ENGLEWOOD — An Englewood youth choir will perform at the Chicago Symphony Center Saturday, marking their Downtown debut with a holiday-themed show.
Children in the Englewood Neighborhood Choir, an ensemble at Uniting Voices Chicago, will take the stage 11 a.m. Saturday at Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Ave.
The performance is the first of two in Uniting Voices Chicago’s Winter Glow concert. A matinee show at 2:30 p.m. will showcase youth in other neighborhood choirs.
Tickets for the daylong concert are $30. You can buy them here. Uniting Voices Chicago, formerly Chicago Children’s Choir, also has a pay-what-you-can ticket option. Neighbors can request free or discounted tickets by emailing info@unitingvoiceschicago.org.
The Englewood Neighborhood Choir has 10 children ages 8-13 gearing up for Saturday’s show, said conductor Lonnie Norwood. Norwood, a South Shore native, was one of the founding conductors of the Englewood ensemble in 2013, he said.
Saturday’s show will be the first performance at Symphony Center for all children in the Englewood choir, Norwood said.
For students like Kaitlyn Vaval, 9, it’ll also be their first time singing publicly with the group.
Kaitlyn joined the choir because she wanted to “let my voice out to other people and figured why not just go for it,” she said.
She’s “nervous and confident” for the show but “excited about letting my voice out to the world and having fun singing,” Kaitlyn said.
The choir has been practicing two days a week in the evening at St. Benedict the African Catholic Church, 340 W. 66th St., Norwood said.
Rehearsals involve singing, dancing and learning the history of the music they’re performing. There’s also space to discuss “what’s going on in the world to create an environment where the kids feel seen and connected,” Norwood said.
Students will have a full dress rehearsal at Symphony Center on Friday before a “bright and early” start Saturday with a final run-through of their performance of holiday-themed tunes, Norwood said.
The Englewood choir will sing “Afehyia Pa,” a traditional Ghanian Christmas and New Year’s song, Norwood said.
Norwood chose the song for the choir because “it’s all about bringing in the good times, all the good things, and discarding all the things that are bad and do not serve you anymore,” he said.
Naomi Owens, 10, joined the Englewood choir about a year ago. Saturday’s holiday performance won’t be her first live show with the group, but it will be her first at Symphony Center.
Practice with Norwood has been “motivating and inspiring” — though she’s not too excited about the early morning call time, Naomi said.
If day-of jitters strike on Saturday, Norwood always tells the choir to “enjoy the experience and have fun,” he said.
“I tell them don’t be overwhelmed by the glitz and the glam and the size of the stage,” Norwood said. “I’m with you all the way. Trust the process. Trust the preparation that you have done. If you make a mistake, that’s OK because I make mistakes, too.”
About 600 kids from neighborhood ensembles in Albany Park, Beverly, Austin, West Town and more will perform Saturday.
Not only does the opportunity give children a chance to sing on the big stage, but it helps them to “understand that they’re part of a bigger community than they think,” Norwood said.
“This environment builds up the kids, their confidence, and allows them to be themselves and know that any space they show up in, they have permission to take up space as themselves and to have fun doing it,” Norwood said.
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