Long Way Home) by visiting https://www.ccchoir.org/long-way-home!

Stay Connected (Chicago Children’s Choir)

ICYMI, all of the highlights from our 2022 Black History Month concert are now available for streaming. 👀 Head over to https://bit.ly/347Ppye to relive your favorite moments. 🎶

Sneak peak of “Run, Mona, Run” 👀 Catch it all Saturday (2/26) at 6pm. Tune in 📺 - ccchoir.org/live - Facebook - YouTube

Imagine/Maitreem Bhajata

In November, the Choir joined Kalapriya Center for Indian Performing Arts for a collaboration titled “Good Trouble,” a production focused on 20th century leaders for equality and justice. The captivating performance highlighted figures such as John Lewis and those who inspired him on his journey to spread messages of change through nonviolent action. ☮️ Key figures in shaping John Lewis’s views were Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, trailblazers for peace and justice. And that’s why we sing songs like “Maitreem Bhajata,” a benediction and cultural staple sung by Indian icon M.S. Subbulakshmi at the opening of the United Nations in 1966. Maitreem Bhajata asks the audience to envision an idyllic future, free of borders, free of division where there are enough resources for everyone to thrive—the exact values we teach our singers every day. Because when we sing without hate in our hearts, our voices can create a harmonious world. A world with space for everyone. 🌎

CCC performs with Ranky Tanky

Last year, CCC performed with the Grammy Award-winning jazz-influenced musical ensemble Ranky Tanky for the single, “Freedom.” “Freedom” is deeply rooted in African-American culture and tackles complicated elements of American identity. In this way, “Freedom” is a call for justice in the face of experience. And that’s what we call for through our songs. A better future for everyone. We sing for freedom.

Curtis Mayfield, a native Chicago musician, has been a staple in CCC’s repertoire for decades. His mix of edgy funk beats and socially focused outspoken lyrics ultimately earned him a spot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Mayfield entered the music scene in the late 1950s after joining the Impressions as a vocalist and guitarist. His guitar playing became the model for his peers in Chicago’s music scene. And through his talents, he gave a melodic voice to the social concerns and struggles of the Civil Rights Movement. But it wasn’t until the 1960s that he ventured off to become the first Black person to found their own music publishing company, Curton Records. Soon after, Mayfield released acclaimed songs like “People Get Ready” and “Keep On Pushing.” These inspirational hit songs became standards in the repertoires of artists like Rod Stewart, Bob Marley and even CCC! Artists like Mayfield played a crucial role in transforming popular music—which is why we’re looking back on his legacy this month (and always) 🙏