At Cylar House

Cylar House, run by Housing Works, houses residents living with HIV/AIDS and also has a day program for HIV+ individuals in need of supportive case management. In addition, they have a Behavioral Health Clinic open to the general public. It is located in AlphabetLand, and Yes, Virginia, this is really Manhattan. The concert announcement said to allow at least 15 minutes to walk from whatever subway we took. It wasn’t wrong. Except for one Soprano who lives in the neighborhood, we each had a transportation war-story to share.

We warmed up on the sixth floor, in a room adjoining an outdoor terrace with chaise lounges. Much to our surprise, we were met there by a professional photographer. It turns out that Noella had advertised for one on Craigs list, and this young man had offered to volunteer his services. Considering that today was the first time we met, he was pretty cool, fitting in immediately, taking pictures of our warmups and later, the concert.

We performed in a sunny—and very hot—room on the ground floor. Gary’s father, Rudy, gave a solo recital before we went on, playing unaccompanied clarinet pieces from his fake-book. He started while we were still warming up, so we got to hear only the end of it—a soulful rendition of Body and Soul.

As soon as we started singing Siyahamba, two men in the corner whipped out their cell phones and began videoing us. The audience was quiet but responsive, swaying to the music. A few were fanning themselves, but their eyes never left us. We followed that with Oseh Shalom and Samiotisa, with Rene explaining that it had 7 beats to a measure and telling them that some African songs had 11 beats. They seemed interested. Down by the Riverside got about half of them singing along, and all shook hands with us when we went out into the audience. When the song was over, one of the men who had been videoing us shouted out, “I like you guys,” and after our next number, Oy Es Dia, he shouted, “I just found your Facebook page!”

Imagine had many singing along, and those who didn’t were leaning forward in their seats. Then came Chanukkah in Santa Monica, which Rene introduced, telling them about Tom Lehrer and social commentary. Rudy accompanied us. Of all the numbers we did so far, this got the most applause, especially when Rene said there were three generations in the room, Rudy, Gary, and Gary’s son.

We followed This Land Is Your Land with Wanemo. When we finished it, a woman called out, “I know that song.” (I went up to her after the concert to ask how she knew it. She said her husband was African, and he had a Nigerian friend.) After Give Us Hope, we did Aquarius, with Gary doing the honors. This was applauded and applauded and applauded. Next was Rock-a-My-Soul, and even the people who hadn’t participated in the first two sing-alongs joined in.

After our final number, Let There Be Peace, Gary said that we liked singing for them and hoped to be invited back. “Yes!” they shouted. “We loved it!”

-Peace of Heart Choir Singer

It has become a tradition for a member of POHC to do a post-concert write-up. It started when our Sign-up Coordinator began emailing her summaries to the other members in order to entice newer members to sign-up to sing at community concerts held early in the season. It didn’t take long for Concert Write-ups to become greatly anticipated amongst our members, so we share them here in hopes that you’ll join us at a future concert

At Fountain House

Fountain House is a supportive community center for people living with serious mental illnesses, like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depression. We warmed up and sang in the dining room, where they had urns of ice water with lemon waiting for us.

This audience took a while to loosen up, but once they did, they were definitely involved. Songs they especially loved, judging by appreciative hoots as well as applause: Over The Rainbow / Wonderful World, This Land is Your Land, and Aquarius (with Wilfred doing the honors). During Give Us Hope, I saw a man listening with his eyes closed, as if he was absorbing the meaning of the song.

When Rene said we were getting near the end of the concert, they said, “No! We want more,” so we did Rock-a-My-Soul, Peace Salaam Shalom, and Let There Be Peace. “Bravo!” they shouted when Rene signaled us to bow. Then they invited us to stay for refreshments.

This concert was significant for POHC, because we premiered three songs: Over The Rainbow / Wonderful World, Chanukkah in Santa Monica, and Samiotisa. There were some bumps in Rainbow, but nothing major. This was very empowering.

- Peace of Heart Choir Singer

It has become a tradition for a member of POHC to do a post-concert write-up. It started when our Sign-up Coordinator began emailing her summaries to the other members in order to entice newer members to sign-up to sing at community concerts held early in the season. It didn’t take long for Concert Write-ups to become greatly anticipated amongst our members, so we share them here in hopes that you’ll join us at a future concert.

At The Park Slope Women’s Shelter

According to CAMBA’s website, the Park Slope Women’s Shelter “enables mentally-ill and often substance-abusing women to stabilize their condition and move toward permanent and/or supported housing.” They’re located in the Park Slope Armory.  We entered through double doors so massive they wouldn’t have been out of place in a medieval castle, then mounted an imposing symmetrical staircase to our warm-up room.  The acoustics there were great; Rene said he could record in it.The acoustics weren’t as good in the large dining room we performed in, but that hardly mattered.  This was the most responsive adult group we have ever sung for, rivaling the YAI kids in their enthusiasm. Our first number was—you guessed it—Siyahamba.  One or two women caught on and sang it with us.  Others swayed in their seats, as they did for the next two numbers, also lively: Oseh Shalom and This Land is Your Land.  Then an abrupt mood change with Oy Es Dia De Placer, and the room became more peaceful.

Little did Larry know when he introduced Wanemo that there was a native Nigerian in the audience.

“What language is it in?” she asked.

“Igbo,” Deb said.

“OK,” the woman said.  “Let’s see.”

We told her that it was only one word, and we would ask her at the end of the song whether it sounded right.  When we finished, we received her verdict: “That was correct.”

We followed Imagine and Peace Salaam Shalom with Rock-a My Soul, with Rene saying, “Let’s put you to work now,” and dividing them into three groups.  They LOVED it and truly rocked that hall, sounding as good as, if not better than, we did. Wilfred gave a touching introduction to Waltz of the Flowers that ended in early holiday greetings and wishes for a good year. He got a round of applause. Then I introduced Give Us Hope, telling them it was written after 9/11 with the message that what children needed most was hope.  “Amen,” a woman in the back called out.

By far the most amazing song of the evening was Aquarius.  Wilfred brought the house down with his adlib in the Let The Sun Shine In part.  There was one woman in the first row who had been paying attention during the entire concert, but with a long and serious face.  Until Wilfred’s “business,” as Rene called it.  All at once she was smiling widely, eyes shining.

We closed with Let There Be Peace On Earth, and when we took a bow, we got a standing ovation.

As a fitting end to the evening, ten or twelve of us, Rene included, took the F train back toward Manhattan, and, in high spirits, we honored the subway car with a reprise of Siyahamba.

 

- Peace of Heart Choir Singer

It has become a tradition for a member of POHC to do a post-concert write-up. It started when our Sign-up Coordinator began emailing her summaries to the other members in order to entice newer members to sign-up to sing at community concerts held early in the season. It didn’t take long for Concert Write-ups to become greatly anticipated amongst our members, so we share them here in hopes that you’ll join us at a future concert.

At The Jewish Community Center,Manhattan

About 25 members of the choir gathered in a colorful classroom three floors below the main floor and practiced both our songs and getting our starting notes from Rene without a piano or other musical reference. Just before 4 PM, we all trooped up lots and lots of stairs to the main floor, where we were going to perform in the entrance lobby.

We began with Siyahamba, which always catches everyone’s attention and followed with Ose Shalom, Wanemo and Oy Es Dia de Placer. Ambitiously, we sang Waltz of the Flowers, which we needed to re-start in order to get on tune, but then it went beautifully! We had a lively singalong with Rocka My Soul, dividing the audience into three groups to join us in the different parts. Od Yavo, Down by the Riverside and This Land is Your Land also functioned as effective singalongs and we closed with spirited renditions of Give Us Hope and Let There Be Peace on Earth. Rene did a wonderful job of getting each section its proper pitch for each song!

The audience was both fluid and attentive – children moved about, some sitting and clapping along with the music, one traipsing up to Rene’s music stand, which Rene carefully secured with his hand. Several older women sang every Hebrew song and singalong and were thoroughly engaged in the entire concert. Many others joined in on one song or another. There was a lot of activity and some hubbub to sing over, but there was a wonderful feeling of connection and appreciation of each other between the choir and the audience. A good time was had by all!

-Peace of Heart Choir Singer

It has become a tradition for a member of POHC to do a post-concert write-up. It started when our Sign-up Coordinator began emailing her summaries to the other members in order to entice newer members to sign-up to sing at community concerts held early in the season. It didn’t take long for Concert Write-ups to become greatly anticipated amongst our members, so we share them here in hopes that you’ll join us at a future concert.

Peace of Heart on KickStarter!

Peace of Heart Choir, one of the premier a cappella choirs in New York City, needs your help to record and produce a CD of its Fall 2013 season. Our music has recently been curated into the permanent collection of the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. We're also auditioning for a national radio show, which has asked for a new CD of our music. So now is the time to do this! Head over to Kickstarter and help us with make this happen!

At Catholic Worker Maryhouse

A time traveler from the Woodstock generation would have felt at home in Maryhouse, where the walls are festooned with pictures of Martin Luther King and Dorothy Day, as well as posters that say, “We are the shepherds. We watch sheep,” and “Close Guantanamo,” and “Fight the technological oppression.” There was also a replica of a missile and bombs, which Rene couldn’t resist mounting to pose for a picture, and current copies of the Catholic Worker with the newsstand price printed in the upper right corner: One Penny.

According to Wikipedia, Catholic Workers is “a nonviolent pacifist movement that continues to combine direct aid for the poor and homeless with nonviolent direct action on their behalf.” We saw proof of that last night, in this house in the East Village that provides soup-kitchen lunches four times a week—they would do it more often if they had the funds—as well as clothes and facilities for showering. Enter POHC, with our message of spreading peace and harmony in the world through music. It was a case of one nurturing organization nurturing another nurturing organization.

The small auditorium was full, mostly with people from the Woodstock generation, but there were also a significant number of younger people along with a few children. Our standard opening, “Siyahamba,” had the children in the back dancing their dolls on the table in time to the music. Next came Barry’s introduction of POHC and his tribute to the mission of the Catholic Workers. They were especially touched at his mention of their founder, Dorothy Day, and her autobiography, The Long Loneliness. We followed “Oseh Shalom” with our premier of “Oy Es Dia De Placir.” Then Rene asked whether they wanted to hear “Imagine.” A collective YES! We have sung this song to many audiences, but never to one where it was so native. It was a thrilling to have them singing along with us.

After a few more songs and singalongs, we divided into three groups for “Rock-a My Soul.” Rene divided the audience into groups, too, and we came down off the stage to intermingle with them. The posters on the walls rang with our joint rendition. Then we stayed wherever we were in the audience, in no particular order of sections, to sing “Let There Be Peace On Earth.” It was a very intimate feeling. That was supposed to be our final number, but after chants of Encore! Encore!, we did a reprise of “Let the Sun Shine In.”

Afterward, we accepted their invitation to come downstairs to the soup kitchen, where we were treated to delicious snacks and hors d’oeuvres straight from the oven. It was a wonderful ending to an evening of mutual appreciation of two caring organizations.

- Peace of Heart Choir Singer

It has become a tradition for a member of POHC to do a post-concert write-up. It started when our Sign-up Coordinator began emailing her summaries to the other members in order to entice newer members to sign-up to sing at community concerts held early in the season. It didn’t take long for Concert Write-ups to become greatly anticipated amongst our members, so we share them here in hopes that you’ll join us at a future concert. 

At the Stanley Isaacs Beacon Center

Concert isn’t exactly the right word for what happened tonight. It was more of an interactive demo to these young kids, ages 10-13, about what choir singing is about.

We were warming up on the stage of the empty auditorium (which seemed like a good fundraiser venue, should we ever tire of Hunter) when they started filing in.  We waved and some waved back as they took seats in the first two or three rows, a few adults from the Junior League scattered among them.  When we paused between licks, they clapped, so we told them those were just warmups. They were attentive as we continued, even as they moved around in their seats and one boy picked his hair with an Afro comb.

 

Then Rene announced that we were starting. He told them a little about the choirs he conducts and about how POHC formed and what our mission was. When he described the different voices—S1, S2, A1, A2, T/B, B—he turned to us and we raised our hands when he got to our sections. They were very interested in this.  I got the feeling they sing everything in unison and it was a new concept for them. We followed with “Bright Morning Star,” as an illustration of parts—women begin, men join, and the whole rounds out beautifully.

Rene told them a bit about the types of music we sing.  He mentioned that we were rehearsing “Empire State of Mind.”  They got very excited at this and wanted to hear it.  Rene said it was new for us and wasn’t ready yet, and they said oh, please, just sing what you know so far. Rene again demurred, saying we needed a rapper.  Unprompted, Anthony complied by reciting all the rap lyrics.  When he finished, Rene said we would do a song we had just learned, “Oseh Shalom,” and that it was in Hebrew, a language that hadn’t been spoken for thousands of years and just got revived in the 20th Century. They clapped along as we sang, and when we finished, a few of them said they learned a Shalom song when they were in third grade.  They couldn’t think of the name of it, so we asked them how it went. It turned out to be “Od Yavo,” and we joined them, with Rene conducting us both. They had been attentive before, but this was when we truly bonded.

They asked a lot of questions throughout the evening, among them, did we ever sing songs that we wrote ourselves.  We mentioned Marv, Brian, Wilfred, and Jeff. After “Siyahamba,” one girl asked how we learned to sing with such class.

Rene had us do the me-meh-mah-mo-mou chords, to show them how he shaped the color with his hands, indicating when to get softer and when to swell. They looked riveted as they watched an listened, so after we did “Aquarius”—which they loved—we invited them onstage to do warmups with us. Rene led our now double ranks through the entire series, including the-tip-of-the-tongue-the-teeth-the-lips, which made them laugh, but they did it.  He also led them through the me-meh-mah-mo-mou chords and they were right with him, shaping the sounds according to the movement of his hands.

After two sing-alongs and also “Give Us Hope,” which it turned out they knew and sang with us, we switched places—POHC went down to the audience and they stayed on stage and sang “Girl On Fire” for us.  It took them a few minutes to get the giggles out, but once they started, they went right through in fine form.

As we said our goodbyes, it was clear that each group had gotten so much from the other. This was truly an amazing evening.

- Peace of Heart Choir Singer

It has become a tradition for a member of POHC to do a post-concert write-up. It started when our Sign-up Coordinator began emailing her summaries to the other members in order to entice newer members to sign-up to sing at community concerts held early in the season. It didn’t take long for Concert Write-ups to become greatly anticipated amongst our members, so we share them here in hopes that you’ll join us at a future concert. 

At the International Vigil for Peace

 On Saturday, September 21 about 20 members of the choir sang at the International Vigil for Peace Concert in Central Park.  It was a lovely, windy afternoon, lots of people were hanging out or walking by and pausing to listen, with some sitting in the several rows of chairs in front of the Bandshell.  The flags of many countries flapped in the breezes.  It was a beautiful, sunny Fall day.

The choir slowly gathered a little after 1:00pm , and around 1:30pm we warmed up, well away from the stage.  Several members of the Streetsingers (Cheryl's group) joined us, and while we began with just two altos, by the time we were on stage we had two more.

We started singing right on schedule, at 2 PM and opened with a rousing rendition of Siyahamba which quickly caught the audience's attention.  We then sang Peace Salaam Shalom, Aquarius, Imagine and Give Us Hope - with Rene's music at times flapping in the strong breezes. The audience loved the songs.   It was a wonderful concert, full of good energy and the celebration of values that matter to both our choir and the audience: peace, harmony, oneness in the world.

After we left the stage we decided to give an impromptu concert over near the Bethesda Fountain - only to find a major chess tournament going on there and every available space filled with card tables covered with chess sets!  We walked on towards the Boathouse Restaurant and stopped on the path and set up to sing between the path and a huge willow tree by the lake.  It was a beautiful setting with many people walking by.  We sang the same repertoire again while one choir member's children passed out our Peace of Heart flyers.  We ended the day with lots of photo ops by the lake - the most popular of which was posing with Angela in her "Miss Plus America" banner and tiara!!

What a wonderful way to spend a Fall afternoon!

- Peace of Heart Choir SingerIt has become a tradition for a member of POHC to do a post-concert write-up. It started when our Sign-up Coordinator began emailing her summaries to the other members in order to entice newer members to sign-up to sing at community concerts held early in the season. It didn't take long for Concert Write-ups to become greatly anticipated amongst our members, so we share them here in hopes that you'll join us at a future concert. 

At Insomnia Cookies !

After performing our 9/11 commemoration concert at Central Park, some of us took the #1 train up to Insomnia Cookies on 110thStreet. We were to get a percentage of the day's profits, so we encouraged everyone in the street to buy cookies. There were only ten or eleven of us, but we held our own singing on the darkening sidewalk outside the cookie store. During a reprise of “Aquarius,” a passer-by, inspired by Gary’s singing in tongues, let her soul out through dancing. “Faster!” she kept saying to the choir as she twirled.  “Faster!” Then she danced over to Rene and said “Faster!” to him.  When we didn’t change tempo, she danced off down the sidewalk and was gone. When we finished singing, Anthony’s mom passed around a box of Insomnia Cookies that she had just bought. Thanks, Jeanette!

Tomorrow’s rehearsal may be the official beginning of the season, but in facet we have already begun.

- Peace of Heart Choir Singer

It has become a tradition for a member of POHC to do a post-concert write-up. It started when our Sign-up Coordinator began emailing her summaries to the other members in order to entice newer members to sign-up to sing at community concerts held early in the season. It didn't take long for Concert Write-ups to become greatly anticipated amongst our members, so we share them here in hopes that you'll join us at a future concert.