Get Amp'd to join us for this Solo Showcase at the iconic Metro Chicago! Singers from every level of our programs ages eight and up will take center stage in front of a panel of judges made up of music professionals and local legends, receiving invaluable feedback that will help them fine-tune their craft as individual performers. Some will even be performing original music written by them!
Timeline
Doors open: 10:30am
Set #1 - 11am-12:40pm
Set #2 - 1:10pm-2:45pm
Set #3 - 3:15pm-5pm
Ticketing
Tickets are $10* per person, available for purchase at the concert. Get Amp'd is general admission only, and limited seating is available. Your ticket ensures access to the Metro for all three sets, including reentry.
*Uniting Voices Chicago has a pay-what-you-can policy, allowing guests to pay as much or as little as they like per ticket, including requesting free tickets if desired*
Accessibility
Uniting Voices Chicago strives to make music and performance accessible to anyone who wants it. To request accommodations, including seating, please email info [at] unitingvoiceschicago [dot] org.
The event will be standing room only with limited seating. There will be an accessible seating area on the main floor and limited seating on the second floor. There are stairs leading up to the main floor.
All bathrooms during the event will be gender neutral.
Event Experience
The bar will be open serving beer, wine, cocktails and soft drinks. Please note the bar is cash only. There is an ATM on site, but we recommend getting cash in advance if you plan on ordering a drink.
Alumni, Board Members and other Uniting Voices supporters from the music industry will join the event to provide joyful, constructive feedback for our singers!
Jill Hopkins is the Director of Civic Events at Metro and Gman Tavern. She’s also a music journalist with a hearty radio and podcast career that includes hosting duties for Vocalo and CHIRP Radio, as well as the Opus and Making Beyoncé podcasts. You can see her performing comedy at and emceeing live lit events such as The Moth, The Paper Machete, and Write Club. She’s a musician and club DJ, and she’s one of the newest on air pledge hosts on Chicago’s own WTTW-TV. Find her across social media platforms @jillhopkins.
Uniting Voices Board Member
DJ, Musician, Entrepreneur. As a DJ, Matt Roan has played all over the world from Miami to Milan and has performed at Lollapalooza twice. As a musician, he’s helped record numerous albums with bands Written in the Sand, INNKEEPERS, The 1900s and P1XEL and the Silver Sphinx. As a business owner, he and his friend Emilio Abadia co-founded Crossfader King, a boutique talent booking agency that has helped numerous local DJs get their start. In 2021, Roan continues to move dance floors at his Chicago residencies as well as entertaining the masses at numerous corporate and private parties. Last year alone he worked with the likes of The Waldorf Astoria, Major League Soccer, The Chicago Blackhawks, Gucci, Moet... the list goes on and on.
Uniting Voices Board Member
For over three decades, Joe Shanahan has been a renowned independent promoter in the Chicago music community. As owner of Metro, smartbar, and GMan Tavern, he has championed artists of all disciplines at local, national, and international levels. He has helped cultivate Chicago’s cultural fabric by participating in industry panels and music business conferences, along with hosting Columbia College Chicago’s Biggest Mouth competition, YCA’s Louder Than A Bomb poetry slam, and Theo Epstein’s Hot Stove, Cool Music benefit concert. In addition to Uniting Voices Chicago, he serves on the board of Young Chicago Authors The Frankie Knuckles Foundation and leads philanthropic efforts supporting the ACLU, Lakeview Pantry, Planned Parenthood, The Night Ministry, and other local grassroots charities.
Gerry Barad, is a former Uniting Voices Board of Directors member and Executive VP, Booking at Live Nation Global Touring, a division of Live Nation. Baradhas been a music industry trailblazer for more than 35 years. Barad and his world-class team have promoted and produced most of the top-grossing tours of the last four decades with past and present clients including Beyoncé/Jay-Z, U2, Lady Gaga, Justin Timberlake, and the Rolling Stones. His passion for live entertainment also extends beyond the world of rock and pop and into the world of theater. An avid theater patron, his appreciation of the fine arts came at an early age with his love for the theater, musicals, and classic films. Originally hailing from the beautiful and rugged coast of Vancouver, Canada, Barad has resided in Chicago since 2010. Barad often shares his passion for the music industry and has had a major association with Berklee for the past 18 years. In 2010, he delivered the James G. Zafris lecture and is a frequent guest professor and lecturer at Berklee. In addition, Barad is the board chairman of the recently formed Berklee Popular Music Institute. Six years ago, he personally funded an annual scholarship for Berklee students in need of financial assistance.
Uniting Voices Alumni
Sima Cunningham is a Chicago-based musician, producer, and presenter. Over the past 15 years she has worked as a recording and touring musician with Jeff Tweedy, Richard Thompson, Iron & Wine, Chance the Rapper, Twin Peaks, and been featured on over thirty records. She co-owns a recording studio in Chicago, Fox Hall, where she produces records for her own projects and other artists. In 2015 she co-founded the experimental indie-rock band Finom (fka OHMME), which has been celebrated as “the heart of the Chicago music community”. Finom has since released three records including a self-titled EP and the acclaimed LPs, Parts and Fantasize Your Ghost (Joyful Noise Recordings). The band has been featured on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert, Pitchfork, Paste, Chicago Tribune, Spin, Interview, and Rolling Stone.
Uniting Voices Alumni and Ambassadors Board Member
Madeline Dowling is the Chicago-based Senior Music Producer at Detroit-based ad agency, Doner. She is responsible for developing sonic branding for a broad range of clients/brands including Jeep, Dodge, Ram, Neutrogena and many others. From an early age, Madeline knew that she wanted to work in music and after trying on many hats (show promotion, record label, booking agency, music PR, talent buying, and even a stint with The Grammys) she finally landed her dream gig as a Music Supervisor in 2013. She has worked with top brands like Kraft, Disney, Cadillac, and Apple as well as on hit TV shows like Grey's Anatomy, How To Get Away With Murder, Empire and Scandal. Previous to her work with Doner, Madeline's career included roles at creative agency mcgarrybowen (Chicago), Chop Shop Music Supervision (LA), Good Ear Music Supervision (LA), Marmoset (Portland), as well as a robust freelance career. When she's not eagerly keeping up with music's hottest trends or falling down rabbit holes from music's past, Madeline enjoys creating custom glitter graphics, picking up litter while listening to podcasts, and visiting hole-in-the-wall bars or Michelin Star restaurants.
Uniting Voices Alumni
Vasil Garvanliev was born and raised in Macedonia and has been in the music world professionally since the age of seven. Now in his thirties and having lived over two decades in Chicago, Milano, Toronto and London, he is currently settled in Chicago and finishing up his first English EP, Porcelain Soldier. His 30 year professional music journey took him from child pop star, to a member and soloist of Uniting Voices Chicago to over 50 roles as a Leading Baritone Opera singer, to representing Macedonia at the Eurovision Song Contest in both 2020 with "YOU," and 2021 with his original composition "Here I Stand." His most recent project is a holiday EP, Christmas Day, which featured Uniting Voices Chicago on two songs. Whenever words fail - Vasil just sings.
Tim is currently starring as the WIZARD in the legendary Broadway National Tour of WICKED. Immediately before WICKED, Tim jumped into BROADWAY’s FUNNY GIRL (starring Lea Michele).Tim toured with HELLO DOLLY starring Betty Buckley and Carolee Carmello. Prior to that, Tim starred both at the Williamstown Theatre Festival and at Broadway’s LYCEUM THEATRE in THE VISIT, an elegant, mysterious and intriguing musical that also starred Chita Rivera and Roger Rees.
12 Broadway Shows. Tim was the third JEAN VALJEAN in the original multi Tony Award-winning Broadway production of Les Miserables and went on to perform that role more than 2,200 times, twice on Broadway and one year in the 10th anniversary production in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia. In addition, 1,244 performances in Broadway's Tony Award-winning musical, GUYS AND DOLLS, with Nathan Lane.Tim was thrilled to be a part of the new and revamped version of Disney’s THE LITTLE MERMAID as Chef Louis and just prior to that, Broadway’s EVITA, starring Ricky Martin. He has also appeared as Daddy Warbucks in ANNIE, and the pre-Broadway run of Kathy Lee Gifford’s musical SAVING AIMEE/SCANDELOUS at Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theatre. Tim had the privilege of soloing in Leonard Bernstein’s MASS w/the Baltimore Symphony/Marin Alsop conducting at Carnegie Hall and The Kennedy Center. That recording was nominated for a Grammy.
Tim resides in New York City, NY and Hershey, PA with his wife, Jane. Tim's extensive work as a vocal director/teacher/clinician and adjudicator for theatre, choral and show choir festivals has taken him around the world.
Uniting Voices Alumni
Jamila Woods is a Chicago-based American singer, songwriter, poet and Uniting Voices Chicago alum. Her work focuses on themes of Black ancestry, Black feminism and Black identity, with an emphases on self-love and Chicago. Woods is a graduate of St. Ignatius College Prep and Brown University. An internationally touring artist, Jamila has been featured on NPR’s Tiny Desk, CBS This Morning, and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. She has shared stages with Corinne Bailey Rae, Rafael Saadiq, Bonobo, Common, Chance the Rapper, Brittany Howard, Macklemore, and many others. Her most recent project, Water Made Us, was released by JagJaguwar Records in October 2023.
Get Amp'd Solo Showcase
Sunday, January 12
Metro Chicago
Musicians and Musical Mentors
Emcee: Jill Hopkins, Matt Roan
Musical Mentors: Joe Shanahan, Jamila Woods, Sima Cunningham, Vasil Garvanliev, Madeline Dowling, Tim Shew, Gerry Barad
Piano: John Goodwin
Bass: Tim Seisser
Guitar: Dave Hiltebrand
Drums: Mitchell Owens
Synth: Max Crandell
Note: Singers are listed alphabetically. Singers should plan to stay for their entire group to cheer their fellow choir members on!
Group #1: 11:00am-12:40pm
Gaia Ansah - Ziema vasara
Thea Black - I Wish I Were On the Moon (Original Song)
Lucy Bolos-Hartman - Voila
Sophia Chandler - When Will My Life Begin
Renee Das - A Change In Me
Jaxon DuFloth - Somewhere Over the Rainbow
Mayumi Felder - Alaska
Everell Hill - Put Your Records On
ChiNasa Jones - Reflection
Vikram Konkimalla - Happy
Lillian Krane - Popular
Avery Levitt - It Could Happen to You
Honor Martinez - Electricity
Leyla Mbanefo - Roar
Lincon Reed - Part of Your World
Anthony Rosario - Let It Be
Sofia Salinas - The Girl I Mean To Be
Nia-Skyy Taylor - Almost There
Avery Veldman - Both Sides Now
Olivia Warren - A Million Dreams
Group #2: 1-10-2:40pm
Sienna Arango - Zombie
Ellis Curry - For Good
Esther Hague - Dos Oruguitas
Emily Herrera - From the Start
Amelia Holly - Dynasty
Haley Ivy - No Gray
Willa Ludwig - Maybe Life is Good
Simone Marino-Beard - Out Here on My Own
Frances Mulcahey - Nothing
Charli Oldham - Flashlight
Grace Parisi - Home (Beetlejuice)
Morgan Parker - Video
Karina Perez - Rise Up
Wren Porterfield - Original
Kainoah Rutledge - Ave Maria
Emilia Schuele-Bermeo - Home (Disney)
Helena Sheikh - No One Else
Ella St. John - Piper (Original Song)
George Stoops - Love Yourself
Group #3 - 3:15pm-5pm
Vivienne Bonneur - Maybe This Time
Daelyn Calloway -
Elisabeth Cami - On My Own
Chloe Combs - I’m Not Afraid of Anything
Stella Corotis - To Make You Feel My Love
Annie DeMarea - Don’t Rain on My Parade
Lila Finegold - Crossing a Bridge
Sofia Gutierrez - Never Enough
Jayden Hatcher - Waving Through a Window
Maude Hovey-Bradshaw - L’ultimo bacio
Riley Jacobson - Chasing Pavements
Hana Javed - Bring Him Home
Emily Kirkpatrick - Defying Gravity
Isabel Loza - Breathe
Jackson O’Brien - Vienna
Wyatt Parr - Dreamer in Disguise
Abigail Pazmino - Golden Slumbers
Myra Sahai - The Rose Song
Atlas Salomon - I Stole a Bus
Matilde Velez Lauria - Set Fire to the Rain
Joe Shanahan, Metro
Leo Burnett
Gerry Barad
Matt Roan
Yuri Lysoivanov & Eduardo Valdes, Shure