Winners Announced For Chicago Voices Community Created Programs

For the second year in a row, Lyric Unlimited 's groundbreaking Chicago Voices program invited groups of Chicagoans to transform their diverse stories into original music theater works. Groups based in an array of Chicago neighborhoods applied to share their compelling stories with the public, and eight were selected to move forward as semi-finalists.

Now, after three weeks of online public voting that resulted in more than 10,000 votes, three finalist groups have won the opportunity to bring their untold stories to life through song! Each of the winning groups will receive a $10,000 stipend and will work with a Lyric-hired creative team to help transform their narratives into a one-of-a-kind musical presentation. The program will culminate in a fully staged, free public performance featuring all three original works on Sunday, September 10 at 2pm at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance.

The three winning finalist groups are:

Blu Rhythm Collective

Blu Rhythm Collective is a group of Chicago urban artists pushing the boundaries of original live theater using a mix of artforms to focus on some of the city's hardest-hitting topics. Its members are a direct reflection of Chicago and its various neighborhoods. Blu Rhythm looks to illuminate one of Chicago's biggest issues by providing insight into the lives of young Chicagoans from these marginalized communities and their struggle to overcome the challenges of violence in order to succeed.

Kuumba Lynx

Kuumba Lynx is a youth development art making organization that utilizes urban arts to cultivate strong communities built on a foundation of love. Members come from different cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. The group strives to use Hip Hop as a means to mentor, motivate, and inspire artists to produce, share, and publish meaningful works of art. The group members see the making of an original music theater work as an opportunity to shift the perceptions of Chicago youth and their communities by telling their own stories rather than have them told by someone else.

YOLO Boomers

YOLO Boomers is a group of Northcenter Chicago seniors actively engaged in different forms of creative expression including writing and improvisational acting. The group hopes to use the collective, personal stories of its members spanning decades to bust negative stereotypes associated with age. This group intends to demonstrate what it truly means to be an active senior in Chicago.

This summer, each group will embark on a 16-week creative process supported by a professional team of animateurs (facilitators), scriptwriters, songwriters, and directors provided by Lyric.

"Once again, we were thrilled to see so many Chicagoans participate in the Community Created Performances program, either by applying to share their stories or by voting online," said Cayenne Harris, director of Lyric Unlimited. "Each of the three finalist groups have incredibly unique and compelling stories to tell, and we are looking forward to working with them this summer to develop their stories into original works."

Last year during the first round of Community Created Performances, Harmony, Hope & Healing, Kirin-Gornick Band, and Tellin' Tales Theatre each presented their final works to a sold-out crowd at the Harris Theater. Learn more about each of these group's creative journeys and watch elements of final performances atchicagovoices.org/ccpblog.

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