Spring Into Music

A LOOK BACK AT THE POHC SPRING 2023 OUTREACH SEASON

by Carrie Wesolowski

Photos by: Frank Asencio

The reviews are in. And they loved having us.

One lady who sang along wholeheartedly to "Over the Rainbow/Wonderful World" gently took my hand and told me how our music brought her so much joy!

It was a very special Peace of Heart Choir outreach concert on Saturday, April 29 at Atria Living West 86, a welcoming independent living and supportive senior living community. This was our real first time back to a senior facility since February 2020.

(With one difference though--we were singing masked.)

To quote René, to make it here on this extremely rainy day, we had "endured the deluge."

It started with a check-in at the kiosk at the front desk and a quick temperature check and we made our way to a holding area where we could hear the sounds of the Chilean film that residents were watching in the next room. Once the film was over, they were ready for our live musical performance in their recreation room.

We began with our signature opening "Siyahamba/Shosholoza" (with soloist Gary) and a word from Gary thanking our audience for welcoming us into their home. And I was reminded of that when I saw Schleppers, the NYC moving company, carrying a large table through the front door.

As I shared the Indigenous Land Acknowledgment Statement which meant that it was time for the "Cherokee Morning Song, the lovely sounds of the Native American flute played by René began to fill the room and we sang the "Cherokee Morning Song" in a round.

René plays Native American Flute during Cherokee Morning Song.

A lady with a walker who arrived during "Hard Times Come Again No More," let out an almost stifled triumphant ‘yay’ as she found her seat at the back of the recreation room. You could feel her excitement. (She would later use the word "special" to describe our musical performance.)

There was an abundance of sing-alongs, "Peace Like a River," "Lead With Love" featuring soloists Carrie and Nancy, "Oh, I Woke Up This Morning" with soloist Deb, and "Singing for Our Lives."

This afternoon of music had been more three years in the making and before we knew it, it was time for our last two songs: "One Day" featuring soloists Gwyn and Gary and our signature closing song, "Let There Be Peace on Earth" with soloist Cheryl and then, it was time to take our bows.

Thanks to René, our accompanist Marv, to Atria Living for having us and to our wonderful audience.

I enjoying visiting with members of our audience after our outreach. And one audience member loved us so much, she asked if we could come back next week. Then she laughed and reckoned that might be too soon and suggested instead a more reasonable request that we make sure to come back in 3 months or so.

There's no doubt in my mind. "We'll be back!"

On Sunday, May 7, we returned to our friends at the NYC clubhouse of Fountain House, our 1st time back since before the pandemic. It had been a while but how could I forget those familiar forest green double doors of the Georgian Colonial style building beckoning me and as I spotted them, I slowed down and made my way up the steps and walked through. On the other side of those doors were warm and welcoming members of the community, a new member offering to direct me to the community room where we would be singing for them this afternoon—their lovely living room full of plush, comfy couches and chairs and the room’s taupe colored wallpaper illuminated by the glow of the candelabra chandelier. An audience had already filled the room as we warmed up.

Fountain House, a national nonprofit created for and by people living with serious mental illness is dedicated to the recovery of men and women with mental illness through education, employment, and housing by contributing their talents through a community of mutual support. The concept of a clubhouse — which was pioneered by Fountain House in the 1940s — starts with the idea that “community is therapy.” From our rousing opening number “Siyahamba” to our spirited encore “Let The Sun Shine In,” our music was that sense of community and therapy on this sunny spring afternoon. I greeted some familiar faces and got to know some new ones. Ours was a friendly, inquisitive audience who expressed enthusiasm and applauded us and who asked questions as we did song intros and sang and we were happy to answer them. René, our maestro was definitely the man of many instruments alternately playing the Native American flute, xylophone, mandolin, piano—hope I didn’t miss any--and he enjoyed sharing different tidbits of information about the instruments with our audience too. Thanks to our choir instrumentalists Andy and Marv who picked up where René left off, our soloists, and all of our choir members who came out for an afternoon of music and to Fountain House for welcoming us back but once again. A Fountain House staff member told us after the concert that it was such a beautiful outreach and that we had to come back some time soon.

We can’t wait!!

In Harmony,

Carrie Wesolowski, Alto 1

Our Fountain House audience enjoying the music.

Singin' in The Rain

Peace of Heart Choir Closes Out the New York City Poetry Festival

By Carrie Wesolowski

Photos by: Frank Asencio and Carrie Wesolowski

We were Singin' in the Rain.....

Kind of like that old Gene Kelly tune but not exactly.....

Our accommodations were The Brinkley--well, that's what the banner read atop one of the three tents that mostly sheltered us from the rain as we did a 30-minute set to close out the New York City Poetry Festival on Governors Island on Sunday.

The small stage would not be big enough for us so three tents were furiously constructed by three young men and grouped together so we could have shelter and a makeshift stage while escaping the rain.

And so we braved the elements standing firm in soggy and muddy grass in the island’s tree-lined historic district of Colonels Row amidst the former officers barracks from which it derives it name characterized by stately 19th century brick and wood-framed homes.

We had rehearsed in the underpass shielded from the rain and our maestro and, I may add a New York City Poetry Festival featured poet, René had considered that as an alternative but ultimately, we held firm right in the middle of all of the action of the poetry festival which included live theater, site-specific artwork, poets reading their work, a beer garden tent, etc..

One of six Tree Chuangs by Artist Xinan Ran

Photo Credit: Carrie Wesolowski

As we sang several of our songs, I thought of how perfectly our songs fit in with our backdrop, particularly one of the six Tree Chuangs, site-specific textile sculptures I noticed when I entered Nolan Park designed by artist Xinan Ran and built by youth and Beam Center staff at Beam Camp City on Governors Island—a cylindrical textile ritual apparatus commonly used in Buddhism--the one that prominently featured words in black lettering such as "respect" and the phrase "Amor y Paz." We were at home as we performed Amani which means peace, Paz Y Libertad, Lead With Love featuring soloists Carrie and Nancy, Over the Rainbow/Wonderful World featuring soloist Gwyn, One Day with vocalists Amanda and Gary and our unofficial anthem Let There Be Peace On Earth featuring soloist Lis which several audience members sang along to. The rain seemed to increase in intensity as our musical performance progressed and by the time we reached the end of Let There Be Peace on Earth, that pitter patter of the intermittent rain had become steady and harder and yet the sounds of the rain could not drown out our voices or dampen our enthusiasm.

Soprano section singin’ in the rain.

Photo Credit: Frank Asencio

We took our bows--spaced out yet huddled under the three white tents. Our stay at The Brinkley was over, courtesy of Wilkes University--one of the events sponsors--and we emerged back into the elements. And there was a lull in the rain as we made our way back to the ferry. The island is only accessible by ferry so this was just the beginning of our journey home.

The weather gods had not been nearly as kind to us as they had at other recent Peace of Heart Choir concerts. But we overcame and rose to the challenge. I could feel that so strongly as we just stood there masked underneath the tents, the rain pouring down, singing a song of social justice, standing united Singing For Our Lives.

The event was after all "Rain or Shine," and despite the rain; we did shine.

In Harmony,

Carrie Wesolowski, Alto 1

Sublime Sounds of Summer

POHC Sings in Synergy with Nature at Untermyer Park

By Carrie Wesolowski

Photos by: Frank Asencio

Carloads of Peace of Heart Choir members organized by Lis headed for our Yonkers debut at the Untermeyer Performing Arts Council World Fest 2022 Summer Series..

Our first full-length concert since before the pandemic…

“In the words of our maestro Rene, “Thanks for a tremendous performance. It was truly one of our best concerts ever.”

In a night that began with a commemoration of the 32nd Anniversary of the ADA and a presentation by Carole Conklin and was followed by watching René being presented with a citation issued by Mike Spano, the Mayor of the City of Yonkers, to acknowledge the countless contributions that Peace of Heart Choir has made to the arts and arts programs citywide and beyond, there were countless magical moments.. Singing al fresco in the beautiful Untermyer Park in Yonkers under approving blue skies with just a hint of a refreshing breeze, luscious foliage at our backs, we began with our signature opening Siyahamba/Shosholoza and we flowed from song to song as gently as the breeze, our joy and enthusiasm moving us along… Rhapsodic, glorious, impassioned…..

Carrie leading the choir in Melanie De More’s Lead With Love.

“And just as I led the choir with this refrain as I sang, “You gotta put one foot forward and lead with love” (from singer/activist Melanie DeMore’s Lead With Love), and Nancy and I continued leading the choir in call and response, I felt that rhapsody, that freedom and joy--that feeling of forward motion as we answered that call to connection in troubled times as I sang these lyrics….”Don’t Give Up Hope, You’re Not Alone, Don’t You Give Up, Keep Movin’ On…”I know you’re scared..And I’m Scared Too..But Here I Am… Right Next to You..”

We sang music of social justice, of resistance and of the people, Holly Near’s Singing for our Lives, Violetta Parra’s Gracias a La Vida featuring soloist Gail, and a new song of resistance and resilience, Yes We Are--courtesy of our very own Andy who wrote it, and who sang along with fellow soloists Shifee and Tony as he accompanied on guitar. It was so catchy and so I found myself singing along too. Of course, it isn’t a Peace of Heart Choir concert without singalongs: Oh, I Woke Up This Morning led by soloist Deb, Give Us Hope, audience sing-alongs Peace Like a River and This Little Light of Mine, Peter Yarrow’s Lift Us Up led by Gail. We even had at least one audience member in attendance—one of my guests--who had sung with Pete Seeger’s The Street Singers.

When Lis sang Dafydd y Garreg Wen ( David of the White Rock) accompanied by Gillian on harp, Lis’s service dog Zilli's ears clearly recognized Lis’s voice and at one point, her ears perked up and she laid on her back with her paws stretched up. Gillian’s gentle harp seemed to be in time with the gentle breeze. It was such fun reprising the Heartbeats’ rendition of the Andrews Sisters classic Bei Mir Bist du Schon. (The Heartbeats are a girl group subset of Peace of Heart Choir formed in 2015 before our 1st Cabaret.)

There were so many times that our music had us clapping along—including a new song we debuted here--the Palestinian folksong Al Yadil Yadil.

As day descended into night, was it the sound of cicadas or crickets or katydids or all of the above that seemed to blend with the sounds of our voices?? Ahh, nature’s soundtrack.........

A dragonfly even whizzed by at one point. As Shifee sang I’ve Been in the Storm So Long, the darkness of night began to descend upon us and the rhythm of the night had taken hold and it became almost impossible to see out into the audience and our lights so kindly given to us by Mary Hoar from Untermyer Performing Arts Council illuminated our choir music as the stage lights reflected off our faces. Our audience immensely enjoyed the evening made possible by grants from the City of Yonkers, ARTSWestchester, Westchester County Government, Empire City Casino by MGM and other benefactors, patrons, sponsors, and donors. Several audience members spoke to me during intermission and after the show declaring what a beautiful concert it was and expressing their thanks.

One woman even inquired about Gary’s introduction and call for upcoming auditions for her family member and we exchanged information. A future POHC member, perhaps…?

We sang classics such as Bridge Over Troubled Water, Here Comes the Sun and Over the Rainbow/Wonderful World (with soloist Laura) and Broadway favorite Seasons of Love from the musical Rent. Alex’s introduction to Let There Be Peace on Earth (featuring soloist Danielle) pointed out that peace begins with each of us. And so I think of the words of Imagine that I quoted underneath my high school yearbook photo: “You may say I'm a dreamer. But I'm not the only one. I hope someday you'll join us. And the world will live as one.” It was sort of surreal to sing our encore Let the Sun Shine In (featuring soloist Nancy) as we had already descended into darkness. But it just highlights that it really is a metaphorical call to let the sun shine in no matter what external struggles or difficulties we face. Along with our maestro Rene, our accompanists Tamara, Andy and Deb, our music was the shining light in the darkness of the night….

In Harmony,

Carrie Wesolowski, Alto 1

A Winning Day at the Ballpark

POHC Soars at the FerryHawks Game

by Carrie Wesolowski

Photos by: Frank Asencio and Carrie Wesolowski

Video: (c) Frank Asencio

We came by land and by sea…….

Well, by car and by train and by the Staten Island Ferry via New York Harbor to be exact....

Blue skies for as far as the eye could see, a pleasant mild summer day with just a hint of an ocean breeze.

It was a lovely day for a ball game....

“Welcome to Hawk City”—the banner proudly proclaimed at the entrance to the ballpark.

It was Peace of Heart Choir's triumphant return to once again sing the National Anthem for the first time since 3 years ago before the pandemic..

We were a smaller group this time—19 choir members strong.

Some things change—the Staten Island home baseball team is now called the FerryHawks and the ballpark was renamed Staten Island University Hospital/Northwell Health Community Park.

Some things don’t change—the sense of community spirit the team inspires as children and their parents excitedly filed into the stadium for a day of good-natured fun.

Rene and the choir filed into the stadium and our holding area where we waited to make our way onto the field—was pretty much the same as we remembered.

With some new additions too---Peppa Pig passing through and waving to us and baseball players from the FerryHawks in their trademark blue and orange uniforms passing through too with smiles and waves. We even sang "Happy Birthday" to Gail—and before we knew it--it was time to make our way out onto the field as Rene directed us.

And then the announcer introduced us, "Performing for us this afternoon, Peace of Heart Choir.."

And for the next minute and a half, we sang the National Anthem at the Staten Island FerryHawks game.

It was 3 years to get back on that ball field and we rose to the occasion with our spirited rendition of the National Anthem that was heartily appreciated by the crowd and met with enthusiastic applause.

As we exited the field, members of the FerryHawks staff who had made us feel so welcome thanked us and exclaimed how beautiful we sounded.

Frankie the FerryHawks mascot cheering in the stands.

Photo Credit: Carrie Wesolowski

Many of us stayed on to watch the game. Later, there was a rendition of God Bless America. Frankie the FerryHawks mascot made the rounds posing with spectators and there were invitations to fist pump and dance to the music and the fan cam caught it all. There was even an invitation for kids to run the bases and so the little ones ran the bases and one little girl won..

One of the FerryHawks staff even led a small group of kids in song, singing Take Me Out to the Ball Game.. and the crowd sang along…

There were crackerjacks and we rooted for the home team just like in the song and the home team--the Staten Island FerryHawks won!! It was a winning day for all of us!

In Harmony.

Carrie Wesolowski, Alto 1

It was a winning day for all of us!!!

Photo Credit: Frank Asencio

Harmonizing on The High Line

Peace of Heart Choir Sings at the Amphitheatre

By Carrie Wesolowski

Photos by: Frank Asencio

The weather gods were with the Peace of Heart Choir as beautiful blue skies smiled down on us approvingly and we sang carefree with a song on our lips and in our hearts at the Amphitheatre atop the High Line…

We’ve sung at the Amphitheatre before but mostly at the 14th Street Passage...

And a group of us sang as part of The Mile Long Opera along the High Line in 2018..

But as Gary noted several times when he addressed our audience, we hadn’t done a concert like this in over 2 years… and we welcomed that warm familiar feeling back—our audience deeply engaged in our music….the camaraderie and joy we felt singing together…the smiles on our faces and the faces of our audience…

Our audience sat along the benches of the Amphitheatre, and also lined the balcony looking down at us on both sides. Some family members and friends of choir members who knew the words sang along—but most were probably hearing us for the first time—a nice-sized audience who greeted us warmly with applause. We gave our audience an opportunity to answer Gary’s invitation to sing along with our inspirational sing-alongs Lead With Love, I Woke Up This Morning, Lift Us Up and Peace Like A River. Rene and Andy accompanied us on guitar on several of the sing-alongs, Rene playing one of his trusted musical companions--a tiny red guitar.

Photo: Frank Asencio

Rene later noted how engaged our audience was.

Even the High Line’s itinerant Balloon Lady festooned with her own colorful creations couldn’t resist our charms and sat down for our last song and enthusiastically took photos...

In the middle of this urban oasis, New Yorkers, tourists, and other visitors put down their shopping bags and stopped to listen and smile and think as we sang of peace and hope and liberty and social justice in songs such as Amani, and Give Us Hope, Siyahamba, Singing for our Lives, One Day and Let There Be Peace on Earth.

At our backs, through the Amphitheatre's extraordinary window down to the street below, the site of daily people-watching, you can see the street signs below and a pizza shop sign with the elevated steel walkway above and the buildings that tower above it all.

Photo: Frank Asencio

You can also see Eduardo Kobra’s street art mural Tolerance featuring humanitarian icons Gandhi and Mother Theresa--the perfect backdrop to our songs of peace. As we sang, the mural could be seen behind us—characterized by bright colors just like our signature brightly-colored tops.

In looking at the smiles of our audience, a Mother Theresa quote comes to mind, "Peace begins with a smile."

In Peace and Harmony,

Carrie Wesolowski, Alto 1

A Time For Peace

Peace of Heart Choir Sings at The Unveiling of THE POEM

By Carrie Wesolowski

Photos by: Frank Asencio

Amidst the splashes of technicolor on towering billboards and screens, the iconic Times Square ball, the Red steps/TKTS booth, the costumed characters now back in force, the retail clothing stores, some new construction across the way, there was a new kid in town from April 8—May 4…….an immersive art installation THE POEM by Cuban artist Raúl Cordero that beckoned us to stay a while and to meditate and discover our own silent ohm in the middle of this sprawling noisy metropolis that is New York City… to stop the noise and to filter out all of the competing images and messages vying for our attention, vying for our dollars--and just center ourselves with poetry and nature—if just for a moment.

THE POEM is a 20-foot structural tower covered in a mountain laurel cascade that draws your eye away from those blaring Times Square images and instead sky bound. This piece of respite was unveiled on April 8 in the historic landmark, Father Duffy Square.

And Peace of Heart Choir was the musical joie de vivre that closed this unveiling ceremony. And we were happy to be there. The unveiling was truly blessed by blue skies. At various points, we stood underneath the structure and looked up, mesmerized by those blue skies, trying to get a photo of the words whose characters in the poem were illuminated at the top interior of the foliage through glowing bulbs of black light.

Photo: Frank Asencio

The following are the words of the poem by poet/educator Barry Schwabsky illuminated in the tower:

calm silence rolls

deftly through so much clamor

roar echo un heard

The press conference began with an introduction of Raúl Cordero and his remarks were followed by brief comments by Barry Schwabsky who stressed he could never have dreamed he would have his poem in Times Square. Inspiration to all that our dreams are possible.

At the invitation of Times Square Alliance, this was our first public performance of 2022.

And the first one since March 2020--before the pandemic started--in which we sang unmasked…We could see each other’s faces, each other’s smiles and the audience could see our faces too…

We opened with an original composition by our esteemed musical director Robert René Galván to celebrate the unveiling of the outdoor sculpture, “THE POEM” by the artist Raúl Cordero.

Our first song we sang a la The Mile Long Opera which made me feel a bit nostalgic--as a Pentatonic improv in which each choral section sang one line—either the words by Barry Schwabsky illuminated inside the tower or the words from Raúl Cordero’s video art piece which were shown on at least one billboard near the site.

The Pentatonic improv went well in spite of the noise, including one very enthusiastic canine spectator who was quite vocal throughout the speeches and our musical performance.

We also sang Paz Y Libertad and One Day. It felt joyous and triumphant to sing of peace in a troubled world so in need of it and I could see that it resonated with our audience—in their faces—that look in their eyes and that sense of hope in that collective wish..

And there was a bit of lightheartedness too. At one point, René noticed that a piece of foliage from the structure had fallen on Suzy’s hair and I pushed it off and remarked that it truly was an immersive art experience as she was now literally immersed in it. Suzy and I laughed.

Afterwards, we chatted and took photos and people stopped me to say "thank you," "thank you for our performance"--audience members, representatives from the Times Square Alliance, and even Barry Schwabsky who I briefly chatted with.

I love this quote by Raúl Cordero:

“It’s difficult to create meaningful art for people in an era when their attention is scattered across so many mediums and technologies simultaneously. THE POEM seeks to stop time, reminding us that humans also have the capacity to invest in one thing at a time — like listen to ‘the secret dialogue of trees’ (as put poetically by Reinaldo Arenas) and read a poem, even when standing in the center of Times Square.””

— Raúl Cordero

Photo: Frank Asencio

It's so satisfying to know that our musical performance was a celebration of this ideology and that as a lifelong New Yorker, this was truly a uniquely memorable experience in Times Square.

In Peace and Harmony,

Carrie Wesolowski, Alto 1

Peace of Heart Choir Sings in The New Year

Letting the Sun Shine in at YAI

By Carrie Wesolowski
Photos by Frank Asencio and Carrie Wesolowski

New Year, new location. Same ebullient smiles.

Same joy when we performed for our dear friends at YAI. It is always such a joy singing here. We have sung here on countless occasions yet each experience seems fresh and new. Special moments that make us all come alive.

From the moment Anthony introduced us to the moment after our encore when a YAI audience member requested that we sing The Star-Spangled Banner and he joined us in our rendition (Staten Island Yankees style), there were smiles—our smiles, our audience’s smiles, the staff members’ smiles. It was almost like a musical party of sorts. That musical joy began with Siyahamba and Shosholoza featuring a solo by Gary. Our audience was obviously excited as we began to sing.

Anthony front and center in his fedora smiling and striking a pose with his arms outstretched surrounded by choir members and our maestro René who smile and cheer as he introduces the choir to the YAI audience.

(Photo: Frank Asencio)

We continued with the Ben E. King classic Stand by Me and then we sang a Spanish song—Paz Y Libertad. Rene debuted his new instrument here. As the concert progressed, he was getting the hang of his new guitalele. The audience loved that great moment when Anthony took to the microphone in his trademark sunglasses, ready for his solo with Lis in River of Dreams and that other touching moment after the song ended, when they shared a hug.

You could tell the audience loved Alex singing one of his favorite songs Little Triggers by one of his favorite singers, Elvis Costello, just as much as he did. The group “In Harmony”—comprising Peace of Heart Choir members Amanda, Andrew, and Deb—sang Take Me There.

There was a palpable energy when we sang our sing-alongs, Peace like a River, Singing for Our Lives, and our newest sing-alongs, One Foot/Lead with Love featuring soloists Madhumita, Nancy, and Carrie, and the African-American spiritual, Oh, I Woke Up This Morning featuring a solo by Deb. We were clapping and our audience was clapping and singing right along with us. And there was dancing and swaying to the music.

There was an uplifting Lift Us Up featuring a solo by Lynn and a heartfelt and inspired Over the Rainbow featuring solos by Andy and Tony. Our last two songs—anthems for peace— One Day, featuring solos by Amanda and Charlie and Let There Be Peace on Earth featuring a solo by Cheryl. Our encore was an exuberant Let the Sun Shine In with a jazzy solo by Nancy. And if that wasn’t enough; our audience wanted more.

With a suggestion from a YAI member, before long we were singing The Star Spangled Banner (Staten Island Yankees style) and he was at the microphone singing with us. We took our bows to enthusiastic applause. Staff members told us how much they loved hearing us sing—how wonderful our concert was—how it’s always so great.

We chatted with YAI members that we have gotten to know throughout the years, and one after the other—they thanked us and said how much they loved our music. Before we walked out, we took note of the magnificent globe in the lobby that we rushed by earlier on our way upstairs to YAI. That massive globe set into the floor that nearly towers above onlookers is The Daily News Globe constructed in 1930 and this is the spectacular art deco Daily News Building.

(Photo: Carrie Wesolowski)

Our maestro René and some of us took photos with our hands outstretched in front of the globe that could be captioned, “We’ve got the whole world in our hands.”

As we parted, one of our friends from YAI said that he couldn’t wait for us to come back and sing again. Neither can we.

It’s always great to hear such positive feedback after our concerts:

Here’s a recent testimonial from the YAI director:

“Thank you so much for coming. We love your singing & eagerly look forward to your next visit!

”

— Connie

Our sentiments exactly.

In harmony,

Carrie Wesolowski, Alto 1

A Spirited December to Remember

Peace of Heart Choir Performs at
CAMBA Park Slope Women’s Shelter
and the National Museum of the American Indian

By Carrie Wesolowski
Photos by Frank Asencio and Carrie Wesolowski

How does Peace of Heart Choir follow-up its fabulous Winter/Holiday Benefit Concert “Sing Joy?”

By continuing to sing joy at two very special and meaningful performances—one at the CAMBA Park Slope Women’s Shelter and the other at the National Museum of the American Indian.

CAMBA Park Slope Women’s Shelter

The choir performs at CAMBA with a Winter wonderland backdrop.

(Photo: Frank Asencio)

First up on December 12, it was such a wonderful evening performing at the CAMBA Park Slope Women’s Shelter as part of their 23rd Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony.

Housed in the castle-like Park Slope Armory, its military statues, flags, and display cases bear witness to its history as the headquarters for the 14th Regiment of the New York State militia.

The sign, “Park Slope Veterans Center,” is perched atop the ceiling of the lobby, which was decked out in full holiday regalia with icicle lights and mobile snowflakes cascading from the ceiling. Two opulent holiday trees with gold and silver ornaments and white lights flanked each side of a winding wooden staircase, which led upstairs to CAMBA’s 100-bed shelter.  Cookies and hot cocoa helped warm up those in attendance from the chilly weather outside.

Holiday lights surround the “Park Slope Veterans Center” sign outside the Park Slope Armory, home to CAMBA.

(Photo: Carrie Wesolowski)

The program—comprising speeches, spoken word, and performances—began with welcomes from the Program Director and the CAMBA CEO, which were followed by spirited dance performances, speeches by local politicians, and gratitude and hope in the form of moving poetry from the shelter’s resident poets.

When the time came for musical performances, the Brooklyn Women’s Chorus sang first.  We followed them closing out the musical part of the ceremony.

Against a splendidly magical and quintessentially holiday winter wonderland backdrop, we took our places and sang to a full house.  Our multicultural, multi-generational audience—numbering close to 150—included families and babies in strollers.

Our maestro, René, reading our audience, made a last minute repertoire change, and started us off with Siyahamba/Shosholoza. It proved to be a particularly astute decision as the audience loved the beat, the spirit, and the enthusiasm. In tune with the uptempo piece, the audience rocked in their seats, smiling and clapping to the music.

Our voices soared, buoyed by the space’s lovely acoustics, as we continued with African Noel and concluded with a heartfelt Let There Be Peace on Earth.

After we took our bows to enthusiastic applause, some audience members regaled us with thank yous.  As we walked back through the crowd, others mentioned that we sounded beautiful.

“Thank you for performing at our ceremony! It was a pleasure having you guys and hope to collaborate in the future again.”

— Daisy Tan, Recreation Coordinator at CAMBA Park Slope Women's Shelter

After our performance, some of us walked outside to witness the culmination of the ceremony—the tree lighting itself.

The countdown started: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…and voilà, the multi-colored lights on the tree lit up the arch of the building with a bright splash of color.  

The “Doughboy” statue outside CAMBA bears witness to the building’s past.

(Photo: Carrie Wesolowski)

White lights outlined the top and sides of the building.  At the building’s front, the bronze sculpture of the World War I “Doughboy”—a memorial to soldiers lost—bore witness to its past even as we and others, together, on this day, bore witness to its transformation to a women’s shelter.

One of the shelter residents reflected that idea of transformation in her moving poem “Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow.” She shared who she was in the past and described her evolution from that person to one who has respect for her life and hope for a bright future.  Her life’s journey seemed to embody the CAMBA motto, ”Where you can.”

After the performance, the choir received the following message from Daisy Tan, Recreation Coordinator at CAMBA Park Slope Women's Shelter:

“Thank you for performing at our ceremony! It was a pleasure having you guys and hope to collaborate in the future again.”

The feeling was mutual. What a blessing to perform for CAMBA, and we look forward to singing for them again!

National Museum of the American Indian

The choir performs in the rotunda of the National Museum of the American Indian in New York City.

(Photo: Frank Asencio)

Our last performance of the month was a very special performance on December 19th at the National Museum of the American Indian.

We performed just outside the museum in the inner circle of the magnificent elliptical rotunda of the Alexander Hamilton US Customs House. The domed rotunda features murals on the ceiling that depict explorers and trace the course of a ship.

Singing in a National Historic Landmark—one of the most majestic Beaux Arts buildings in New York—it’s easy to understand how the space lends itself to lovely acoustics, something our maestro, René, noted as we prepared to sing.

As we rehearsed, our audience began to gather, as a small group formed sitting in the small sofas that lined the center of the rotunda. A family gathered front and center with two children sitting on the floor in front.

Our program began with odes to Native American heritage and culture: a performance piece featuring an ocean drum, a buffalo drum, and an indigenous land acknowledgment.

We continued with the sounds of a Native American flute and guitar, which filled the room with a sweet reverence and an expansive calm.

Our voices soared as the choir opened with Cherokee Morning Song, performed as a round.  Morning Song is sung in ancient Teehahnahmah and features Amazing Grace in Cherokee.

We continued with our usual opening of Siyahamba/Shosholoza.

There were sing-along songs too: One Foot/Lead with Love; Oh, I Woke Up This Morning; Singing for our Lives; and Lift Us Up.

We also performed several songs from this season’s repertoire—the lovely N’ia Gaire Que Auvit, sung in ancient French, the up tempo African Noel, and the classic Over the Rainbow/Wonderful World.

32 choir members performed a full set of more than a dozen songs.

(Photo: Frank Asencio)

As we sang, audience members continued to gather and watch on the outskirts of the rotunda with one young woman smiling from ear to ear as we sang.

After we performed our last two songs—One Day and Let There Be Peace on Earth—and took our bows, it felt as if we had just completed another Benefit Concert. Thirty-two choir members had performed 13 songs in addition to several selections tailored to our setting.

According to Cass Gilbert, the architect of the National Museum of the American Indian, a public building should reveal the “imponderable elements of life and character.” The space in which we performed does just that and our music seemed the perfect complement to Gilbert’s sentiment. There seemed to be a clarity, tranquility, and strength to our performance that was revelatory and true to the space.

Happy New Year!

We are looking forward to another year of making beautiful music together!!

In Harmony,
Carrie Wesolowski, Alto 1

Lifting Up Our Audience

Peace of Heart Choir Sings at BRC (Bower Residents Committee)

By Carrie Wesolowski
Photos by Frank Asencio

“I needed to hear the music today.”

— Audience member at BRC

"I needed to hear the music today," he said.

These words, spoken by an audience member who had seen a flyer that we would be singing at BRC, were the perfect catalyst to jump start our outreach concert on November 30, 2019, the Saturday after Thanskgiving.

And so here we were—25 of us—to heed the call and sing for those who needed to hear it at BRC (Bowery Residents Committee) one of New York City’s leading nonprofits providing caring and effective services including outreach to the unsheltered homeless; transitional housing and shelter; permanent housing; substance abuse treatment; mental and physical health services; workforce development and senior services. BRC serves more than 10,000 individuals each year.

Choir members acknowledge the audience at BRC with applause.

We began our outreach, held in the 2nd floor dining area, with our Siyahamba/Shosholoza combo to a small audience and by concert's end nearly all the seats were filled. Our audience was mostly male but also included three women and comprised residents from three nearby homeless shelters that share the dining area.

Several rows of bright red chairs were set up in the room while a cardboard Thanksgiving decoration hung on the back wall. With a projector at our backs and a board with an artwork collage that included positive affirmations and images that read "I trust myself," we began to sing.

Singing out at BRC

There was no piano, and so it was a new experience for the choir singing River of Dreams a capella. Our audience was such an appreciative one. Using the Peace of Heart Choir lyric booklets we handed out, many joined us on the sing-along songs, Peace Like a River, Lead with Love, Woke Up this Morning, Singing for Our Lives, and This Little Light of Mine.

One man in an army T-shirt smiled enthusiastically as we sang. Another man closed his eyes and sang along with us as we performed Stand by Me. He joined us on many of our sing-alongs too. He seemed rapt as he soaked up the music with eyes closed and a slight smile forming at the corner of his lips.

At the end of our concert, one audience member had a special request for our encore.

He wanted to hear Lift Us Up one more time and he joined in to sing with us. Judging from the smile on his face, the joy in his voice, our music surely had "lifted him up."

In Harmony,
Carrie Wesolowski, Alto 1

You Are Not Alone

Peace of Heart Choir Sings at Ronald McDonald House

By Carrie Wesolowski
Photos by Jeanette Reyes and Carrie Wesolowski

“Alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much.
”

— Helen Keller

This quote is the philosophy behind the mission of Ronald McDonald House which is celebrating its 40th anniversary of serving families of children in treatment for cancer—a celebration in recognition of the 59,000 families they have served in those 40 years. Ronald McDonald House New York partnering with local affiliated hospital partners, provide not only a place to stay for families during their child’s treatment, but other amenities, and support services and activities.

This sign greets visitors to the Ronald McDonald House in New York City.

On Sunday, November 24th, with Thanksgiving approaching, we performed an outreach concert at their beautiful Macy's Living Room, a carpeted community room on the first floor, filled with plush couches, comfy chairs, a tropical fish aquarium built into a full wall of the room, and baby grand piano.

Surrounded by beautiful artwork with an “always thankful” plaque at our backs—not just a reminder of the Thanksgiving holiday but a sentiment we should carry every day—we gathered around the Steinway & Sons baby grand piano with our maestro René playing as 19 of us performed to a small group that grew as our concert progressed. The small group included an infant, several boys and girls and their families.

One could see the physical toll of cancer—for instance, the baby with the nose tube. However, one could also see the support Ronald McDonald House provides to families as well as the children—a chance for families to regroup and relax and regain their strength to support their child. Indeed, as we sang, we saw first hand the opportunity that recreational activities like our concert provide. As it says in Ronald McDonald House’s brochure, “children just get to be kids and patients second.”

The unique support that music provides was evident as we watched a mother who cradled her infant and seemed relaxed as we sang or as we witnessed another mom who smiled and held her son close as she stroked his hair as they listened to our music. Later, her son also ran around a little bit, just being a kid who seemed proud that a Halloween skeleton costume he wore was on full display. One man, in a holiday-themed sweater, smiled as he sang along to our sing-alongs and recorded his daughter as a few children, including his daughter, played happily with our maracas shaking them to several of our songs.

The choir performing at Ronald McDonald House the Sunday before Thanksgiving.

We began our outreach concert with our usual Siyahamba/Shosholoza combo before moving onto standard repertoire favorites such as Stand by Me, Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World, Oh, I Woke Up this Morning and Michael Row Your Boat Ashore. Beyond these standard tunes, this time around we also incorporated children’s themed songs like Under One Sky and Mi Chacra.

Ronald McDonald House staff member Dani presented René with a matted group photo taken of the choir. She also gave me a “Thank You” card with the Ronald McDonald House logo that read the following:

Dear POHC,

Thank you so much for performing for our families! It was a very special treat!

Love,
Dani

After the concert, a little girl dressed in pink was recording several choir members who were singing the ABCs song. I soon joined the group. A little while after we’d all finished singing, she asked me personally to sing for her. Before I knew it, I was performing a concert of my own for her as she recorded eagerly on her cell phone. Soon, a few choir members joined me.

“One more, one more song” was her favorite refrain.

As I walked out, I thought of a woman in our audience who was so touched that she had tears in her eyes during Lead with Love as these lyrics were sung:

“Don’t give up hope. You’re not alone.”

Alone we can do so little, but together we can do so much. Anything is possible.

In Harmony,
Carrie Wesolowski, Alto 1