Chicago Children’s Choir
2014 PRESS KIT
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table of contents
• Awards and achievements..1
Annual report....................1
Fall newsletter................ 1
• Chicago Children’s Choir
Facebook
biography...........................2
Program demographics......2
• Josephine Lee biography.....3
• Photos................................4
Videos................................4
Press releases..................... 4
Fact sheet.......................... 4
Press Quotes......................4
AWARDS &
ACHIEVEMENTS
Twitter
MISSION
Chicago Children’s Choir is a
multiracial, multicultural choral
music education organization,
shaping the future by making a
difference in the lives of children
and youth through musical
excellence.
ANNUAL REPORT
2012-2013
Fall 2013
CONTACTNEWSLETTER
CONTACT
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YouTube
For press inquiries please contact
Erin Phipps, Communications Manger,
at [email protected] or
312.849.8300 ext *16.
CHICAGO CHILDREN'S CHOIR
Serving more than 3,500 children
annually, Chicago Children’s Choir
empowers singers to bridge cultural
divides and become ambassadors of
peace in their communities. With
programs in 65 Chicago schools, 9 afterschool neighborhood programs, an
ensemble for boys with changing voices
and the internationally-acclaimed Voice
of Chicago, the diversity of Chicago
Children’s Choir reflects the cultural
landscape of the city.
and international touring ensemble,
the Choir has performed throughout
the United States, Canada, South
Africa, Argentina, Uruguay, India,
Korea, Japan and Europe and for such
dignitaries as Bill and Hillary Clinton,
the Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela,
former Chinese President Hu Jintao,
Archbishop Desmond Tutu, former
South Korean President Lee MyungBak, First Lady Michelle Obama and
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. The
Choir also has performed with or for
Under President and Artistic
such celebrities as Andrea Bocelli,
Director Josephine Lee, the Choir has
Al Green, Luciano Pavarotti, Quincy
undertaken many highly successful
Jones, Beyoncé Knowles, Yo-Yo Ma,
national and international tours, was
Enrique Iglesias, Celine Dion, Denyce
featured in the Chicago/Midwest Emmy Graves, Samuel Ramey, Kathleen
Award-winning documentary Songs on Battle, Bobby McFerrin and Ladysmith
the Road to Freedom (2008) and has
Black Mambazo. Chicago Children’s
been featured in nationally broadcast
Choir has four studio recordings—
television and radio performances,
Open Up Your Heart (2004), Sita Ram
including NBC’s Today, Oprah and the
(2006), Songs on the Road to Freedom
PBS series From the Top: Live from
(2008), and Holiday Harmony (2010).
Carnegie Hall.
Chicago Children’s Choir regularly
collaborates with the Chicago
Symphony Orchestra, Lyric Opera
of Chicago, Ravinia Festival and
the Harris Theater for Music and
Dance. The Choir proudly serves its
community with frequent performances
throughout Chicago. As a national
program demographics
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Josephine lee - President & artistic director
“Music is more
than notes on a
page. Through
our breadth of
repertoire, these
children are
learning diverse
social codes and
through their
voices are able
to bring cultures together. Chicago
Children’s Choir helps our singers become
cultural diplomats and world citizens in
our global society.” – Josephine Lee
Josephine Lee has served as artistic
director of the Chicago Children’s Choir
since 1999, and was appointed president in
2010. Through her vision and leadership,
the Choir has become a civic treasure
and cultural icon. Ms.Lee has solidified
longstanding partnerships with Chicago’s
renowned arts institutions, including
the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Lyric
Opera, and Ravinia Festival, and has
expanded the Choir’s artistic breadth
through celebrated collaborations with
the finest theater and dance organizations.
In 2002, Chorus America named Ms.
Lee the first Robert Shaw Conducting
Fellow. In 2006, the Chicago Tribune
named her a “Chicagoan of the Year
in the Arts,” and in 2007, she was
honored as a Distinguished Musician by
the Union League Club of Chicago. In
2011, Ms. Lee was invited to serve on
Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s Arts & Culture
Transition Committee. In 2004, she
participated in the recording of Bobby
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McFerrin’s Grammy nominated album
VOCAbuLarieS, and recently conducted
the premiere of VOCAbuLarieS with the
Chicago Children’s Choir at the Ravinia
Festival and in Finland and Latvia. In
2012, Ms. Lee composed a new work
for River North Dance Chicago, which
premiered on national television.
Recently, the world musical, Sita Ram,
a collaborative work between Ms. Lee,
David Kersnar of Lookingglass Theatre,
and Krithika Rajagopalan of Natya
Dance Theatre, based on the Hindu epic
the Ramayana, enjoyed critical acclaim at
the Harris Theater for Music and Dance.
Following the success of the production,
Ms. Lee and select singers from the Voice
of Chicago made their inaugural visit to
India for a 10 day international tour.
This June, Voice of Chicago will tour
South Africa in celebration of two
historical moments in 2014: the United
States’ 50th anniversary of the Civil
Rights Act, and South Africa’s 20th
year free of Apartheid. Through music,
singers will reflect on the hardships of
our collective past and join together to
celebrate freedom and progress.
Ms. Lee received a bachelor’s degree
in piano performance from DePaul
University and a master’s degree in
conducting from Northwestern University.
Last summer, she received the Roman
Nomitch Fellowship to attend the
Harvard Business School’s Strategic
Perspectives in Nonprofit Management,
a program that provides opportunities
for senior executives to examine their
missions and develop strategies for the
new global economy.
media
photos
videos
recent Press releases
• Chicago Children’s Choir and the Harris Theater for Music and Dance
Co-Present Dancing in the Street Featuring Grammy Award-Winning Jazz
Vocalist Kurt Elling (Feb 27, 2014).
• Chicago Children’s Choir Fall Benefit Red Jacket Optional to Debut New
Englewood Choir (May 31, 2013)
• Nearly 3,500 Chicago Children’s Choir Singers Paint the Town Red for Arts
Education (May 16, 2013)
• Chicago Children’s Choir to Launch New Program in Englewood to Address
City Violence Head-On (March 19, 2013)
CLICK HERE TO VIEW FACT SHEET
CLICK HERE TO VIEW press quotes
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CHICAGO CHILDREN'S CHOIR
78 E. Washington St, 5th Floor
Chicago, IL 60602
www.ccchoir.org
T: 312.849.8300 F: 312-849-8309