Anima Members to Perform with Grant Park Symphony Orchestra

Ian Brown and Bryce Abend, both Wheaton residents and members of ANIMA – Glen Ellyn Children’s Chorus, were selected by audition to perform the boy soprano role in Leonard Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms with the Grant Park Symphony and Chorus next week at Chicago’s Millennium Park. Ian will sing the June 20th performance, 6:30 pm at Pritzker Pavilion, and Bryce will sing the June 22nd performance, also 6:30 pm at Pritzker. Lawn space at Chicago’s beautiful park by the lake is free-of-charge, as part of the Grant Park Music Festival.

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The boys worked hard to prepare the challenging score ahead of time under the guidance of Anima Artistic Director Emily Ellsworth. Auditions were held in February, and the boys were thrilled to both be selected, with each boy singing one of the two upcoming performances. The singers are excited for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. “Singing on a world class stage with professional musicians is a transformative experience for a young singer,” said Ellsworth. “The boy’s unchanged voice is a beautiful instrument that lasts only a short time. Its beauty is made even more special by the fact that it doesn’t last past childhood.” Iconic American composer Leonard Bernstein chose to have innocence and purity represented by a boy soprano voice in the gentle setting of Psalm 23 that is the focus of the work’s second movement. Hopeful and life-affirming, Chichester Psalms is tonal and accessible, loved by musicians and audiences around the globe.

Founded in 1964, Anima is an internationally recognized youth choral organization located in Glen Ellyn, IL, serving youth throughout the Chicagoland area. Anima’s mission is to transform young lives through excellence in music education and choral singing. Recent awards for Anima include the 2013 ASCAP Adventurous Programming Award from Chorus America, the 2013 Chicago acappella Tribute Award, the 2009 Dale Warland Singers Commissioning Award given by Chorus America and the American Composers Forum, as well as Chorus America’s once-in-an-organizational- lifetime 2008 Margaret Hillis Award for Choral Excellence.

Anima (AHH-nee-mah) means breath, life, soul and spirit. Anima’s four ensembles, ranging from introductory to advanced, are open to boys and girls grades K-12. In after-school rehearsals, students learn to read music, sing music from many cultures and genres, participate in a confidence and character-building culture, sing with Chicago’s major musical organizations, and make lifelong friends.

Support for Anima is provided in part by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the DuPage Foundation, the Farney R. Wulitzer Foundation Fund, the Illinois Arts Council, and the MacArthur Fund for Arts and Culture at Prince Charitable Trusts.

Anima is currently holding auditions by appointment for the 2018-19 season for young singers entering in grades 4 – 12. Anima also welcomes all singers entering grades K – 3 for our non-audition programs. For more information, please visit www.animasingers.org or call the Anima office at 630-858-2471.