Chicago Children’s Choir honors Juneteenth with new virtual concert led by its Black alumni, June 19

Chicago Children’s Choir honors Juneteenth with virtual concert

A New Freedom: Black Voices Honoring Juneteenth in a Time of Struggle

Free livestream on Friday, June 19, at 6 p.m. on Facebook and YouTube

(June 12, 2020) – Chicago Children’s Choir (CCC), a nationally recognized nonprofit founded in Hyde Park in direct response to the Civil Rights Movement in 1956, announces A New Freedom: Black Voices Honoring Juneteenth in a Time of Struggle, a free virtual concert of music and spoken word in honor of Juneteenth on Friday, June 19 at 6 p.m. Featuring performances from Black CCC alumni, the concert is curated by CCC Englewood Neighborhood Choir & In School Conductor Lonnie Norwood, CCC Alumna Tramaine Parker, and CCC Associate Artistic Director Mark Myers. The concert will be livestreamed on CCC’s Facebook and YouTube. For more information, visit ccchoir.org.

Featured artists include Phillip Armstrong, Jonathan Green, Nicole Heaston, Chloé Johnson, Keanon Kyles, Brandon Lampkin, Jonita Lattimore, Avilla Martin, W. Mitchell Owens, III, Tramaine Parker, Michael Preacely, Isaiah Robinson, Rachel Robinson, Allison Semmes and Jonathan Swain.

Founded in direct response to the Civil Rights Movement in 1956, Chicago Children’s Choir unequivocally asserts that Black Lives Matter. Juneteenth is CCC’s call to action to persist and insist on the fullness of freedom promised to some 250,000 emancipated Africans in Texas in 1865 and all ancestors of African descent, who were repeatedly denied equality and opportunity. Juneteenth celebrates dutiful resistance to systemic oppression and criminalization of Black skin and the resilience of the ancestors who endeavored to stand at fatal risk for the freedoms that Civil Rights leaders and Black Lives Matter protesters fight for today. Change does not happen without struggle and demonstration.

“We are thrilled to augment our robust programming around Black history with a new, virtual concert honoring Juneteenth. We must amplify Black voices. Our singers use the power of music to build meaningful relationships, to shed light on social issues, and to demand progress. We hope that our group of acclaimed Black CCC alumni inspires others to take action against long-standing injustice,” said Josephine Lee, Chicago Children’s Choir President and Artistic Director.  

 

About Chicago Children’s Choir

Founded in Hyde Park in direct response to the Civil Rights Movement in 1956, Chicago Children’s Choir (CCC) has grown from one choir into a vast network of in-school and after-school programs driven by one mission: to inspire and change lives through music. CCC has impacted the lives of more than 50,000 diverse youth throughout its 62-year history. Since its founding, CCC has focused on building programs that reflect the racial and economic diversity of Chicago. Eighty percent of youth served are from low-moderate income homes, with over 4,000 students annually participating completely free of charge. All singers in CCC programs receive some level of subsidy. High school seniors enrolled in CCC have a 100% graduation and college acceptance rate, becoming global ambassadors who carry on CCC’s core values in a wide array of professional fields. 

Learn more at ccchoir.org.

# # #  

Video and photos of CCC performances and participating alumni