Class of 2021
In 2021, 28 seniors graduating from CCC’s Voice of Chicago ensemble carried the inclusivity, empathy, and commitment to excellence they experienced in CCC out into the world. Many 2021 graduates have gone on to premier colleges and universities:
“I think music is one of the best ways to bring people together… and CCC does that better than anyone.”
— CCC Singer 2021
Alumni Highlights
Lancert Foster
CCC alum Lancert Foster (Choir years 1983-1994), a NASA research aerospace engineer, oversaw the parachute testing that was vital to safely landing NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover. Lancert began work at NASA Glenn Research Center in 2002 after attaining both a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and an M.S. degree with a focus on Computational Fluid Mechanics from Florida A&M University. He is a former national president of the National Technical Association (NTA), America’s oldest minority engineering and technical society, and frequently speaks to urban youth in Cleveland-area schools.
Photo by Christena B. Imagery
Vasil Garvanliev
CCC alum and pop singer Vasil Garvanliev (CCC class of 2003) represented Macedonia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 (cancelled due to Covid) and 2021 held in Rotterdam, Netherlands using CCC alumni as back vocals to his power ballad “Here I Stand.” CCC President & Artistic Director Josephine Lee was in attendance as a coach and mentor for Vasil’s competition performances. During the season, Vasil released six singles and took time out of his busy performance schedule to offer a virtual Musical Connections Workshop on the music of his home country, Macedonia, for CCC singers.
Leila Green
On the front lines of the pandemic, Leila Green MD, FACS (Choir years 1991-1999), is a trauma surgeon in Houston, Texas. Her guidance and leadership both in the medical setting and in her community helped keep patients, families, and neighborhoods healthy and informed in the midst of this public health crisis.
Image from CCC’s music video: “As Long as I Have You” performed by the Beverly Neighborhood Choir
Ted Hearne
CCC alum Ted Hearne is a composer, singer, bandleader, and recording artist who draws on a wide breadth of influences to create intense, personal, and multi-dimensional works. Hearne received two 2021 GRAMMY nominations for his new work, Place, in the categories of Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance (along with CCC President and Artistic Director Josephine Lee and alums Ayanna Woods, Sophia Byrd, and Isaiah Robinson) and Best Contemporary Classical Composition. Known for his exploration of music's full terrain, Hearne was a finalist for the 2018 Pulitzer Prize in Music for his recording of Sound from the Bench.
Dana Scruggs
Dana Scruggs (Choir years 1992-2001) is an acclaimed photographer and Founder of SCRUGGS Magazine. Dana made history as the first Black female photographer to shoot an athlete for ESPN’s The Body Issue and as the first Black person to photograph the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine. She subsequently photographed Megan Thee Stallion for the cover of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People issue, Mariah Carey for the cover of New York Magazine, and Spike Lee for Vanity Fair. Dana has a unique vision of the human form that continues to be utilized by many brands and publications globally including Nike, Glossier, and The New York Times.
Emile Semmes
With more than 20 years of experience in embedded software engineering, Emile Semmes, who sang with CCC for 10 years, currently serves as a Lead Software Engineer for Blue Origin, which successfully took four civilian astronauts into space in July 2021. Emile's work on the BE-3U engine avionics subsystem is being used on Blue Origin’s New Glenn launch vehicle, while the BE-7 engine avionics subsystem he previously led will power the descent stage for the Blue Moon lunar lander. Prior to Blue Origin, he worked at Microsoft on the Xbox One, One S, and Xbox One Series X, as well as the HoloLens 1 and 2, and prototypes for Microsoft’s virtual reality controllers. Also, if you have flown on any European airlines, you may have seen the touch screen in-flight entertainment systems he consulted and helped develop.
Donor Community Highlights
This past year, the support of our CCC Family was more important than ever. In a time of overwhelming need, the flexibility, understanding, and generosity of our donor community empowered our singers, faculty, artists, and communities like never before. Donors truly make our programs and impact possible.
Thank you for making music a part of the lives of Chicago’s youth when it truly was needed the most.
COVID-19 Relief
Thanks to the advocacy and long history of trust with many of our donors and partners, CCC received COVID-19 relief funds from a number of public and private sources. Federal Payroll Protection Program (PPP) loans supporting 36 artistic personnel in 2020 and 2021, a federal Employee Retention Credit, and an Arts Work Fund-Arts for Illinois Emergency Relief grant managed by The Chicago Community Trust provided much needed funds to keep our faculty, educators, and staff employed in service to youth and communities. CCC is also deeply grateful for the increased, extended, or unrestricted grant support from many partners, including the Lloyd A. Fry Foundation, Polk Bros. Foundation, the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, Peoples Gas Community Fund at The Chicago Community Foundation, and the Harper Court Arts Council.
CCC Director of Africana Studies Lonnie Norwood and CCC Englewood Neighborhood Choir singer Rachel Burke introduce Black History Month curriculum during CCC’s February 2021 Insider event.
CCC Insider Series
This new virtual series offered our donors and sponsors a behind-the-scenes look at the making of our online learning tools, curriculum, and virtual Choir programs. CCC singers took the mic to share their experiences and discussed how CCC has helped them throughout the pandemic.
August 20, 2020: Culturally Responsive Pedagogy
October 29, 2020: Stories from Singers Council
February 4, 2021: Black History Month
May 20, 2021: CCC - What’s Next
CCC is grateful for the many Corporate Partners who provided ongoing support during this difficult time. Allstate, presenting sponsor of Voice of Chicago, provided steadfast support this season. This sponsorship ensured that even in a challenging year, youth from across the city could continue to connect, make music together safely, and share beauty, unity, and inspiration with CCC audiences across our city and beyond.
CCC thanks CIBC for their generous support of CCC’s Raising Voices campaign as well as their guidance and expertise in helping the Choir secure vital federal Paycheck Protection Program funds. Their commitment to the Choir’s sustainability and artistic excellence has empowered strategic initiatives, creative partnerships, and helped create a solid foundation on which CCC can build a bright future for all Chicago youth.
Chicago’s own Jackson Legacy Foundation was a key sponsor for CCC’s Black History Month Virtual Concert: Preserving and Persevering. Reflecting the Foundation’s vision for a just and compassionate world where all people are guaranteed human rights, civil rights, social and economic justice, and gender equality, this generous support helped CCC share our students’ voices with a local and national audience, including arts, business, and civic leaders and activists. CCC is grateful for the ongoing support of the Jackson Family and for Yusef Jackson’s generous leadership as a member of the CCC Board of Directors.
Jimmy Meyer, CCC Board member and Senior Vice President - Financial Advisor, Consulting Group at RBC Wealth Management founded CCC’s first-ever Tour Endowment Fund with a generous seed gift of $50,000. This fund, over time, will bolster CCC’s commitment to national and international touring as a core Choir experience, and provide much needed support to make tour more accessible to all CCC singers.
In Memoriam
In a year where so many lost so much, we honor members of the CCC Family who will remain in the song of our hearts for generations to come.
While many of us faced private and personal losses this season, as a community and society, we all were confronted with exorbitant loss in the collision of dual pandemics. The impact of the COVID-19 virus and our country’s history of systemic racism and violence, disproportionately continue to harm Black and Brown members of our community. As our work continues, we reflect on our role, and the role of music, in amplifying those who have been silenced—and building a future in which all voices are heard and celebrated.
Alexandra Aird
We honor Alexandra Aird, Choir years 2005-2013, who gave so much to others through a vibrant career in bodywork healing.
Mark Brunner
CCC mourns the loss of Mark Brunner, VP of Global Corporate & Government Relations at Shure and champion for CCC’s young artists.
J. Kevin Butler
We gratefully remember the contributions and leadership of J. Kevin Butler, CCC conductor in the late 1970s, who passed from pancreatic cancer.
Leona Green
We honor the memory of Leona Green, an accomplished and beloved teacher, and hold her children, Leila, Jonathan, and Lindsay, all alumni of CCC, in our thoughts.
Vrenni Naess
We offer condolences to the loved ones of Vreni Naess, office manager at CCC from 1970-1987, who served as a champion and advocate for the values of the Choir.
Christian Schroeder
We hold Stephanie Schroeder, Choir years 1999-2006, and Holly Schroeder, 2001-2002, in our thoughts at the loss of their brother, Christian Schroeder, CCC Rogers Park Neighborhood Choir alum (2004-2005), to gun violence.
“…music is for the soul… it’s a good way to let out your troubles and problems so you feel better afterwards.”
— CCC Singer, 2021
Board of Directors
David J. Koo, Chair
Patrick E. Boehmer, Treasurer
Dr. Ron Weiss, Secretary
Himal Agarwal
Eric Ashworth
Tracey Benford
Monica Carney
Ellen-Blair Chube
Caroline Dettman
Brian Egwele
Suzanne EL-Moursi
Theo Epstein
Robert Fealy
Derek Ferguson
Dr. Jaqueline Griesdorn
Christina Hatherly
Richard Hawwa
Carrie L. Hedges
Ellee Pai Hong
Yusef Jackson
Rob Katz
Priscilla Kersten
Melissa S. Kibler
Erin Lane
Deneese Walia Levin
Ann Marie Lipinski
Micah Materre
Donielle McCutcheon
Ligia Mendez Goodwillie
James P. Meyer
Kayla Moynihan
Michael A. Nemeroff
James P. Nolan
Matthew Parr
Diane Pearse
Matt Roan
Joe Shanahan
Jeff Steele
Michael Teplitsky
Brian Vandenberg
Ambassadors Board
CCC’s Ambassadors Board is a group of Chicago’s brightest young professionals working to raise the philanthropic profile of the Choir. The Ambassadors Board’s dedication to the Choir through fundraising campaigns and events supports programming while amplifying CCC’s musical reach in the city.
Erin Brown, Chair
Alison Burman, Vice Chair
Katie Ashcroft, Committee Chair
Conley Pollard, Committee Co-Chair
Mike Pope, Committee Co-Chair
Guy Rozentsveig, Committee Chair
Lauren Abney
Adam Adelstein
Bailey Appleton
Erin Broderick
Karena Brown
Bryan Burg
Waters Cahill
Lauren Carey
Cindy Chang
Victor Draine
Megan Elberts
Sarah Fadar
Scott Fetters
Laura Garland
Tabitha Green
Lizzie Guynn
Lisa Laws
Nadia Litwin
Sean Mansfield
Jennifer McConnell
Don McCord
Shannon McGhee
Raymond Melenncio
Matt Mistretta
Yannek Nikodimos
Brett Orlov
Gaby Padilla
Shelby Parnes
Dave Pequet
Jackie Pruitt
Elle Ramel
Marissa Schrader
Neil Shah
Matt Unertl
Mykel Vandenberg
Tyler Vandenberg
Pat Waite
Mike Walker
Josef Weber
Councils
COMMUNITY COUNCIL
Dr. Susanne Baker
Director, DePaul Community Music School
Jonathan Brooks
Senior Pastor, Canaan Community Church
Angela T. Ingram
Senior Vice President, Communications, Chicago Region iHeartMedia Markets Group
Abigail Muldoon
Manager, Division of Adolescent Medicine, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital
Josephine H. Robinson
Retired, World Vision Chicago
Rev. David Schwartz and Rev. Teresa Schwartz
Senior Co-Ministers, First Unitarian Church of Chicago
Angela Sedeño, Ph.D.
Executive Director, The Kedzie Center
Michael Strautmanis
Executive Vice President for Civic Engagement, Obama Foundation
Tanya Woods
Executive Director, Westside Justice Center
CREATIVE COUNCIL
Samantha Saifer Berngard
Co-Founder, Boldface Co.
Angela Brantley
Co-Founder and Creative Director, Hero/Black
Hebru Brantley
Visual Artist
Nick Cave
Artist
Rhea Fernandez
Co-Founder and Creative Director, Hero/Black
Welz Kauffman
President and CEO, Ravinia Festival
Thomas Kehoe
Founder & President, Kehoe Designs
Azeeza Khan
Owner, Azeeza US
Rob Lewis
Producer
GQ & JQ Qaiyum
The Q Brothers
Monica Royer
Owner, Monica + Andy
Marie Whitney
Owner, Two Penny Blue
SCHOOL COUNCIL
Antonio Acevedo
Principal, John Greenleaf Whittier Elementary School
Scott Ahlman
Principal, William G Hubbard Elementary School
Robert Alonzo
Music Teacher & Choir Liason, West Park Academy of Fine Arts and Technology
Gerardo Arriaga
Principal, Enrico Tonti Elementary School
Crystal Bell
Principal, Ella Flagg Young Elementary School
Dr. Natasha Buckner-Pena
Principal, George Rogers Clark Elementary School
Kathleen Finke
Teacher & Choir Liaison, Phillip Murray Elementary Language Academy
Noheli Hernandez
Metropolitan Family Services & Choir Liason, Enrico Tonti Elementary School
Anjie Lipsett
Assistant Principal, Mount Vernon Elementary School
Dan Moore
Music Teacher & Choir Liaison, Wildwood World Magnet Elementary School
Ashaki Reed
Parent, John H Vanderpoel Elementary Magnet School
Bill Riddle
Assistant Principal & Choir Liaison, Old St. Mary’s School
Dr. Erin Roche
Principal, William H Prescott Elementary School
Charles Williams
Principal, Plato Learning Academy
Dr. Wanda Withers
Assistant Principal, George Washington Carver Primary School
Task Forces
FAMILY ENGAGEMENT TASK FORCE
Jeff Steele*, Chair
Trena Burke
Steve Bynum
Shawana Campbell
Jennifer Chung
Ladonna Freidheim
Anna Gonzalez
Dr. Jacqueline Griesdorn*
Nicole Hall
Julie Herr
Cece Hill
Ellee Pai Hong*
Rachel LeFevre-Snee
Matt Parr*
Renee Salomon
Jocelyn Smith
Leah Talmers
Kate Wolzen
Sabrina Wright
ANTI-RACISM TASK FORCE
Mark Myers
Donielle McCutcheon*
Erica Lynette Edwards
Justin Cavanos
Michael Colbert
Kelly Fekety
Jackie Johnson
Brandon Laurent
Krisitn Llewellyn
Shannon McGhee
Raymond Melencio
Lonnie Norwood
Sergio Obregón
Matt Roan*
Regina Robinson
Veronica Román-Meyer
ALUMNI TASK FORCE
Christina Hatherly*, Chair
Marianna Bellorin
Monica Carney*
Sima Cunningham
Kala Moynihan*
Jackie Johnson
Cece Hill
Caroline Kagan
Allie Kersten
Katie Nolan
Michael Pope
Daisy Santow
Nikita Sekhar
Courtney Ward
Ayanna Woods
*Board Members
CCC Faculty & Staff
Faculty
Lisa Arnold
Conductor
Elisabeth Baker
Conductor
Evan Bruno
Manager of Choral Programs & Conductor
Youna Choi
Adjunct Instructor
Magdalena Delgado
Conductor
Rueben Echoles
Adjunct Instructor
Jonathan Green
Adjunct Instructor
Julian Goods
Adjunct Instructor
John Goodwin
Principal Pianist
Judy Hanson
Senior Associate Artistic Director
Miriam Kim
Conductor
Keanon Kyles
Adjunct Instructor
Jonita Lattimore
Adjunct Instructor
Josephine Lee
President and Artistic Director
Mark Myers
Associate Artistic Director
Kadeem Nichols
Adjunct Instructor
Lonnie Norwood
Director of Africana Studies & Conductor
W. Mitchell Owens III
Composer-in-Residence
Andres Rivera
Adjunct Instructor
Veronica Román-Meyer
Conductor
Heather Stewart
Conductor
Karim Sulayman
Adjunct Instructor
Daniel Wallenberg
Conductor Emeritus & Adjunct Instructor
Amanda Wolff
Conductor
Administration
Kevin Beerman
Director of Marketing
Justin Cavazos
Program & Production Assistant
Ameera Craigs
Program Assistant
Ashley Dingle
Development Associate
Abigail Droeger
Operations Associate
Roxana Espoz
Program Assistant
Kelly Fekety
Chief Finanical Officer
Amaranta Flores-Gualtieri
Program Assistant
Laura Fruhauff
Data Manager
Bailey Haynes
Program Assistant
Cece Hill
Program Director
Jackie Johnson
Program Manager
Josephine Lee
President and Artistic Director
Rachel LeFevre-Snee
Chief Operating Officer
Kristin Llewellyn
Marketing Assistant
Elizabeth M. Low
Senior Director of External Affairs
Stephanie Martinez
Program Assistant
Karley Mayomi
Program Associate
Veronica Morales
Program Assistant
Charlotte Ostrow
Program Assistant
Regina Robinson
Program Assistant
Lisa Salazar
Marketing Manager
Maria Sanchez
Senior Manager, Donor Services
Sarah Sapperstein
Director of Institutional Partnerships
Rebecca Shorr
Artistic Producer
Pam Shortall
Director of School Programs & Special Projects
Wendolyn Sims-Rucker
Development Associate
Jocelyn Smith
Chief Program Officer
Amy Tinucci
Chief Development Officer
Sara Zimmerman
Production Manager
Our Supporters
Thank you to our loyal donor community for their continued commitment to helping Chicago Children's Choir inspire and change lives through music.
Thanks to our Corporate, Foundation, and Government Donors
Chicago Children's Choir gratefully recognizes the following institutions that made gifts in support of CCC's mission from July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021.
$100,000+
$50,000 - $99,999
$25,000 - $49,999
$15,000 - $24,999
$10,000 - $14,999
Thanks to our Individual Donors
Chicago Children's Choir gratefully recognizes the following individuals who made gifts in support of CCC's mission, excluding contributions made in support of CCC's Reverberation virtual gala, from July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021.
$50,000 and Above
Rose & Bob Fealy ♦
Joseph and Janet Nolan
Jamie & Brian Vandenberg
$25,000 - $49,999
Anonymous
Ellen-Blair Chube
Steven & Priscilla Kersten
Mridu & Chandra Sekhar
$15,000 - $24,999
Damico Family Foundation
Kate Kestnbaum*
Jeff & Betsy Steele
Ron and Patty Weiss
$10,000 - $14,999
Meredith Bluhm-Wolf & William Wolf
Ruth & Patrick Boehmer
Nora Jaskowiak & Matthew Hinerfeld
David & Lesly Koo
Peter & Erin Lane
Jim & Ginger Meyer ♦
D. Elizabeth Price
Larry and Corinne Richman
Dr. Doris Wineman, Ph.D.
♦ Voice of Tomorrow | * Deceased
Thanks to our Reverberation Donors
Chicago Children's Choir gratefully recognizes the following donors who contributed to the fundraising efforts of CCC’s September 26, 2020 Reverberation virtual gala through event sponsorship and event support.
Fortissimo Sponsors ($60,000)
Rose & Bob Fealy ♦
John & Christina Hatherly
David & Lesly Koo / RoundTable Healthcare Partners
The Vandenberg Family
Forte Sponsors ($30,000)
Foundation To Be Named Later
Michael & Meeghan Nemeroff / Vedder Price
Mezzo Piano Sponsors ($15,000)
CIBC
Jacqueline Griesdorn & Kevin Matzke
Quad
RSM US LLP
Renee & John Salomon
Sidley Austin LLP
Ron & Patty Weiss
Pianissimo Sponsors ($10,000)
Anonymous
Himal Agarwal & Shimul Lahoti / Millennium Bank
Gerry Barad & Bridget Thomas
Tracey & Ed Benford
BMO / Monica Carney
Patrick & Ruth Boehmer
Jonathan C. Bunge
Capital One Healthcare
Ellen-Blair Chube
Thomas & Michelle Cusick
Caroline & Adam Dettman
Egwele & Company / Brian & Amber Egwele
John Hong & Ellee Pai Hong
Karie Katz
Ann Marie Lipinski & Steve Kagan ♦
Mackinac Partners / Melissa Kibler & Vincent Lazar ♦
Kala & Mike Moynihan
Oil-Dri Corporation of America
Matt & Carrie Parr
Diane & Jim Pearse
Mridu & Chandra Sekhar
Michael Teplitsky
Deneese Walia Levin & Matthew Levin
The Wege Foundation
$50,000 & Above
John & Christina Hatherly
$20,000-$49,999
Rose & Bob Fealy ♦
$10,000-$19,999
Anonymous
Mr. & Mrs. Richard Duchossois
Nick & Dagmara Kokonas
David & Lesly Koo and RoundTable Healthcare Partners
Litowitz Family Foundation
Stephen & Valerie Madry
♦ Voice of Tomorrow | * Deceased
Your donation helps build a future strengthened by song.
Contact development@ccchoir.org or 312.849.8300