Uniting Voices Chicago
Performing ArtsIllinois, United States51-200 Employees
Uniting Voices Chicago is a mid-sized nonprofit in the performing arts that uses youth choir programs to foster leadership and cross-cultural engagement through music. Founded in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood in 1956 at the dawn of the Civil Rights Movement, it has grown from a single choir into a broad network of in-school and after-school programs across Chicago. The organization has impacted more than 50,000 diverse youth and prioritizes participation from low- to moderate-income families, with subsidies supporting every singer. Led by President and Artistic Director Josephine Lee, the organization has extended its artistic reach through notable collaborations, including the world-premiere hip-hop musical Long Way Home in 2018, created by the Q Brothers Collective, and a staged production of Bernstein’s MASS conducted with Marin Alsop alongside the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Ravinia Festival. It has contributed to national visibility through its work with Chance the Rapper’s Coloring Book and is recognized as a model for other youth choirs. In 2023 the organization announced a partnership with NASCAR Digital Media, LLC.