Uniting Voices Chicago brings thousands of students together for annual Black History Month concert

Thousands of Chicago school students took a special field trip on Tuesday to perform together for a celebration of Africana music and culture.

It was part of the annual Black History Month concert series from Uniting Voices Chicago.

The collective energy inside the Auditorium Theatre was contagious.

"Storytime, song time. It's going to be a beautiful celebration," said Lonnie Norwood Jr., director of Africana studies with Uniting Voices.

"It's uniting so many voices together," said sixth grader Meryl Immanuel. 

"And they're bringing that joy to you – to the audience," said Magdalena Delgado, conductor with Uniting Voices.

Nearly 3,000 kids from 85 Chicago schools took the stage, including Meryl, who has been practicing for about two months.

She and every kid in attendance have been rehearsing with Delgado.

"I get to go to seven different schools all over the city in different parts of the city," Delgado said.

conductors teach the music and the history behind it.

"All of the wonderful, diverse styles of music that come from Chicago, the hub of gospel music, and blues, and jazz, house music," Norwood said.

The concert is the culmination and celebration of what they've learned.

"Your heritage is important, and you deserve to be seen and celebrated," he said.

"It feels harmonious, and I think that's like the main part of Uniting Voices to unite voices together and to be harmonious, and I really like that," Meryl said.

As they sing together, kids from all over Chicago find their own voice.

Uniting Voices Chicago was founded as the Chicago Children's Choir in 1956, at the beginning of the civil rights movement. Now, the program serves thousands of students across Chicago every year.