ECPA Brings Powerful Veteran Storytelling Experience to Elmhurst, Using Music as a Path to Healing

ELMHURST, IL. – The Encore Center for Performing Arts (ECPA) is bringing a powerful and deeply meaningful community experience to Elmhurst, where personal and compelling stories of local veterans will be transformed into original songs through a unique collaboration with Grammy Award-winning and Grammy Award-nominated songwriters from Freedom Sings USA.

At the heart of the program is a simple but profound idea: not every story can be easily told, but every story deserves to be heard. During Memorial Day week 2026, an especially poignant time for military families, small group of veterans from the western suburbs will meet privately with the songwriters.Through one-on-one conversations, veterans will share their experiences at their own pace, while songwriters listen, interpret, and transform those stories into original songs. These songs will be performed later that same day at a special community event sponsored by ECPA.

For many veterans, the experience offers something difficult to find elsewhere: a way to express what they have carried, without the pressure of speaking publicly.

“Music has a unique way of reaching places words sometimes can’t. This program allows veterans to have their stories heard in a deeply respectful and meaningful way, while bringing our community together to listen, reflect, and honor their experiences.”

Laura Michaud, Board Secretary of the Encore Center for Performing Arts

The resulting performance is an intimate and reverent evening where audiences are invited to witness these stories through music, creating a shared moment of understanding, connection, and appreciation.

“I’ve seen firsthand how powerful this experience can be. As veterans, we don’t always have an easy way to talk about what we’ve carried with us. Working with Freedom Sings gave me a way to tell my story honestly. This work is real, it matters, and it means a lot to see a local nonprofit like Encore Center for Performing Arts step up and bring it to the community.”

Lynn Lowder, co-founder of the Veteran Business Project

Bringing the program to Elmhurst reflects the Encore Center for Performing Arts’ broader mission to use the arts to connect, inspire, and uplift the community. By pairing veterans with world-class songwriters, whose credits include artists such as George Strait, Reba McEntire, Willie Nelson, and Brad Paisley, the program blends artistic excellence with a deeply human purpose.

The event also arrives at a meaningful moment, taking place during Memorial Day week, as communities across the country pause to reflect on service and sacrifice. As the nation approaches its 250th anniversary, initiatives like this highlight the importance of listening to and honoring the voices of those who have served.

The Freedom Sings experience will culminate in a live performance open to the community:

Thursday, May 28, 2026

7:00 pm – 9:00 pm CDT

American Legion

310 W. Butterfield Road

Elmhurst, IL

Tickets are $50 for this moving and patriotic experience, offering a meaningful opportunity to honor our veterans.

Tickets are now available at: https://www.encorecenterforperformingarts.org/event/an-intimate-evening-with-freedom-sings/

ECPA has a mission to establish a premier cultural destination that attracts world-class artists, expands access to the performing arts, and fuels the cultural and economic vitality of our community.

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