Chelsea High School choral department to host unity concert

Students from different schools and different backgrounds are going to come together in song this Thursday.

On Oct. 19 at the Metropolitan Church of God, the Chelsea High School Choral Department will team up with the choir from Birmingham City School's P.D. Jackson-Olin High School in A Unity Concert.

The idea for the Unity Concert started in 2016, when Chelsea coral music director Kay Dick and Jackson-Olin choral music director Tracey Hooper met at the American Choral Directors Association Summer Conference. Dick reached out to Hooper about collaborating to bring their students together to overcome cultural stereotypes and the differences they may have, coming from different backgrounds and different schools.

They eventually decided to hold a performance where both choirs performed together and separately, and to focus on using music to bring communities together. They held the first event on Nov. 17, 2016, during which students confronted stereotypes, asked questions of each other and bonded over music.

Last year’s concert had a positive impact on everyone who participated and attended, Dick said, and this year the concert will include even more groups. Chelsea’s Men’s, Women’s and Out of the Blue choirs will participate, along with appearances by the Chelsea Middle School Girls Choir and the Mt Laurel Knightingales.

“We would love to see an even bigger response next year with more choirs involved,” Dick said. “It's exciting to see students and our communities get excited about sharing the gift of music with each other and our wider communities in order to affect positive change.”

The concert starts at 7 p.m., and tickets are $5 for adults or $1 for children and students. Money earned this year will be used to begin a student scholarship fund for families and students in need.