|
Our Mission Le Cantanti di Chicago is a diverse group of women whose mission is to enrich our world through the joy of choral performance, weaving a musical tapestry from many genres and cultures. We are committed to using our voices to uplift the human spirit and to support causes that promote peace, hope, and wholeness in the world. |
|
Our Story
The women comprising the choir come from many backgrounds, often reflected in the choir's repertoire - in addition to English, our performances often include songs in Arabic, Chinese, German, Hebrew, Japanese, Latin, Latvian, Russian, Spanish, and Swahili. Members range in age from teenagers to octogenarians and come from many different ethnic, racial, and regional backgrounds - we are a microcosm of our hometown of Chicago!
Since our inaugural concert in May 2015, we have given two major concerts each year. It has been our privilege to sing in concert with several soloists as well as church choirs. Proceeds from these concerts have been donated for relief to the victims of earthquakes in Nepal, Ecuador, and Kumamoto, Japan; to rebuild a church in China that was destroyed by fire; and to support Catholic Relief Services' clean water projects. Proceeds from our 5th Anniversary concert in May 2019 entitled “Thank You for the Music” were donated to the victims of the Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka and the March 3, 2019, tornadoes in Alabama. While staying home to save lives during the COVID-19 pandemic, we produced several "virtual performances" to raise funds to aid Chicago seniors affected by the pandemic, victims of the August 2020 explosion in Beirut, support services fighting domestic abuse in Chicago, and humanitarian assistance to victims of the conflict in Ukraine. In our cautious return to in-person performances in December 2021, our concert proceeds were sent to provide aid to victims of the December 2021 tornadoes in the Midwest. Since then, we have used a hybrid of in-person and virtual performances to raise funds to send humanitarian aid to victims of the 2023 earthquake in Syria and those suffering from the turmoil in Sri Lanka and the Holy Land. And in 2023, Le Cantanti kicked off an annual choral festival with musical groups throughout Chicagoland to raise funds to support anti-violence efforts by the Hyde Park/Kenwood Interfaith Council.
In addition to our regular concerts, we have also performed as a guest choir for different events around the city, including worship services at Hyde Park Union Church, Holy Covenant United Methodist Church, First Presbyterian Church of Chicago, and St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta Parish. We regularly perform at Montgomery Place Senior Residence in concerts and sing-alongs with the audience, and we have greatly enjoyed taking part in such annual festivals as "Make Music Chicago" and the Chicago Chinatown Summer Fair.
Other milestones include:
The women comprising the choir come from many backgrounds, often reflected in the choir's repertoire - in addition to English, our performances often include songs in Arabic, Chinese, German, Hebrew, Japanese, Latin, Latvian, Russian, Spanish, and Swahili. Members range in age from teenagers to octogenarians and come from many different ethnic, racial, and regional backgrounds - we are a microcosm of our hometown of Chicago!
Since our inaugural concert in May 2015, we have given two major concerts each year. It has been our privilege to sing in concert with several soloists as well as church choirs. Proceeds from these concerts have been donated for relief to the victims of earthquakes in Nepal, Ecuador, and Kumamoto, Japan; to rebuild a church in China that was destroyed by fire; and to support Catholic Relief Services' clean water projects. Proceeds from our 5th Anniversary concert in May 2019 entitled “Thank You for the Music” were donated to the victims of the Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka and the March 3, 2019, tornadoes in Alabama. While staying home to save lives during the COVID-19 pandemic, we produced several "virtual performances" to raise funds to aid Chicago seniors affected by the pandemic, victims of the August 2020 explosion in Beirut, support services fighting domestic abuse in Chicago, and humanitarian assistance to victims of the conflict in Ukraine. In our cautious return to in-person performances in December 2021, our concert proceeds were sent to provide aid to victims of the December 2021 tornadoes in the Midwest. Since then, we have used a hybrid of in-person and virtual performances to raise funds to send humanitarian aid to victims of the 2023 earthquake in Syria and those suffering from the turmoil in Sri Lanka and the Holy Land. And in 2023, Le Cantanti kicked off an annual choral festival with musical groups throughout Chicagoland to raise funds to support anti-violence efforts by the Hyde Park/Kenwood Interfaith Council.
In addition to our regular concerts, we have also performed as a guest choir for different events around the city, including worship services at Hyde Park Union Church, Holy Covenant United Methodist Church, First Presbyterian Church of Chicago, and St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta Parish. We regularly perform at Montgomery Place Senior Residence in concerts and sing-alongs with the audience, and we have greatly enjoyed taking part in such annual festivals as "Make Music Chicago" and the Chicago Chinatown Summer Fair.
Other milestones include:
- In the summer of 2017, we were thrilled and honored to join choirs from 12 countries in a choral festival Serenade! to celebrate the birth centennial of President Kennedy and the founding of the Peace Corps, organized by Classical Movements, Inc., in Washington, DC, in collaboration with the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts. You can see one of our performances here.
- On January 21, 2017, we proudly joined our voices with those of 250,000 women and men who marched and sang along with us on the streets of Chicago at the Women's March, in solidarity with women everywhere. Our music and actions will continue to call attention to injustices as part of our mission to promote peace, hope, and wholeness in the world.
- January 2018 saw us producing our first CD "Imbiana!" It is for sale on our eBay page and will be available at all of our performances.
- On June 9, 2019, we joyfully concluded our 5th season with a benefit dinner/concert at the unique Polo Inn, in the Bridgeport neighborhood.
- On December 19, 2021, Le Cantanti carefully returned to in-person performances with "The Weary World Rejoices," a concert to welcome the world back from almost two years of staying home to stay safe from the pandemic.
- On June 23, 2024, Le Cantanti celebrated 10 years of making music and bid a happy retirement to Dhilanthi Fernando. The choir is now exploring options as it moves into its next chapter.
