HELEN EATON
President/Executive Director     

Helen Eaton – President/Executive Director Chicago Children’s Choir is currently the largest comprehensive choral music education program in the country serving 2,800 children, ages 8-18 through choirs in 45 schools, after-school programs in eight Chicago neighborhoods, and the internationally acclaimed Concert Choir. Since becoming President in November 2007, the Choir has opened up an 8th Neighborhood Choir program in Albany Park, held its most successful fundraising event in the institution’s history and was invited to perform in honor of Marian Anderson at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C.

Prior to joining the Choir, Eaton was the Dean of Programs for the Merit School of Music where she also taught viola, violin, music theory and history. As Dean, she was responsible for overseeing all of Merit’s programs including on-site serving 1,500 students at its downtown location and off-site serving over 6,000 students. During her tenure at Merit, she led considerable program growth which included an increase of several thousand students and development of programs winning Merit multiple awards including from the Illinois Council of Orchestras and at local and national chamber music/jazz competitions.

Eaton is on the Board of Directors for the Chicago High School for the Arts opening in fall 2009 and is Chair of the Partnership and Student Development Committee for ChiArts. She is on the Board of Directors for Leadership Illinois, an organization dedicated to education relating to the advancement of women. She has also been a presenter at national conferences on youth and faculty development in the arts. Eaton received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Pennsylvania, is a graduate of The Juilliard School where she studied viola with William Lincer, and received her Master of Arts in Music History and Theory from the University of Chicago.

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