Audiences find “everything’s better in threes” when The Irving Sisters take the stage, singing popular songs from the 1920’s through the 1950’s. They have appeared throughout the Midwest in concert halls, public events, private parties, and retirement centers, sharing stories and tunes that link together the past and present. The trio formed in 2015, rehearsing Irving Berlin’s song “Sisters” in Old Irving Park, a neighborhood on Chicago’s northwest side. They have since performed a cappella and with their band at Chicago’s Bastille Day celebration on Navy Pier, with the Park Ridge Symphony Orchestra, for a donor-sponsored 10-concert senior series, and at The Green Mill, Chicago’s legendary jazz club. They’ve additionally enjoyed entertaining nonprofit organizations, including Friends of the Chicago River, Oak Street Health, Mendelssohn Performing Arts Center, Roosevelt University, and Lurie Children’s Hospital. The three women are committed to connecting with audience members and one another through the undeniably universal gift of music. Together, they blend into an easy trio sound evoking the sister trios of bygone days.
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Linden Huebner (Christ) is a performer, entrepreneur, and voice teacher. Her enthusiasm shines through in everything she does, from appearing as a frequent soloist with the Park Ridge Civic Orchestra and the Peoria Symphony Orchestra to working as a philanthropy officer for Classical Kids Music Education. Linden’s spirit and energy have helped Chicago’s classical radio station, WFMT, expand its Bach to School curriculum and program, reaching over 2100 additional students this year, alone. Linden received her B.M. from DePauw University and her M.M. from the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. She continues to find joy in teaching her private voice and piano students and sharing songs from days gone by with audiences near and far!
Elise LaBarge is a singing actress and teacher who has a soft spot for music from the 1930s and ’40s. She has appeared throughout the region in opera, operetta, musical theatre productions and concerts, and has developed and performed several solo cabaret shows throughout the Midwest and East Coast. Elise received a dual Honors BA in Music/French and International Studies from St. Louis University in 2002. In 2006, she completed her MM in Vocal Performance at Washington University in St. Louis. When not officially on stage, she performs in other ways as a teaching artist and content creator for Lyric Opera of Chicago, a private voice teacher, an arts administrator and the mom of two singing boys.
Sarah Simmons is a Chicagoland based performer and educator. Her favorite performances on stage include Dolly Trapes in The Beggar’s Opera at the Castleton Festival under the baton of Maestro Lorin Maazel, and La Boheme with the Muscat Royal Opera House is Muscat, Oman. She has served as a professor at Rockford University for eight years, helping students grow as they pursue their musical aspirations through both private voice lessons and a variety of lecture courses. In addition to bringing the Irving Sisters’ tight harmonies and energetic performances to events throughout the region, she can be found singing with Songs By Heart, a foundation dedicated to providing high quality live music to people with memory loss. While her primary education focus has been centered around music, she delights in educating people about the ins and outs of real estate with her work as a broker with Baird and Warner. Find out more at iamsarahsimmons.com
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