Grateful Divas show to benefit local food pantry

The Grateful Divas, a five-woman performance group, will perform at 12:15 p.m. today at the Monroe County Courthouse. 

The Grateful Divas features singers Caroline Dowd-Higgins, Rebecca Keith, Melissa Korzec and Jennifer Poffenberger Heichelbech, as well as playwright Joni McGary.

The group performs musical numbers from Broadway shows and grand operas during its shows.

Performances, such as “I Feel Pretty” from “West Side Story” and “Will He Like Me?” from “She Loves Me,” are featured on the group’s website.

Dowd-Higgins, Keith, Korzec and Heichelbech graduated with bachelor’s degrees in vocal performance from the IU Jacobs School of Music and have been involved in other singing endeavors both in Bloomington and beyond.

Higgins sang in Italy with the Goodwill Concert Tours, released two classical CDs and performed with the Bloomington Symphony Orchestra.

Keith sang in the Atlanta Opera Chorus and has performed at both the Buskirk-Chumley Theater and the Bloomington Playwrights Project.

Korzec was part of the Singing Hoosiers while she was a student at IU, and she is now the associate director of development at the Jacobs School.

Heichelbech currently sings with the Indianapolis Opera Chorus.

McGary is the group’s playwright and creates full-scale productions for the group around its musical numbers.

Whether singing or performing, the group has a larger mission. The Grateful Diva’s performances are used to help raise awareness and money for charities across the country.

To date, the Grateful Divas have helped raise more than $400,000 for various groups.

Charities and nonprofit organizations can schedule the Grateful Divas to perform at any event to help their organization.

The group allows each performance to be tailored to each event and budget, according to its website.

The Grateful Divas’ performance at the courthouse is benefiting Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard, a food pantry in Bloomington.

Past performances have helped Women Inspire, a networking and support group for women, and Bloomington Area Arts Council, a group that supports and strengthens art in the community.

For more information on the Grateful Divas, visit gratefuldivas.com.

— Alison Graham