Our annual Black History Month Concert Series honors and celebrates Africana music and its indelible impact on Chicago and the world. Learn more.
This year's concert theme is Soul to Soul: the Evolution of African Music in America. Exploring the rich ways Africana music uses rhythm and melody to connect the heart, mind, body, and soul, Uniting Voices Chicago continues its commitment to rigorous performance education and the visibility of authentic Africana music. Embracing the rich legacy of Africana influences in the evolution of modern America, Soul to Soul connects the music that moves us to the globally connected state of our world.
This event is by and for Uniting Voices Chicago singers. Limited seating for parents and the general public is available. We'd be thrilled to welcome you at our next public pillar event, Paint the Town Red, on May 23, 2024.
79rs Gang originally formed in 2013 when Big Chief Romeo Bougere of the 9th Ward Hunters and Big Chief Jermaine Bossier of the 7th Ward Creole Hunters put their differences aside and came together to build a bridge with music, releasing a traditional Mardi Gras Indian music album Fire On The Bayou in 2014.
Jenipher N. Jones, a proud native of Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood, is a versatile vocalist skilled in gospel, jazz and classical music. Having traversed the globe, she’s been privileged to share her musical gift and conduct vocal workshops worldwide. In May 2012, Jones released her debut EP, STRONGER, and has graced stages in productions like The Color Purple, The Mahalia Jackson Story and more. Notably, she released the single “Reset” in May 2017 and played a pivotal role as the lead vocalist and one of the writers on the Meeting of the Minds EP by Morgan E. Jenipher, recognizing divine favor, lives her life in gratitude. She often imparts the wisdom that trials forge strength and resilience, making one stronger.
Sunn m’Cheaux was born in Charleston, South Carolina. A true Gullah/Geechee “binya” (native), Sunn was reared in the woods of rural Mt. Holly, South Carolina and still resides in a familial village on land passed down through his family since the late 1850s. The rich Gullah language and culture he absorbed growing up on those sandy Low Country backroads guided his growth as an artist, advocate, creator, and educator. Notably, Sunn has also earned the distinction of being Harvard University’s first and only Gullah language course instructor, teaching a course curriculum that he founded. Sunn is an in-demand Afro-Caribbean creole polyglot, lecturer, cultural consultant, and instructor who has worked with Princeton University and spoken for a wide range of institutions, companies, and organizations, including guest lecturer at the 14th Anatol Rodgers Memorial Lecture at University of the Bahamas. Sunn’s media outlet features include HBO Vice, Al Jazeera Plus, CBS International, BBC, WIRED Magazine, Discovery Channel, and he is a published columnist for The Root Magazine.
