Uniting Voices Chicago is a nonprofit organization that inspires and unites youth from diverse backgrounds in Chicago to become global leaders through music. It was founded in 1956 as the Children’s Chorus of the First Unitarian Church of Chicago at the dawn of the Civil Rights Movement. Since its founding, the organization has grown into a vast network of school and after-school programs offering performance-based learning experiences built around innovative creative partnerships and compelling artistic endeavors. Among others, they have appeared at the Lyric Opera of Chicago and the Ravinia Festival and have been involved in major recording projects such as Chance the Rapper’s “Coloring Book” (2016) and “The Big Day” (2019).
Accessibility forms the foundation of the group’s signature world-class instruction. Youth from every corner of the city can join Uniting Voices Chicago and learn how to make their voices heard through the empowering programs. Eighty percent of the singers come from low-to-moderate income households, and every year, these 4,000-plus students participate completely free of charge.
Uniting Voices Chicago is rooted in the belief that music is a vehicle for fostering empathy and respect between young people of all races, ethnicities, socioeconomic backgrounds, religions, gender identities and sexual orientations. Performance is seen as a powerful means of expressing unique experiences while learning about the lives of peers different from them, building bonds far beyond their home communities and empowering them to become the global leaders of tomorrow. Uniting Voices Chicago creates a space for connection and impact beyond the stage, sharing not only their music, but messages of peace and tolerance as well, all while exploring the dynamic history of music and migration that defines the American story.