Dr. Lena McLin and the Holy Vessel Baptist Church Choir

The Holy Vessel Baptist Church Choir has been inspiring people with the Good News in song since 1981. The HVBCC has performed many times at the Chicago Gospelfest, and shared the festival's main stage with many Gospel music legends including Andraé Crouch, Otis Clay and Jessy Dixon. The HVBCC also has headlined concerts in Wisconsin, Missouri and Georgia.
Members of the HVBCC have performed professionally as Still Water and The Lena McLin Singers. They were featured in concert at Orchestra Hall, and they regularly appeared on ABC-TV's “Face To Face” with host Vernon Jarrett. The HVBCC released its CD “The Spirit of Christmas” in 2002.
HVBCC alums include many professional artists, including opera singer Susan Korhonen-Ali, Christian vocalist and “West Coast Praze” TV show executive producer Donna McAfee, international gospel/pop singer Sharon Pass, and Chicago radio broadcaster Roger Plummer.
The HVBCC is founded and directed by the award-winning composer, musician and educator Dr. Lena J. McLin. Dr. McLin is the niece of the ‘Father of Gospel Music' Thomas A Dorsey. Dr. McLin taught in Chicago Public Schools for 36 years, and she was featured in the PBS documentary “This Far By Faith.”

Chicago Children's Choir

Founded as a single choir in Hyde Park at the height of the Civil Rights Movement in 1956, today we serve 4,400 youth who represent all 57 Chicago zip codes. Our founder, Reverend Christopher Moore, believed in uniting youth from diverse backgrounds to become global citizens through music. Over the past 60 years, that simple yet powerful mission has grown exponentially, with programs in 80 city schools, 10 neighborhoods, an ensemble for young male voices and the world-renowned Voice of Chicago.

Under President and Artistic Director Josephine Lee, Chicago Children's Choir has undertaken many highly successful national and international tours, has been featured in nationally broadcast television and radio performances, including NBC's Today, Oprah and the PBS series From the Top: Live from Carnegie Hall and was featured in the Chicago/Midwest Emmy Award-winning documentary Songs on the Road to Freedom (2008). We regularly collaborate with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Ravinia Festival and the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, and we proudly serve our various communities with frequent performances throughout Chicago.

As a national and international touring ensemble, Chicago Children's Choir has performed throughout the United States, in Cuba, South Africa, India, Argentina, Uruguay, Korea, Canada Japan and Europe and for such dignitaries as former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama, former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, former Chinese President Hu Jintao, former South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak, Nelson Mandela, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and His Holiness the XIVth Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso.

This performance will feature the Presto ensemble of the Lincoln Park/DePaul Neighborhood Choir and will be conducted by Evan Bruno.