Arts In Prison Presents The East Hill Singers an inmate and community Chior

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Kansas City, November 2019

… And then Elvera said to the Warden, “and now I want to bring the inmate choir members into the community so everyone can hear them sing.”  22 Years later the inmates are still singing!

Come listen to the internationally celebrated East Hill Singers, an inmate and community choir.

Come celebrate The East Hill Singers men’s choir, “Voth and Friends” on Sunday November 3, at Prairie Baptist Church, 7416 Roe Ave, Prairie Village, KS  and Sunday, November 10, at Grace Covenant Prebuyerian Church, 11100 College Blvd., Overland Park, KS. An art exhibit and inmate art sale begins at 3:00 p.m., the concert begins at 4 p.m. These family friendly concerts are free and open to the public; a free-will offering will be taken.

Elvera Voth, founder of Arts in Prison, had a dream of creating an inmate and community choir sharing their voices singing beyond the walls. Over the past 22 years, there have been more than 600 East Hill Singers, who have had the honor of singing in the community and experiencing, many for the first time, a standing ovation.  At the end of each concert, the inmates line up for a receiving line, where attendees are invited to speak to the men. One audience member was brought to tears, when an inmate said, “You cannot imagine the feeling of receiving a standing ovation, after being told all of our life that we are worthless.”

“My family hasn’t visited me since I was sent to prison, but they never miss a concert. They told me that they have seen a change in me.”, an inmate said, to a volunteer.  Participating in these programs requires inmates to stay out of trouble, file special forms to join, and accept that they are part of a team, as well as taking comments and criticisms from the instructors (Conductors) and teammates. This is not very easy for most inmates. It requires a true self-image change. Then they have to overcome the fear of singing in front of a full audience.

You are probably asking yourself why do so many people volunteer so much time for prisoners? Quite frankly, it is because 99 percent of all inmates will be returning to the community at the end of their sentence.  If not for these volunteers, the inmates would return to the life that they left, proven by the high recidivism rates.  However, the recidivism of inmates that participate in life changing programs such as the East Hill Singers is almost 50 percent lower.

Historically, inmates that are given opportunities, such as Arts in Prison’s East Hill Singers, find ways to express themselves in positive ways.  They gain the confidence that they need to reintegrate into society without reverting to their old ways.  Most continue to sing with the choir as community volunteers and become mentors to the newly released members.

Arts in Prison sponsors groups, and offer classes in the prison, that include; debate, creative writing, Living Shakespeare, guitar, painting, drawing, poetry, knitting, crochet (many items that are donated to area charities), yoga, running, and, of course, singing.

The East Hill Singers is comprised of inmates from the minimum-security unit of Lansing Correctional Facility in Lansing, KS, as well as volunteer singers from the community. The chorus is led by Conductor and Music Director Kirk Carson and sponsored by local nonprofit, Arts in Prison. The choir is one of the only prison ensembles in the nation to sing outside prison walls.

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If you would like more information, or to schedule an interview with music director Kirk Carson or executive director Leigh Lynch, please contact Arts in Prison at (913) 403-0229 or leighl@artsinprison.org.