Join us for Chicago’s most inspirational gala

Saturday, October 19, 2024

The Geraghty
2520 S. Hoyne Ave.

6pm | Cocktails
7:15pm | Dinner & Musical Performance
Afterparty to Follow (21+)

Join us on October 19, 2024, for Red Jacket Optional, our annual gala where we celebrate the power of music to inspire and change lives. Our past serves as the score for our future as the voices of nearly 4,000 Chicago youth come together in harmony. It is in the melodies we create, rhythms we share, and reflections on how far we have come that true beauty emerges. Be a part of our storied history and take action to shape our collective future as we strive to create a harmonious world through the power of music. Together with the city's top business, civic and cultural leaders, and influential community members, we will propel the next generation of leaders to create a world where every voice is heard and every young person is given the opportunity to shine.

commemorating 25 years of service

our rjo 2024 honoree:

josephine lee, uniting voices president

This year, to commemorate 25 years of service to the organization, the Uniting Voices Chicago Board of Directors are proud to honor our President Josephine Lee, world-renowned musician, leader and educator. During her tenure, Josephine has served as the artistic heartbeat and a profound representative of our core values of education, expression and excellence. She has impacted the lives of thousands of young people while elevating the global reputation of Uniting Voices.

Born in Chicago, Josephine’s experience with music as a passport to the world and a universal language is what guides her as an educator and leader to this day. She began playing violin at age three, studying piano at age four, and conducting at 14. She continues to impart the learned values of rigorous practice and dedication on the youth of Uniting Voices Chicago today.

Josephine came to the organization in 1999 at the start of her professional career. After one year as a conductor, she was appointed Artistic Director and rose to become President in 2010. As Uniting Voices grew from a single choir in Hyde Park founded by Rev. Christopher Moore at the dawn of the Civil Rights Movement to an organization serving nearly 4,000 youth from every corner of Chicago today, Josephine has ensured that we are still guided by the same mission of uniting and inspiring diverse youth through music, while growing the organization’s prominence on the international stage. She shepherded the organization’s evolution from Chicago Children’s Choir to Uniting Voices, a name better reflective of our commitment to building a harmonious world.

Josephine Lee has overseen collaborations between Uniting Voices and popular musical artists including Karol G on Saturday Night Live and Lollapalooza; Peter CottonTale, Chance the Rapper, and Bobby McFerrin. Under her direction, Uniting Voices has performed with Yo-Yo Ma, Luciano Pavarotti, Al Green, Eddie Vedder, Renee Fleming, Wyclef Jean, Buddy Guy, the Eagles, Andrea Bocelli, Jamila Woods, and many more. Josephine Lee has conducted singers from every level of our programs at the Kennedy Center, Ravello Festival, Ravinia Festival, Carnegie Hall, Chicago Symphony Center, Lyric Opera and in 2006, Uniting Voices was the first non-Korean civilian group to be granted permission to enter the Yeolsei Observation Platform in the Korean Demilitarized Zone. In addition to visiting Korea, she has led almost every international tour, visiting nearly 20 countries with Voice of Chicago, including Egypt, India and South Africa.

More than a conductor, Josephine is an artist in her own right as a pianist, singer, producer and composer. Her accolades include an Emmy for the documentary Songs on the Road to Freedom and a Grammy nomination for her work with alum Ted Hearne on the album Place. She has also received the Jesse L. Rosenberger Medal from the University of Chicago and the Kennedy Center’s National Committee for the Performing Arts Award for Arts Advocacy.

We look forward to honoring Josephine Lee’s 25 years of visionary leadership. Join us in celebrating her remarkable dedication to our city’s youth at Red Jacket Optional 2024 on Saturday, October 19.