This seasonal showcase will bring to life the sounds of Chicago's West Town neighborhood through a concert featuring original music, exciting choreography and multimedia presentations.
Tickets are $10* per person, available for purchase at the concert. All seating is general admission. Doors open 30 minutes prior to showtime.
*Uniting Voices Chicago has a pay-what-you-can policy, allowing guests to pay as much or as little as they like per ticket, including requesting free tickets if desired*
Parking is available for $10 with validation from the museum, located one block north of the Museum at Clark and LaSalle streets; enter on Stockton Drive. The museum is also accessible via the 22, 36, 72, 73, 151 and 156 bus lines, as well as Purple & Brown Line trains at Sedgwick. For more details, visit their website.
Uniting Voices Chicago strives to make music and performance accessible to anyone who wants it. Assistive listening devices are available at the ticketing desk. Chicago History Museum has an accessible stage and seating locations with adjacent companion seating in the McCormick Theater. To request accommodations, please email info [at] unitingvoiceschicago [dot] org.
Use this text-only program to access translations using your web browser.
West Town Neighborhood Choir Community Concert
Saturday, December 10, 2022
Chicago History Museum
Conductors
Heather Stewart, West Town Neighborhood Choir
Elisabeth Baker, School Programs
Amanda Wolff, School Programs
About Uniting Voices Chicago
Founded in 1956 at the dawn of the Civil Rights Movement, Uniting Voices Chicago (formerly Chicago Children’s Choir) empowers and unites youth from diverse backgrounds to find their voice and celebrate their common humanity through the power of music. As a leading non-profit organization, we serve thousands of youth ages 6-18 from every zip code of Chicago through transformative and accessible music education programs and performance opportunities.
After the Show
Feel Inspired?
Like what you heard tonight? Want to be a bold voice for change and an ambassador for your community? Following tonight’s concert, students in grades 3 and up are invited to take part in a vocal placement and be ready to start in our programs for the very next rehearsal. Learn more about Uniting Voices Chicago and our sliding scale tuition at unitingvoiceschicago.org/join
Black History Month: Sankofa Speaks
February 27 & 28 | Chicago Symphony Center
Sankofa is an Akan Ghanaian word meaning “to go or return and retrieve what was lost.” With this pillar program Uniting Voices Chicago uses performance to raise the visibility of authentic Africana music including selections from Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Trinidad and Tobago, and South Africa, plus a rich legacy of African American music from the United States. Special guests include master djembekhan Sekou Conde and renowned soprano Audrey DuBois Harris.
Concert Program
West Town Choirs Combined
Shosholoza
Trad. Xhosa song
Translation:
The train comes from the mountains to South Africa. Run to the train! It is coming from the mountains to South Africa.
West Town Choirs Combined and School Programs
People Get Ready
Curtis Mayfield; arr. W. Mitchell Owens, III
Jubilate Deo
Michael Praetorius
Audience Sing-Along
Feliz Navidad
José Feliciano
Translation:
Feliz Navidad, Feliz Navidad,
Feliz Navidad, próspero año y felicidad.
(repeat)
I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas (x3)
From the bottom of my heart.
(repeat, then back to beginning)
West Town Neighborhood Choir Allegro
Oi Koledo
Trad. Bulgarian Christmas song, as learned from Zdravka Jordanova
Translation:
Oh, Christmas, my Christmas! The son of God was born! "Kolade, lade" The Christmas bread is jumping off the table; a sausage is boiling in the pot. Tell us, grandmother, how it was in the old days, when everyone was so happy!
Brave
Sara Bareilles and Jack Antonoff; arr. W. Mitchell Owens, III
West Town Presto
Shchedryk
Mykola Leontovich; English lyrics translation by Helena Androsova (artistically known as Eileen)
Translation:
"Bountiful evening, bountiful evening, a New Year's carol;
A little swallow flew into the household
and started to twitter,
to summon the master:
""Come out, come out, O master,
look at the sheep pen,
there the ewes have given birth
and the lambkins have been born
Your goods [livestock] are great,
you will have a lot of money, by selling them.
Your goods [livestock] are great,
you will have a lot of money, by selling them.
If not money, then chaff from all the grain you will harvest
you have a dark-eyebrowed beautiful wife.""
Bountiful evening, bountiful evening, a New Year's carol,
A little swallow flew."
Info. about an international art project to return Shchedryk to Ukraine.
Support the legacy of Leontovich by contributing to the Leontovich Choral Society which supports choral arts programs in Ukraine
West Town Choirs Combined
Som Dtam Saap Eelee
Trad. Thai song; Isaan by Ja Ting Ja arr. Hope Arthur
Translation:
Som dtam papaya, squeeze a little lemon add a little fish sauce, a little pickeled fish to put on it. Yum, yum, both spicy and stinging. Delicious to the heart. Thai salad, Lao salad, No worries! Mixed salad, noodle salad, crab salad, bean salad, Hoooyyy, certainly delicious!
West Town Vivace/Presto
Ella’s Song
Bernice Johnson Reagan
Gatatumba
Trad. Andalusian Villancico; arr. Ruth Morris Gray
Translation:
Gatatumba, with tambourines and rattles. Gatatumba, do not get into the pile of hay. Gatatumba, play the whistle and the rabel (instrument). Gatatumba, tambourine and rattle.
Audience Sing-Along
Frosty the Snowman
Walter “Jack” Rollins and Steve Nelson
Frosty the Snowman was a jolly, happy soul
With a corn-cob pipe and a button nose,
And two eyes made out of coal.
Frosty the Snowman is a fairy-tale they say.
He was made of snow, but the children know
How he came to life one day.
There must have been some magic in that old silk hat they found.
For when they placed it on his head, he began to dance around.
Oh, Frosty the Snowman was alive as he could be,
And the children say he could laugh and play
Just the same as you and me.
Thumpety thump thump, thumpety thump thump,
Look at Frosty go!
Thumpety thump thump, thumpety thump thump,
Over the hills of snow!
West Town Choirs Combined
Revelation 19
Jeffrey LaValley; arr. Lonnie Norwood, Jr. and Brandon Lampkin
West Town Choirs Combined and School Programs
United
W. Mitchell Owens, III
Tonight’s Performers
West Town Neighborhood Choir Allegro
Angie Arriaza
Gabriella Batie
Geordan Boling
Zoe Dean
Julius Frace
Mira Friedman
Isis Krause
Nella Maheshwary
Maya Manglavil
Zoey Padilla
Lou Roberts
Rohan Rodrigo
Evelyn Vold
Emery Wells
Zara Wilcox
Anne Zweidinger
West Town Neighborhood Choir Vivace
Alice Ayala
Lina Bolick
Vivienne Bonneur
Caitlyn Glunz
Luke Hojnacki
Ehlery Petersen
Shel Pierson
Joelle Sekulich
Sophia Slotnik
Marina Suarez-Espinosa
Eita Tabion
Jane Wiltrout
Marko Zafirovski
West Town Neighborhood Choir Presto
Gianna Chumil
Sahana Malkani
Frances Mulcahey
Klimek Pawlina
Samantha Rincon
Juliet Siebert
Sofia Solis
School Programs
Intercultural Montessori Language School
Mark T. Skinner West Elementary School
Musicians
Hope Arthur (Pianist)
Dave Hiltebrand (Guitar)
Tim Sessier (Bass)
Marquis Carter (Drums)
Special Thanks
McKensie Bartz, Bennett Day School
Hope Arthur
Thank you to our Program Assistant Kathryn Lanham.
Intercultural Montessori Language School
Roderick Shaw, Principal Alba Cárdenas, Liaison
Mark T. Skinner West Elementary School
Dr. Rhea Bush, Principal
Jennifer Christiansen & Shannon Johnson, Liaisons