Top Youth Choirs Come Together For SONGS FROM THE HEARTLAND Concert Supporting UNICEF USA

The Cincinnati Youth Choir, Young Naperville Singers and the Allegro Choirs of Kansas City will travel across the country this summer to present Songs from the Heartland: Youth Supporting UNICEF USA on June 13 at 7:30 p.m. at National Presbyterian Church.

The concert, presented by Perform America, brings together three nationally noted youth choirs in support of UNICEF. Tickets are pay-what-you-will and can be purchased at https://events.unicefusa.org/event/songs-from-the-heartland-a-benefit-concert-for-unicef

In addition to their performance at National Presbyterian Church, the choirs will sing together on the steps of the Capitol the morning of June 13, at 10:30 a.m. and at the WWII Memorial on June 14, at 10:00 a.m.

"Each time we take singers on a tour, there are life changing moments and I'm sure this trip will be no different,” Angie Johnson, director of Young Naperville Singers said. “There is something magical that happens when young people sing together. Creating beautiful choral music together has a way of building an almost instant community and creating memories that are unforgettable." 

The three choirs last performed together at Carnegie Hall in 2021. Directors Christy Elsner, Robyn Lana, and Angie Johnson connected during the COVID-19 pandemic and provided crucial support to each other in the midst of shutdowns and canceled performances. Working together, the three directors practically reinvented their choir programs to keep the organizations afloat, including conducting virtual choir rehearsals and finding new performance avenues. The mutual support of the directors allowed their choirs to maintain steady enrollment numbers that continued even after the pandemic, and kept their student communities alive. 

“While apart by miles, our programs are similar in structure and expectations" Elsner said. “We push our singers for excellence musically and focus on excellence in leadership skills and character.  When our singers sang the first couple of measures at the opening Carnegie Hall rehearsal in 2022, it was like the heavens opened.”

Songs from the Heartland features a variety of musical genres, from reflective and soulful works to uplifting gospel tunes. Together, the three choirs will perform Be Like the Bird by Abbie Betinis, Ukuthula African Prayer for Peace by Andre van der Merwe, Hope Lingers On by Andrea Ramsey, Amazing Grace Arr. by Lee Kesselman, Will the Circle arr. by J. David Moore, By Night by Elaine Hagenberg, and I Sing Because I'm Happy arr. by Rollo Dilworth. Each choir will also have their own individual performance, with their programs to be announced.

"These are some of the finest, most artistic and gloriously trained youth choirs in the country,” Lana said. “Having them together again is simply not-to-be-missed.”

SONGS FROM THE HEARTLAND: YOUTH SUPPORTING UNICEF USA

Presented by Perform America
DATE: June 13 at 7:30 PM
LOCATION: National Presbyterian Church
TICKETS: Pay-what-you-will, purchase here. Proceeds go to UNICEF USA
Three of the top choirs in the country: The Cincinnati Youth Choir, Young Naperville Singers and Allegro Choirs of Kansas City, come together this summer in a unique choral festival presented by Perform America. Each choir will perform their own selections of music, concluding with an uplifting performance featuring all three ensembles. Experience a variety of music in a single evening, from reflective, soulful pieces to energetic, gospel-inspired tunes; there is something for everyone. All ticket sales from the concert support UNICEF USA.

Joint repertoire includes: "Be Like the Bird" by Abbie Betinis, "Ukuthula African Prayer for Peace" by Andre van der Merwe, "Hope Lingers On" by Andrea Ramsey, "Amazing Grace" Arr. by Lee Kesselman, "Will the Circle" arr. by J. David Moore, "By Night" by Elaine Hagenberg, and "I Sing Because I'm Happy" arr. by Rollo Dilworth.

ABOUT PERFORM AMERICA

Music and travel are a meaningful combination. That's why Perform America has gathered a team brimming with passion and professional expertise from both disciplines. Our primary mission is to champion and highlight the musical gifts of talented student performers and share them far and wide.  Whether you're already plotting a weekend escape or still envisioning the ideal week-long concert tour, our deeply rooted understanding of logistics, concert production, tour management, and travel will turn your dream tour into a vivid reality.

Each tour or festival presents an opportunity for us to celebrate the unique talents of your student musicians, their connections within the arts community, and the camaraderie and sense of belonging they foster. We are dedicated to meticulously crafting a blend of enjoyable activities, exceptional formal or informal performance opportunities, and enriching educational experiences that align with your vision while staying within your budget. From our initial discussion until your safe return home, we stand as proactive partners you can trust to conceptualize, organize, execute, and oversee every aspect of an outstanding concert tour. This enables you to concentrate on what truly matters—your people and their music. To infuse the transformative power of travel and student performance into your arts program, let us collaborate with you to create an unforgettable tour experience for your choir, band, or orchestra.

ABOUT THE CINCINNATI YOUTH CHOIR

The Cincinnati Youth Choir is an educationally based choral ensemble program. Participants learn healthy vocal technique, sight-reading, music history and music theory while experiencing performance excellence using the philosophies and techniques of Carl Orff, Zoltan Kodaly, Jacques Dalcroze and Jerome Brunner.

The learning environment is creative, explorative and fun. The children form lasting relationships with children outside of their community and develop a lifelong appreciation of music.

CYC members have toured Italy, Japan, China, Scandinavia, England, Ireland, Wales, Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Canada, and the United States.

Founded in 1993, as the Cincinnati Children's Choir, the organization updated its name to the Cincinnati Youth Choir in 2018 to better represent the age range of our member base.

CYC has recently received wide acclaim by winning the following awards:

• 2018 Chorus America Education and Community Engagement Award

• 2016 Chorus America ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming

• 2015 American Prize in Choral
Performance for Youth Choirs

• CityBeat's Best of 2015 & 2017 Reader Picks for Best Local Vocal Arts Group

• Gold Medal Choir, Youth Choirs of Equal Voices, World Choir Games 2012

• Winner of the 2008 Scripps-Corbett Award, Artist Category

ABOUT YOUNG NAPERVILLE SINGERS (YNS)

YNS is proud and excited to begin its 40th year of making beautiful music and growing exceptional human beings. Founded in 1984 by the late Helen Grubbs, YNS has developed into a premier community-based children's choral music education program in Chicago's western suburbs and the Fox River Valley. This organization has grown from its founding into a dynamic 11-choir, 450-voice nationally recognized children's choir. The mission of YNS is to sing with excellence and to share music with the community and the world and we welcome singers from kindergarten through 12th grade. It is the belief of the YNS staff, parents and Board of Directors that singing touches the heart, stimulates the mind and sets the spirit free.

Our choirs give back to the community through performances at local senior citizen residences, Naperville Municipal Band concerts, and The Kids Matter Annual Service Awards. In addition, YNS supports artists and composers, commissioning pieces from living artists, and giving our children the experience of premiering original work.

Under the musical leadership of Artistic Director Angie Johnson, YNS has flourished, with choirs performing locally, nationally and internationally, promoting the highest level of artistic excellence in choral music through educational and performance opportunities.

ABOUT ALLEGRO CHOIRS OF KANSAS CITY

Heralded as the “Voice of Angels” by the Kansas City Star, Allegro Choirs of Kansas City shares varied repertoire and heartfelt singing with thousands of audience members each year locally, nationally, and abroad. Since its creation in 1999, Allegro has grown from one choir of 38 to five choirs with over 200 singers.  The premier choir program enriches, inspires, and transforms the lives of young singers by learning and performing music of the highest quality with technical and artistic excellence. The Allegro Studio in Bonner Springs, Kansas, is purposefully located in an underserved area for arts and youth education; we are the only 501(c)3 fine arts youth organization in Wyandotte County. 

Drawn from across the Kansas City metro including 6 KS counties, five choirs consist of 4 auditioned and one non-auditioned choir:   Brio (high school treble), Spirito (tenor & bass singers) Moto (treble singers in grades 6-9), Vivo (treble singers in grades 3-6), and Primo (non-auditioned for grades 1-2). The auditioned singers rehearse weekly from August through May. The singers represent multiple public and private schools as well as home schooled singers. 

Allegro directly impacts the Kansas community by providing free concerts each season as well as 4 major performances to sold-out crowds. The choirs have shared their energetic sound by invitation for state, regional, and national music conventions and events, Allegro has toured extensively throughout the US Europe recently returning home from, Italy. Allegro has been invited to Carnegie Hall in 2025 for a solo debut concert.  Allegro is a yearly guest of the Kansas City Symphony.  In addition, the choirs use their voices to give back to the community with performances for local events and charity functions as well as collaborations with local and regional musician and composers.

Allegro Con Brio is the most advanced group in Allegro. Brio is recognized nationally and internationally for their rich, colorful tone and artistic expression. These high school age ladies “wear the pearls” and come from a wide variety of backgrounds, talents, and interests. Brio has performed by invitation for the National Cathedral in Washington Symphony Hall, Carnegie Hall, St Peter's Basilica, and for former President and First Lady Obama in the White House.  Brio is a frequent guest of the Kansas City and is featured on recordings for the multiple music publishing websites including Santa Barbara Music Publishing and MusicSpoke. 

Allegro is currently auditioning new singers for our 25th concert season.  Please visit www.allegrokc.org/auditions for more information.

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