Chicago Children’s Choir to collaborate with Nesma Mahgoub on tour to Cairo


Chicago Children’s Choir to collaborate with Nesma Mahgoub on tour to Cairo

Chicago Children’s Choir (CCC), a nonprofit organization that empowers and unites youth from diverse backgrounds to find their voice and celebrate their common humanity through the power of music, will embark on a 10-day, five-city tour of
Egypt this June.

The Choir has toured nationally and internationally since the 1960s, leveraging the universal soul of music to connect
people across cultures and geographies. In addition to recent
visits to Kentucky, Washington DC/Baltimore, New York/New
Jersey, and Puerto Rico, the upcoming tour of Egypt marks
the first time the group has travelled since 2019. Among other
stand-out experiences, Chicago Children’s Choir was the first
civilian group to be allowed in the Demilitarized Zone in Korea,
performed for Nelson Mandela immediately following the
end of apartheid in South Africa, and collaborated with Bobby
McFerrin in Scandinavia.

“Traveling shrinks the world. This was more than just singing songs. This was sparking a movement of unity and acceptance and inclusion. We were actually becoming ambassadors for multiculturalism all over the world,” says Chicago Children’s Choir alumnus Jonathan Brooks.

Sixty high school-aged singers from across Chicago will
explore human history and forge bonds with Egyptian youth
and artists. Alongside acclaimed Egyptian vocalist Nesma Mahgoub, Chicago Children’s Choir will perform at Cairo Opera House on June 21 and for an invite-only audience of local youth at Tehrir Cultural Center on June 22.

“Music was my passport to the world, and I wish the same for
today’s young people: to be able to connect authentically with people who they might not immediately see eye-to-eye with. Our singers approach these experiences with curiosity and appreciation. We are grateful to the people of Egypt for welcoming us with open arms, and we look forward to showcasing the diversity, vibrancy and creative excellence of the city of Chicago,” remarks Josephine Lee, CCC’s President.

In addition to performances in Cairo and exploration of one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Choir will perform at the Great Library of Alexandria on June 28. On the upcoming concerts, Nesma Mahgoub remarks, “I’m delighted to collaborate with this world renowned youth ensemble from
Chicago. We have begun preparing in advance of their arrival,
and I’m amazed by their talent and reverence for the Arabic
language and music. These are shows not to be missed!”

More information is available at ccchoir.org/Egypt.

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