The Young Naperville Singers are looking to the future as they prepare to celebrate their 40th anniversary, but that doesn’t mean they’ve forgotten their past. The legacy of their late founder Helen Grubbs lives on in every note that’s been sung by the 6,500 children who have been part of it over the years.
Grubbs’ mission was to offer children excellence in musical instruction through the study of quality choral music in a nurturing environment. Her husband, Bill, who now lives in Utah, told me:
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“I am sure Helen has been closely following this great choir over the years since she left us. How proud she would be to stand and direct those beautiful voices again and know that her life’s mission continues to benefit hundreds of children today. Her desire to create a positive experience and a love for good music is certainly being fulfilled.”
Helen learned her love of music from her mother.
“After dinner each evening, she would ask Helen if she would rather help with the dishes or practice the piano,” Grubbs said. “As a result, she became a very gifted piano player.”
Helen, who grew up in Utah, was a devout Mormon. She attended Brigham Young University and sang in the Tabernacle Choir in Salt Lake City.
She loved directing the church choirs. In a journal entry, she wrote, “It seems like when I step into the choir director position, all my cares and problems drop away and I am a new person. I feel inspired and uplifted by the Lord. I know He is the giver of the gift of music and I am so grateful for it and feel as I conduct I am doing something I was meant to do — fulfilling part of my life’s mission.”
Helen and Bill had six children, but she still felt something was missing from her life, which is how the choir came about after the couple moved to Naperville.
While Helen threw herself into growing the choir, Bill supported her in any way he could.
“It was a labor of love,” he said. “There were so many events back in the day. She had singing valentines where a few of the kids would go to someone’s door and sing some love songs and provide the mother of the home with a rose.”
In 1985, Helen was diagnosed with breast cancer. Although she beat the disease initially, it returned five years later. She passed away on Jan. 9, 1993, at the age of 46. Her youngest child, Stefanie, now a choir director herself, was just 9.
Ina Heup took over as artistic director in 1993.
“In my opinion,” she said, “the best thing about YNS is that the organization has stayed true to the vision and mission that began with its beloved founder, Helen Grubbs: to offer children excellence in musical instruction through the study of quality choral music in a nurturing environment.
“It cannot be overstated how extraordinary it was for Helen Grubbs, a devout Mormon woman raising six children, to demonstrate such courage, passion and resilience in serving as founder and CEO of a not-for-profit organization that continues to inspire young singers 40 years hence. Helen’s spirit and legacy live on in every note sung by the thousands of young people whose lives have been changed for the better through their participation in Young Naperville Singers.”
For Heup, the best part of being part of the choir during her tenure were the relationships forged between the singers and their families with the directors, pianists and administrative team.
“The power of song has connected us all in a bond that can never be broken,” she said.
Current artistic director Angie Johnson will be celebrating her 25th anniversary with YNS next year. Her daughter Jenna sang with the choir for 11 years.
“As a parent I would watch my daughter go to rehearsal stressed and be a completely different person when she came out; music does that,” she said. “We need that now more than ever. Our young people need a place to love themselves. In singing you can find yourself in a song. It becomes a lifeline for many of them.”
Although the choir lost members through the pandemic, they have rebounded to an all-time high.
“They are so eager to participate again. There is no substitute for being together,” Johnson said. “They learned how to sing alone and record. We Zoomed with experts. Rather than focusing on what they couldn’t do we did what we could. I told them this was one chapter in their 12-year story. I believe every child can sing. Talent varies but YNS is about all children singing and all children should sing. It’s astounding what it does for their physical and mental health.”
The YNS will be holding a 40th anniversary concert on Mother’s Day 2024, but if you’d like to see them before that, they’ll be performing at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church in Naperville on Sunday, April 30, and at Neuqua Valley High School in Naperville on Sunday, May 7.
For more information, go to www.ynschoirs.org.
Hilary Decent is a freelance journalist who moved to Naperville from England in 2007.
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