Nearly 100 people converged on Austin Town Hall, 5610 W. Lake St., on Jan. 23 to welcome the Chicago Children’s Choir (CCC) into Austin. The prestigious choir announced late last year that it would form its 10th neighborhood choir in Austin.
At the Saturday event, the choir sang songs from an eclectic range of musical cultures. Numbers included Curtis Mayfield’s soulful “People Get Ready”, gospel music composer Hezekiah Walker’s “I Need You to Survive” and the Cuban folk song “Yenyeré Guma,” perhaps to lend a Latin flair and spice to the proceedings.
The neighborhood choirs, which serve youth ages 8 to 18 years old, will rehearse twice a week at Austin Town Hall. Participants at the event included community members, police officers, local officials and choir members.
“Equity and access are core to the work of Chicago Children’s Choir,” noted Josephine Lee, CCC’s president artistic director, in a statement. “Our launch in Austin is an incredible opportunity to continue this work, engage with the community, build lasting partnerships and add to our community of more than 4,000 singers.”
For more information on the choir, click here.
