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Joshua Pedde, artistic director of the Indianapolis Children’s Choir, said a sense of ownership is visible on the faces of young singers when they arrive at the organization’s new home at the intersection of 91st Street and Allisonville Road.
“They know it’s theirs,” Pedde said. “You’re not in someone else’s space. This is made specifically for them to enjoy.”
Before the choir moved into the building last summer, the 38-year-old organization was based in Lilly Hall on the campus of Butler University. No daytime activities were possible because of the school’s schedule, and dedicated spaces for parents and rooms for collaborations with other arts organizations weren’t in the cards.
Pedde said the choir’s headquarters, formerly occupied by F.C. Tucker Co., accommodate children starting from 18 months old through 12th grade.
The building features two rehearsal rooms, with the largest occupying about 3,000 square feet of the 16,000-square-feet structure.
The choir serves 2,500 children each year, and more than 250 singers will perform as part of the organization’s next concert: a March 10 production of “Crossroads of America” at Hilbert Circle Theatre.
Four singing groups, ranging from the ICC’s beginning level choirs through its high school division, will perform selections of gospel, jazz, Broadway, folk and other genres.
Pedde said songs such as “Almost Like Being in Love,” “900 Miles” and “Lift Every Voice and Sing” will convey the concert’s “crossroads” theme focused on railroads that carried passengers through Indiana.
“We even have a train conductor coming in to narrate the performance,” Pedde said.
The choir continues to rebuild its membership after a pandemic decrease, said Pedde, who succeeded ICC founder Henry Leck in the role of artistic director after Leck’s retirement in 2016.
“We never turn kids away,” Pedde said. “Because we’re ability-based, we put them where they need to be trained. We do have some kids who need a little more training than others. The big thing is we need them to be great listeners and have a healthy voice. The other part is we’d like them to match pitch. Those are the things we’re looking for. If they can do those things, away we go.”
Highlights in the choir’s history include singing with Kelly Clarkson during her rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” before the 2012 Super Bowl at Lucas Oil Stadium and singing during opening and closing ceremonies of the 1987 Pan Am Games at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
“We are the voice of Indianapolis,” Pedde said. “We really are representing our city, because our singers are from all the school districts around the area—combining in one voice to be singing ambassadors.”
Butler University alum Pedde said the choir is within $1.2 million of raising $4 million for a capital campaign launched in conjunction with the purchase of the building at 9111 Allisonville Road. His goal is to have the funding complete by the end of 2025, with an eye toward the choir’s 40th anniversary year in 2026.
“What does that next 40 years look like,” Pedde said, “and how can we help make Indianapolis even more special than it is today?”
‘The Crossroads of America’
- When: 4 p.m. March 10.
- Where: Hilbert Circle Theatre, 45 Monument Circle.
- Tickets: $14.
- Info: Visit icchoir.org.
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Too bad they couldn’t find someplace more centrally located – seems like that would preclude a lot of singers on the south side from joining.
Convenient? Not to many in townships south of US-40. For those, will there be regular transportation available, the cost to which, we public might contribute?
Call Senator Freeman for a ride…Take the Blue Line to the Red Line, the Red Line to Broad Ripple, then Uber or Lyft just north of Castleton…
Seriously, while this is pretty far north, it’s a pretty easy connect for most people with cars once 465 is done with its current reconstruction. 465 to Allisonville, head north about a mile or so.
Okay, so nearly anyone CAN get there. However, it only makes perfect sense for civic, community and arts-related organizations to be located in the center city so as to be MOST accessible to the greatest number AND so we can build a centrally located core so such institutions in order to bring together like minds and create a vibrant arts hub. This is a great idea and should be promoted with enthusiasm and vigor. This is a ten-year project and a critical for creating a vibrant city. Who will step forward, please?
FYI: Indianapolis Children’s Choir has several singers from all over the state with rehearsals starting soon after work hours. A downtown Indianapolis location would make it very difficult for many families to make the rehearsals due to traffic. Hopefully, the traffic will improve further when the interminable I-465 construction in that area is completed.