Chicago Children’s Choir2014 PRESS KIT

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For press inquiries please contact Erin Phipps, Communications Manger,

at ephipps@ccchoir.org or 312.849.8300 ext *16.

Chicago Children’s Choir peacefully unites the world and transforms thousands of lives through the power of musical

excellence.

MISSION

AWARDS &ACHIEVEMENTS

SPRING 2014NEWSLETTER

ANNUAL REPORT2012-2013

CONTACT

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• Awards and achievements.. Annual report.................... Fall newsletter................

• Chicago Children’s Choir biography........................... Program demographics......

• Josephine Lee biography.....

• Photos................................ Videos................................ Press releases..................... Fact sheet.......................... Press Quotes......................4

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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 after-school 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.

Under President and Artistic Director Josephine Lee, the Choir has undertaken many highly successful national and international tours, was featured in the Chicago/Midwest Emmy Award-winning documentary Songs on the Road to Freedom (2008) and has been featured in nationally broadcast television and radio performances, including NBC’s Today, Oprah and the PBS series From the Top: Live from 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

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 Myung-Bak, First Lady Michelle Obama and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. The Choir also has performed with or for such celebrities as Andrea Bocelli, Al Green, Luciano Pavarotti, Quincy Jones, Beyoncé Knowles, Yo-Yo Ma, Enrique Iglesias, Celine Dion, Denyce Graves, Samuel Ramey, Kathleen Battle, Bobby McFerrin and Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Chicago Children’s Choir has four studio recordings—Open Up Your Heart (2004), Sita Ram (2006), Songs on the Road to Freedom (2008), and Holiday Harmony (2010).

CHICAGO CHILDREN'S CHOIR

program demographics

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 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 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 ten day international tour.

In June 2014, Voice of Chicago traveled to South Africa for a two-week tour in celebration of two historical moments: the United States’ 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act and South Africa’s 20th year free of apartheid. While in South Africa Voice of Chicago collaborated with the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls, the University of Pretoria Youth Choir, the Soweto Gospel Choir, Drakensberg Boys Choir, and Broadway in South Africa and concluded the tour with two performances at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown.

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. In June 2014, Ms. Lee received the Jesse L. Rosenberger Medal, which recognizes achievement through research, in authorship, in invention, for discovery, for unusual public service or for anything ‘deemed of great benefit to humanity’, from the University of Chicago.

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media

recent Press releases

photos videos

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• Robert Fealy Elected Chair of Chicago Children’s Choir Board of Directors (July 10, 2014)

• 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)

CLICK HERE TO VIEW FACT SHEET

CLICK HERE TO VIEW press quotes

CHICAGO CHILDREN'S CHOIR78 E. Washington St, 5th Floor

Chicago, IL 60602

www.ccchoir.org T: 312.849.8300 F: 312-849-8309