Get ready to hear Chicago sing — from the grass roots all the way to the opera stage.
In an announcement made Thursday evening at the Hideout, that fittingly offbeat Chicago music venue, Lyric Opera’s general director, Anthony Freud, and the company’s creative consultant, soprano Renee Fleming, unveiled a citywide project dubbed “Chicago Voices,” a new multi-year initiative celebrating the diversity of local vocal traditions.
Partnering with the Chicago Public Library, the Chicago History Museum and Columbia College Chicago, “Chicago Voices” promises, according to an official statement, to “draw on the vocal traditions for which this city is celebrated, while engaging with city residents in innovative ways.” The project’s aim is “to create an inclusive platform for celebrating the human voice, while illuminating the legacy of Chicago vocal traditions and amplifying the narratives of everyday Chicagoans.”
To be helmed by Fleming, “Chicago Voices” (sparked in part by her artistic leadership of “American Voices” at the New York’s Kennedy Center in 2013) will be a joint initiative with Lyric Unlimited, the Lyric’s department devoted to education, community engagement and new artistic initiatives. It is made possible by support from yhe Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Ford Foundation, and is partially supported by the Chicago Community Trust and an IncentOvate Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events.
In a prepared statement, Freud noted: “We are thrilled to be embarking on ‘Chicago Voices,’ a unique, groundbreaking multi-year project encompassing a wide variety of activities and genres. It includes Community Created Performances for which we are putting creative control into the hands of communities to tell their stories using the building blocks of opera: storytelling through song. It’s a tremendously exciting idea that I hope will cast a spotlight on the untold stories of Chicagoans and the tremendous creativity that exists in our city.”
Chicago Voices will span two years beginning in 2016 and concluding at the end of 2017 with four signature elements: Community Created Performances; a citywide celebration, encompassing participatory events, exhibits, talks and performances; an all-star, multi-genre gala night at the Civic Opera House; and symposia and master classes.
Here is a closer look at each part of the project:
Community Created Performances: Beginning this week, Lyric Opera invites groups of Chicago residents to submit stories from their communities. Applications and instructions can be found at www.chicagovoices.org. Up to 10 semifinalists will be chosen from this initial pool. Semifinalists’ stories will be profiled in videos on the “Chicago Voices” website, where the public will have the opportunity to vote for the stories they find most compelling. The top three vote-getters will receive professional artistic and technical support to develop their stories into original music theater works. These projects will be developed over 16 weeks, driven creatively by participants and supported by a team of “Chicago Voices” artists and staff. In fall 2016, the three groups will present a final performance of each community’s story. The deadline for the first round of applications is March 1.
Citywide celebration: Throughout the two-year initiative, Chicago residents will have a variety of ways to participate. Current plans include an invitation for Chicagoans to record themselves singing a favorite song and share it on the “Chicago Voices” website; an exhibit by leading photographers featuring images of iconic singers of the last century of Chicago vocal history, as well as contemporary singers; a series of talks at the Chicago History Museum focused on preeminent Chicago vocalists past and present; and a collaboration with area bars and music venues to present outstanding local singers in a variety of genres.
Gala Night: The event, slated for Feb. 4, 2017, at the Civic Opera House, will showcase an array of vocal talent with deep ties to Chicago, celebrating the city’s rich multi-genre musical traditions. Along with curator Fleming, who will appear at the event, it will be shaped by an advisory group, including famed musician Herbie Hancock, jazz vocalist Kurt Elling and folk singer/songwriter John Prine.
Symposia & master classes:Feb. 3-5, 2017, this multi-day series of symposia and master classes will be presented in partnership with Columbia College. Many of the vocalists featured on the Gala Night will take part in panel discussions, master classes, lecture/demonstrations and other events aimed at early career musicians, music teachers, students, academics, and music enthusiasts across genres. A full lineup of participating artists, schedule and pricing info will be announced this fall.
