Josephine Lee’s Uniting Voices Brings Cultures Together Through The Language Of Music

On its recent tour of India, singers from American choral group Uniting Voices had a chance to perform in some unique venues. Besides their show at the Willingdon Club in Mumbai, they worked closely with Indian artistes during their residency in Panchgani, Maharashtra. They also visited Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, where they sang in front of Tibetan students and had the opportunity to be in the presence of the Dalai Lama.

Uniting Voices president Josephine Lee, an Emmy-winning and Grammy-nominated conductor, singer and pianist, is recognised for building a platform where young voices from across communities come together, perform on global stages, and engage in meaningful cultural exchange.

Formerly called Chicago Children’s Choir, Uniting Voices is a non-profit organisation that works with diverse youth from all walks of life, using music as a powerful tool for expression and access. According to Lee, the choir regularly tours internationally and its ensemble consists of young people coming from a wide range of cultural backgrounds, religions, and socio-economic experiences. “We serve nearly 4,000 young people aged between six and 18 years each year,” she says.

The ensemble had earlier performed in 2013 at the Jaipur Literature Festival and visited Delhi, Chennai and Bengaluru. Lee says this time, the tour was intentionally designed with a spiritual and cultural dimension so that the singers could engage with India’s deep traditions while also sharing the ethos of Uniting Voices.

Lee emphasises that the tour came about through the desire and support of Mridu Shekhar, who is both a parent and grandparent of alumni in their program. “She wanted to create an experience for our singers that went far beyond tourism. Her hope was that the young people would encounter India in a way that invited introspection, reflection and wisdom. An experience that would help shape how they lead in the world.”

The touring ensemble consisted of 53 singers from Chicago. In Panchgani, they held a residency at the Asia Plateau where they worked closely with Indian artistes including Shruti Veena Vishwanath, Leslie Nazareth, Vedant Bharadwaj and Sairaj Methari. The week culminated with a performance for civic leaders, community members and students from Panchgani, Pune and Mumbai. 

In Mumbai, the performance reflected the core ethos of Uniting Voices. “At the Willingdon Club, we played classical choral works, contemporary music, and pieces that highlight the cultural diversity and musical curiosity of our singers,” says Lee. In Dharamshala, the experience carried a particularly profound dimension, as they concluded the tour with performances at two Tibetan schools.

Interestingly, Uniting Voices has a history of seven decades. It was founded in 1956, during the Civil Rights movement, with the clear purpose of bringing young people from different backgrounds together through music to create a more harmonious world. Says Lee, “That mission remains unchanged. We have been uniting voices across our city, nation and the world. This is what unity looks and feels like. They are learning how to become compassionate future leaders and global citizens through tours and opportunities to meet leaders, youth and artistes from across the world.”

While live performance is at the heart of what they do, Uniting Voices also creates recordings that allow their work to travel much further. Says Lee, “When deciding what to record, we look for projects that reflect our mission and music that speaks of our values, expands artistic boundaries, or brings together artistes from different traditions.”

Some of their popular songs are My Joy, composed by alumnus Mitchell Owens to celebrate the expressive power of young voices, and Multiverse, which Lee wrote to emphasise that though young people today navigate many different social, cultural and technological realities, they are still deeply connected to their ancestors and their spiritual presence. They have also done an interpretation of Leonard Cohen’s iconic song Hallelujah.

One of their most unique projects was the 2006 album Sita Ram, featuring American kirtan artiste Jai Uttal. Lee recalls, “Sita Ram grew out of a deep interest in bringing together musical traditions from different parts of the world. I commissioned David Kernar in 2001 to write a global work for our organisation. We worked with Jai Uttal, whose work bridges Indian devotional music and Western audiences, and also the Natya Dance Company. The project explored the meeting point between choral music and Indian and world musical traditions. It eventually developed into a stage work.”

Lee hopes the recent tour will plant the seeds for future collaborations. She says, “Our organisation has a long history of working with artistes from many genres and cultures, and we hope that this visit to India will lead to new creative partnerships in the years ahead.” Indian collaborators will also have plenty to look forward to.