Good Shepherd Lutheran Church to Host International Women's Day Concert

Award-winning female singers are set to be centerstage for the International Women's Day (IWD) concert celebrating this year's theme, "Break the Bias." The concert is at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 8, at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Oak Park. The concert is 75 minutes with no intermission. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. Attendees should arrive by 6:45 p.m. and be prepared to show proof of vaccination and ID.

A VIP on-site reception with the artists follows. General admission tickets are $25, and tickets to the concert and the VIP reception are $40. There are $10 student tickets. To purchase tickets, click here or purchase at the door if the concert is not sold out. Good Shepherd Lutheran Church is located at 611 Randolph Street in Oak Park. The building is accessible and free street parking is available. Tickets cannot be refunded or exchanged. If concert is cancelled due to COVID, tickets will be valid for the rescheduled concert date.

Eight performers are "choosing to challenge" inequality in the music industry by celebrating an extravaganza of talent by women in the arts. Good Shepherd and Working In Concert/Bellissima Opera are co-producing a passionate affair of vocal arts, opera, written word, and Hawaiian hula.

"Like opera, hula tells stories, in this case with bodies rather than voices. Together, all the elements of our concert invite the audience to be up close and personal," explains Bellissima Opera artistic director Christine Steyer.

Headlining the event are sopranos Michelle Areyzaga, Jonita Lattimore and Christine Steyer, and contralto Corinne Wallace-Crane with arias of opera's favorite heroines, and songs by local women composers Lita Grier, Lena J. McLin, Patrice Michaels and Elizabeth Rudolph. They will be accompanied by collaborative pianists Dana Brown and Jennifer McCabe.The evening will also showcase music from Future Perfect-a modern fairytale* set to the lyrics of young women from Chicago high schools.

Guest artist M.G. Bertulfo, emcee and author, will read from her novel-in-progress about a young Filipino girl. Kumu Hula June Kaililani Tanoue leads a performance by Halau I Ka Pono (The Hula School of Chicago). Images by Japanese artist Mimei Sakamoto will serve as magnificent backdrops. Claudia Hommel, Working In Concert's Executive Director, will open the event.

Bellissima Opera (Oak Park) presents innovative classical concert experiences. It is an initiative of Working in Concert (Chicago). WIC educates, advocates for, and mobilizes a global community of singers who use the art of song to empower lives and build community. Donors supporting this concert include Jethra Kapp, Eleanor Sharpe, Illinois Arts Council and private individuals.

Concert participants include Michelle Areyzaga (Arlington Heights), Jonita Lattimore (Chicago), Dana Brown (Chicago), Jennifer McCabe (Chicago), Claudia Hommel (Chicago), Christine Steyer (Oak Park), M.G. Bertulfo (Oak Park), June Tanoue (Oak Park), Corinne Wallace-Crane (Naperville), and Mimei Sakamoto (Tokyo, Japan).

Photo Credit: Painting in background by Mimei Sakamoto

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