On Thursday, May 25, Uniting Voices (formerly Chicago Children’s Choir) brought together all  its separate choirs to perform their Paint the Town Red concert at Millennium Park’s Pritzker Pavilion. The concert is one of the organization’s largest performances of the year, consisting of over 3,000 students from their network of in-school programs and after-school programs across the city. Through these programs, Uniting Voices works with over 80 Chicago Public Schools.  

Uniting Voices Senior Director Judy Hanson — who has been with the choir for over 20 years — worked closely with Uniting Voices President Josephine Lee to bring the overall vision of this concert to fruition. “Our organization serves thousands of young singers. We have school programs, our neighborhood choir after-school programs, our Dimension program, and then our top performing ensemble Voice of Chicago. They typically all operate individually at their own sites, but we wanted an event to bring them all together as one big family.”

The massive free concert was performed both onstage and in the audience, with the younger choirs joining in to sing from their seats. With most of the pavilion completely packed with students, their presence formed a sea of bright red as each student wore matching t-shirts to represent the organization’s signature color. 

A guest performance included the renowned Filipino American vocal group The Filharmonic. The concert was also the premiere of a new Basque piece by writer and Basque literary translator Amaia Gabantxo called “Txoria Txori Txikia.”

From the Name 'Chicago Children’s Choir' to 'Uniting Voices'

Addressing the change of the organization’s name from Chicago Children’s Choir, Hanson said, “We’re the same organization, but Uniting Voices of Chicago really represents a little bit more of what we do. We’re not just a choir that sings, we are a choir with a very strong mission and a strategic method to bring singers together from different backgrounds and help them understand they are all the same on the inside.” 

A Global Impact on Kids

Uniting Voices has a strong presence in Chicago, having performed at Lollapalooza, at Symphony Center with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, alongside Lyric Opera in their performance of Proximity, and at the farewell address for President Barack Obama. The group also has many opportunities to travel and connect with other student organizations.

“Travel experience allows the singers to connect with others from different backgrounds and to help them understand that the world is greater than them,” Hanson adds.

Several of the choirs have performed in various places around the country, including Michigan, Miami, New York, and Toronto. Lexington has also been a destination the choirs have visited with alumni Michael Preacely starting a new choir initiative there.

Last year, Voice of Chicago traveled and performed in Egypt with international pop star Nesma Mahgoub. While there, the students learned a lot about the culture, even getting to experience riding camels and being on the Nile River.

Most notably this year, a small select group of singers from Voice of Chicago performed "Mientras Me Curo Del Cora" with Colombian pop superstar Karol G on Saturday Night Live in April.  

Raising Up the Next Generation of Singers

Voice of Chicago soprano Amber Cloud, who has been part of Uniting Voices for 10 years, commented, “This group is such an important part of my life. The education and musical background you gain and the lifelong family that you make — it’s all pretty awesome.” 

Cloud, now a member of the Senior’s Council, recalls first joining the program as a child and expressed her excitement prior to taking the stage for the concert. “I used to be a little kid in the audience myself wanting to be up on that stage, so I’m really excited to see the kids’ reaction to this concert and to see how they see us as we’re performing on stage. I’m excited to now be part of that group that people look up to.”  

A Positive Impact on Chicago

In light of recent ‘teen takeovers’ in downtown Chicago, Uniting Voices and their Paint the Town Red concert has brought a positive spin to this term.

“What we are doing is so important,” Hanson adds. “There’s so much good in Chicago and so many amazing teens doing wonderful things. Bringing beauty and goodness and positivity to Millenium Park really shows that this is what Chicago is. Our mission is to inspire and change lives through music and for these kids to see that they’re part of something really special.”

With Chicago Public Schools already very supportive of Uniting Voices, other schools can reach out to join. “We’re always looking for others that would like to be a part of this. The school programs are free, and the after-school cost for families are all on a sliding scale since we never want to inhibit participation,” Hanson says.

Get your child involved by joining Uniting Voices on their website. Participating in their top ensemble, Voice of Chicago, is accepted by audition only. Stay tuned to learn more about upcoming Uniting Voices events.

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