Vocalizing for Veterans

Choir performs for veterans at
St. Albans Community Living Center

by Deb Reiner
photo by Leroy Agudo

Traveling to St. Albans is challenging at the best of times, but this particular Sunday (October 20th) brought the additional complications of road closures due to the NYC Bike MS event, and rain! Still, 27 of us made it to the St. Albans Community Living Center this past weekend. The Center was originally built by the U.S. Navy in 1950; since 1974, it has been part of the Veterans Administration, offering extended care services to veterans on both an inpatient and outpatient basis.

Our contact Vicki was the most enthusiastic, sincere, helpful, and friendly person our Outreach team has worked with to date. Her announcement over the PA system during our warm-up was very exciting - we certainly cheered! Many folks streamed into the 2nd floor cafeteria to attend our performance, including Vicki herself.

We sang many of our favorite songs starting with Siyahamba and Shosholoza (solo by Wilfred Harris) followed by pop hits Stand By Me and River of Dreams (solo by Lis) Geoghean); Spanish songs Paz y Libertad and El Pueblo Unido; and sing-alongs Peace Like a River, Down By the Riverside, This Little Light of Mine, and This Land is Your Land.

We also debuted our new version of Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World with solos by Laura Di Iorio Moran, Andy Marino, and Brooke McGowan.

After our traditional finale, Let There Be Peace on Earth (solo by Cheryl), Vicki had one more request - she asked if we would sing the Irving Berlin standard God Bless America, in honor of our veterans - and of course we gladly complied.

Brooke, Laura and Andy solo on Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World.

Here are some observations from a few of our members:

Amanda: It was great to see some folks in the audience enthusiastically singing along with us on this rainy Sunday.

Vivian: It was extraordinarily rich for all of us who were there. The audience was so receptive and appreciative. And I loved it when Vicki, the recreation organizer, interrupted the proceedings to say one of the veterans said we were very good and wanted to know where we came from. It was definitely worth the long trek.

Lis: I told Vicki that we would like to take her with us to all of our outreaches to be our social director. That facility is blessed to have her on staff! I’m glad she had us end with God Bless America.

Danielle: It was so meaningful and deeply moving to sing there. I had a conversation with a 95-year old WWII veteran, who told me about his time in the Army Air Corps and his experiences as a POW. His ending statement before we set up was "Never stop learning." Amen.

In harmony,
Deb Reiner, Soprano 1

A Heartfelt Musical Salute to Our Veterans

Peace of Heart Choir Sings
at James J. Peters VA Medical Center
on Veteran’s Day

By Carrie Wesolowski
Photos by Frank Asencio

Greeting and cake at the Bronx VA on Veterans Day.

One of the signs inside the James J. Peters VA Medical Center reads: "Thank you for your service to America. It's our turn to serve you."

And on this Veteran's Day it wasn't just food being served to our veterans courtesy of local restaurant Caridad but Peace of Heart Choir serving up musical nourishment for the soul.

With words from the chaplain, a blessing from the rabbi and The Pledge of Allegiance, we were off and running. Surrounded by flags, red, white, and blue balloons, Veteran's Day banners, and various other examples of patriotic fare, our voices rose above the lively chatter in the room as we sang with the Bronx skyline at our backs to a full house—approximately 200 people--beginning with our Siyahamba/Shosholoza combo.

Nancy Gross sings solo on Over the Rainbow/It’s a Wonderful World.

Audience members showed their appreciation and there was enthusiastic applause throughout our concert. As Nancy sang her solo in Over the Rainbow/It’s a Wonderful World, a female audience member began recording with her cell phone as she smiled and sang along, throwing her arms up in the air.

The same lady held her chest and exclaimed, “You sing it!” as Lis sang the lovely America the Beautiful. I think that was perhaps the quietest the room got—feeling the poignancy of the occasion and the beauty of the song which clearly resonated with our audience.

There was that same poignant feeling when Andy performed his heartfelt original song, Live While You're Alive, and recalled his own father's experiences at the VA and his own family connections to Veteran's Day and had a special shout-out to Marv, one of our own and a veteran himself.

Andy Marino performs Live While You’re Alive.

Before you knew it, we had come to our closing song, Let There Be Peace on Earth featuring a solo by Cheryl. After the concert, we were invited to stay and eat with our audience.

The choir had spent this Veteran's Day in a most fitting way—honoring all who served.

In Harmony,
Carrie Wesolowski, Alto 1

Peace of Heart Choir Delights at DOROT

Choir shares its “voices, hearts, and souls” to a
full house at DOROT, an organization that
has served generations of elders

By Carrie Wesolowski
Photos by Frank Asencio

From the smiling face at the reception desk to the smiling faces in our audience, DOROT was rolling out the welcome mat. Even DOROT’s flyer in the hallway heralded our imminent arrival this way:

“Join us for a musical journey around the world through a diverse repertoire. Songs from different countries and cultures and spanning a variety of genres make this a concert you won’t want to miss.”

Choir members react with applause and smiles in response to the audience at DOROT.

And this was surely a concert they didn’t miss. Almost 30 choir members sang to a full house—every seat in the room was filled. As far as taking our audience on a musical journey, we happily obliged, beginning with our signature opening combo of Siyahamaba/Shosholoza, two South African songs in Zulu.

The journey continued with two Spanish songs, Paz y Libertad and El Pueblo Unido, followed by two Hebrew songs, Od Yavo and Chiribim.

Our maestro, René Galván introduces a song.

We then treated our audience to the iconic pop classic Stand by Me, before leading taking them on a ride down Billy Joel’s River of Dreams and ultimately Over the Rainbow.

There were no shortage of sing-alongs: Peace like a River, This Land is Your Land, Lift Us Up, Singing for Our Lives, and our newest sing-along, the rousing Woke Up This Morning.

We passed out song sheets to help the audience with the lyrics and the enthusiastic crowd clearly enjoyed singing along. Danielle led a lesson of call and response for Chiribim. Then, it was time to do it for real.

You could feel palpable excitement in the audience as their hand claps kept pace with and fueled our own excitement as we alternated between singing faster and slower during Od Yavo.

Finally, when we sang a heartfelt Let There Be Peace on Earth to close out our concert, it was truly beautiful.

Charles, a staff member at DOROT, thanked us at the end of the concert for sharing our voices, hearts, and souls not only for the purposes of entertainment but also, and most importantly, for healing.

Charles also mentioned our sense of providing service and fostering community, which he also mentioned are at the core of DOROT.

Indeed, DOROT was founded in 1976 by a group of Columbia University grad students and alumni who were concerned about the plight of the homebound elderly on the Upper West Side.

They banded together to locate and visit these isolated men and women, delivering food and spending time in conversation, and, ultimately, forging a loving bond between the generations.

This purpose is reflected in the name they chose for their organization. DOROT is the Hebrew word for “generations.”

Over 40 years after its founding, DOROT continues to serve new generations of elderly New Yorkers.

Tenor Wilfred Harris sings solo on Shosholoza.

We, no doubt, had made a connection with our audience. Following our afternoon of musical merriment, audience members at every turn stopped choir members to express their gratitude. I was greeted by several ladies who had been singing along during our concert. They not only expressed how wonderful we sounded but they also wanted to know more about Peace of Heart Choir.

Our discussion ranged from how the choir was formed, to how I joined, to the audition process, and, finally, to our upcoming Benefit Concert. Our connection was revealed in the hugs we shared before we bade each other goodbye. They listened with great interest, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see these ladies before our next visit to DOROT.

Perhaps as newcomers to our Fall 2019 Benefit Concert.

In Harmony,
Carrie Wesolowski, Alto 1

Hitting a High Note on The High Line

Peace of Heart Choir Performs 9/11 Concert

by Carrie Wesolowski
all photos by Frank Asencio

Under blue skies, we performed our 9/11 outreach concert last night--once again along The High Line at the Chelsea Market Passage—this time to commemorate the 18th anniversary of 9/11.

We had perhaps one of our largest audiences at this venue ever. I was welcomed by some friends from YAI as I arrived and of course, there were family and friends of choir members. As soon as we started to do a vocal warm-up, our audience started to form. Some stood, others sat, some took photos and videos on their cell phones. They ebbed and flowed, conducive to the configuration of our performance space and beyond. Even the pigeon flew in to take in a bit of our performance. There were thumbs-up from passersby, cheering, singing along and smiles all around…

The choir performs on The High Line park in New York City

Our maestro, René Galván, conducts the choir.

Rene would note the resonance of this setting which provided wonderful acoustics for our concert. We opened with our usual “Siyahamba/Shosholoza” combo. We offered hope and healing to our audience as we sang “Lift Us Up,” “Singing for our Lives,” “Give Us Hope,” “Hard Times,” “One Day,” and of course, our unofficial anthem, “Let There Be Peace on Earth.”

Peace of Heart Choir was formed after 9/11 to bring mutual understanding, peace, and healing. When we sang “Stand by Me,” the lyrics clearly epitomized that resilience and triumphant spirit shown by first responders and by all of us—standing together in the face of loss and tragedy: "I won’t be afraid just as long as you stand by me…"

Near sunset as the choir performs.

Looking out into the audience and sometimes catching a glimpse of the blue skies and the New York City skyline forever changed by that fateful day, we were the embodiment of that triumphant spirit. Our voices soared…

And we were standing together with our audience and with each other…

In Harmony,
Carrie Wesolowski, Alto 1

Pitch Perfect

Peace of Heart Choir Sings at Staten Island Yankees Game

by Carrie Wesolowski
all photos by Frank Asencio

This performance was made possible in part by funding
from the Richmond County Savings Foundation

On August 29th we made our third outing to the Richmond County Ballpark to sing The National Anthem at the Staten Island Yankees game after a postponed game back in July on a day that reached a triple-digit heat index. No such oppressive heat this time. Nothing but a pleasantly mild breeze and blue skies to welcome us back.

However, first we performed a set outside the entrance to the stadium, looking spiffy in our new bright blue Peace of Heart Choir caps as we sang "Siyahamba/Shosholoza," "Singing for Our Lives," "Paz Y Libertad," "Peace Like a River," and "Down by the Riverside."

The choir performing outside the ballpark, before the game.

Choir members Carrie, Gail and Brooke smile as they file into the stadium.

Before we got to perform our next number, Rene got a 4-minute warning from a staff member. Time to hustle. So off we went, making our way into the stadium and to our holding area behind the field. We waited excitedly…

As video cameras rolled and we strained to get a better look from behind the field, the first pitch was thrown magnificently by our hometown hero Anthony to enthusiastic applause.

Now it was our turn. We lined up and made our way onto the field to sing The National Anthem--our images projected onto the screen behind us. We hit it out of the park with a glorious rendition of The National Anthem.  

As we made our way off the field, an audience member in one of the front rows exclaimed to me, “You all sounded great!” A sentiment reechoed by a Staten Island Yankees staff member as we walked off the field to find our reward backstage. We were reunited with Scooter, the Staten Island Yankees mascot who posed happily for selfies with us, putting a smile on all our faces.

 Now it was time to settle in for the game:

Choir member Anthony Hasan throws out the first pitch!

Take us out to the ballgame, take us out with the crowd.
Buy us some peanuts and Cracker Jack (John bought us some Cracker Jacks)
We don’t care if we ever get back (Many of us caught the 10:00 and 10:30 ferries back)
Let us root, root, root for the home team (The Staten Island Yankees)

 All we need is one chance
There isn’t anyone else like Peace of Heart Choir
Maybe we’ll go down in history: (Anthony’s triumphant first pitch) + (The choir’s fantastic voicing of the National Anthem) + (Later, Lis’s beautiful rendition of “God Bless America”)
Peace of Heart Choir were stars at the old ball game!!! *

In Harmony,
Carrie Wesolowski, Alto 1

* Lyrics paraphrased from the chorus of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” by Jack Norworth and Albert Von Tilzer, 1908)

Springing into Summer with a Tuneful June

Peace of Heart Choir Sings at Bryant Park,
The 9/11 Memorial, and Astoria Park

by Carrie Wesolowski
all photos by Frank Asencio

How do you keep the music playing?

If you’re Peace of Heart Choir and you’ve just performed another successful Spring Benefit Concert, you usher in summer by taking to the streets of New York City and serving up musical nirvana for audiences at three very special public performances.

Bryant Park

The choir sings near Patience, one of the famed lion statues, outside the NY Public Library on 5th Avenue.

Our Sing for Hope concert at Bryant Park—not even a week after our Spring Benefit Concert—was a shining example of what happens when you mix music, the outdoors, New York City, and a brightly colored Sing for Hope piano: You achieve this harmonious synchronicity that makes New York City special.

As we sang at the bottom of the steps of the New York Public Library with the Library Lions—Patience and Fortitude—as our mascots, song lyrics we have sung countless times took on a different meaning.

For example, as we sang the lyric, “I’ve got joy like a fountain,” the library’s two recently restored fountains, named Beauty and Truth, flowed freely, as if with joy, near us. We might have had to dodge pigeons as they flew low on occasion, but we had friends of the choir in charge of pigeon patrol.

As René played the beatific rainbow piano throughout the concert, friends and family of choir members gathered along with passersby who stood or sat on the steps to take in the music.

Choir member Nancy Gross leads the crowd in song near Bryant Park.

During the Harry Chapin song, “Circle,” a couple who had just gotten married—the bride in a white dress carrying a small bouquet of flowers and the groom in a suit—sat on the stairs of the library and took in some music before moving on again.

““The music inspires me.””

— Audience member

René wasn’t sure we should do “Happy,” but he decided we should give it a go and our audience was obviously glad he did. By the time I introduced our closing song, “Let There Be Peace on Earth,” it felt we had come full circle like it says in the Chapin song we sing.

One of our regular audience members came up to me after our performance and shared, “The music inspires me.”

The 9/11 Memorial

Our second public performance in June was only days later at the 9/11 Memorial. We have sung inside the museum portion of the 9/11 Memorial and Museum on several solemn occasions. This is only the second time we have sung outdoors, and it was a gloriously beautiful day—nothing but magnificent blue skies.

Maestro René Galván leads the choir as the Freedom Tower overlooks the choir at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum.

Once again, we were marking a solemn occasion. Our performance was a special musical tribute in remembrance of the third anniversary of the attack that killed 49 people at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, and in observance of both WorldPride 2019 and Stonewall 50, that latter of which commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots in New York City that marked the start of the modern LGBTQ rights movement.

On the left, a child sits near rainbow-colored ribbons used as a symbol of hope to honor and remember.

We sang not far from the 9/11 reflecting pools near the Survivor Tree where a sign invited anyone who stopped by to tie a ribbon around the railing of the tree as a symbol of hope, love, and resilience.

We did a five-song set including “Hard Times,” “Singing for Our Lives,” “Lift Us Up,” and “One Day,” as passersby, including young children, tied brightly colored ribbons chosen from one of six buckets, each containing a color of the Pride Flag’s six rainbow stripes.

A small audience formed—one woman sitting on a cement step, a man wearing a “RESIST” t-shirt bearing the Pride Flag, and a few others who sang along to “Singing For our Lives.”

By the time we finished our closing song, “Let There Be Peace on Earth,” and took our bows, we felt a deep sense of harmony with others who gathered as this day of reflection brought to bear a unifying spirit that made us so honored to have been part of this moving ceremony.

Astoria Park 

Our last public performance of June was on Summer Solstice as part of Make Music NY.

On this first official day of summer, we sang with a cool breeze at our backs in Astoria Park amidst the landscape of the East River and its two adjacent bridges, the Triborough and the Hell Gate.  In so doing, when we sang “Peace Like a River” and “River of Dreams,” it’s as if the East River personified the river in each of the songs.

Singing near the East River beneath the Hell Gate Bridge in Astoria Park.

Our outdoor location had everything you would expect, including ambient sounds in the form of ice cream trucks and Acela trains.  Still, we were up to the challenge. Indeed, no Acela train could stop our rendition of “One Day.”

Our audience grew as the concert progressed. It included many families, some with small children, babies with their parents, and, since it was an outdoor park, also an array of dogs. I’d swear even the dogs loved the music.  One, in a most comfortable happy position—lying on its back with its belly exposed—seemed to be even enjoying the cool breeze as well. Many in the audience clapped along to “Happy” as well as our encore, “Let the Sun Shine In.”

Post-concert, choir members gather for a group photo.

As our performance neared its end, sundown approached on this longest day of the year. As we exited the park, I saw a young mother with her newborn tucked in her pouch sling baby carrier who had been watching our concert. I thanked her for listening, and she replied, “Thank you for the beautiful music,” as she smiled and walked into her house.

What a glorious musical celebration of Summer Solstice 2019 and the end of a harmoniously magical June to remember! This month, we hit it out of the park, so to speak.  

Next at bat:  Peace of Heart Choir sings at the Richmond County Bank Ballpark—first a musical set and then the National Anthem at a Staten Island Yankees game.

In Harmony,
Carrie Wesolowski, Alto 1

Serving Those Who Served

Peace of Heart Choir Sings
at the New York State Veterans’ Home

by Carrie Wesolowski
(all photos by Frank Asencio)

“Serving Those Who Served.” You can find these words—this motto—on various signs and throughout the New York State Veterans Home, a 250-bed facility owned and operated by the New York State Department of Health. The Home has been serving veterans of the New York City region and their dependents since 1993. As the nation celebrates the Fourth of July Independence Day holiday, our recent visit here comes to mind.

The choir sang in the home’s New York State Women Veterans Memorial Community Room

What a joyous afternoon we had singing here for the first time with a patio breeze at our backs in the New York State Women Veterans Memorial Community Room as a wonderfully vocal audience applauded and sang with us, including one woman who exclaimed "Amen" as I introduced the song, "One Day," as an anthem for peace in our world.

Maestro René Galván leads the choir in song

The choir gathered behind the piano with René at the helm, a Bingo board at the far left behind us, and veterans' memorabilia display cases and floral prints lining the room. We premiered our new sing-along for seniors, "Young at Heart," as one man nodded his head as he sang the words softly to himself. Our encore, "Oye Como Va," was especially well-received. Several audience members shook hands with choir members and talked with us a bit before we bade them farewell till next time.

After our concert, an audience member, introducing himself, smiled at me and told me how beautiful our concert was. You could see his enthusiasm and the joy the music had brought him as he was grinning from ear to ear as he spoke.

Finally, "America the Beautiful"—beautifully voiced by Lis during our concert, hitting all the high notes—inspired one woman to sing along. A man in a Stars and Stripes USA cap was visibly touched as tears filled his eyes.

After the concert, we walked back out amidst spacious blue skies where the scenic grounds of the Veterans' home reflected a tranquil beautiful Americana, its greenery resplendent with Canadian geese. As we ventured back to the St. Albans Long Island Rail Road station, we passed a soul food restaurant and an unexpected hidden treasure underneath the train trestle: a brightly colored mural dedicated to jazz legends Billie Holliday and Count Basie.

This outreach concert was so nice, we’re going to do it twice. We are returning for another outreach this fall. We look forward to our next visit to The New York State Veterans’ Home, and, hopefully many more. As part of our our overall mission to bring joy through music, we are honored to be “serving those who served.”

In Harmony,

Carrie Wesolowski, Alto 1

It Takes a Village – Peace of Heart Visits Fountain House

It takes a village, it truly does. Particularly in a city as large and intense as New York can be, finding community can be a key to survival. We all need a place where “everybody knows your name,” some place to share our joy and pain, to go for camaraderie, appreciation, and support. The Peace of Heart Choir plays that role for many of our singers. Fountain House, where we performed an outreach recently, does something very similar for its community, more than 1,500 men and women living with mental illness. By providing them with support services, housing assistance, meals, learning opportunities, a place to gather, and more, Fountain House has helped members of its community live more independent, productive, and happier lives for over 70 years. 

We’ve been visiting Fountain House’s headquarters, a beautiful old building on West 47th St, for nearly 10 years now. It’s just a few blocks from our primary rehearsal space, so they’re truly our neighbors. Most recently, on a cool spring evening, about 30 of us crowded around the grand piano in their main floor to sing for, and sing with, a small group of members. The room looked like an old-school parlor with comfy chairs and couches, fresh flowers on the mantel, and oil paintings on the walls.

Talking with Fountain House members before the performance, we heard their stories: of the literature they studied in school, the friends who’d passed, the songs they’d sung. Looking at our sing-along sheet, one woman was particularly happy we were singing “This Land is Your Land,” as she’d fallen in love with the music of Woody Guthrie as a child, as many of us had.  

We began, as we often do, with two songs from South Africa, Siyahamba and Shosholoza, both in Zulu and other African dialects. In the front row, a woman surprised us by singing every word.  

As the concert progressed, another woman who’d been singing along earlier dozed off in her armchair. Even Marv’s accordion work on Chiribim, a call and response song in Yiddish, didn’t wake her. We did not take it personally -- many Fountain House members are on medication for their psychiatric issues, and drowsiness is an unfortunate side effect.  

Other high points included Anthony--always resplendent in his super cool sunglasses. Michael-Anne who took the solo on “Lonesome Road” for the first time, doing a great job. Barry’s treatise on the power of the word “darling” in his introduction to “Stand by Me,” which had some of us calling each other “darling” for the rest of the evening. Alex taking the mike to introduce “Let There Be Peace on Earth.” During the sing-alongs, we could hear Danielle’s strong soprano coming through the mix on “This Land is Your Land,” and Lis’s voice ringing out on “Peace Like a River.” We debuted Harry Chapin’s beautiful “Circle,” a new sing-along we added this season. 

 Halfway through the performance, our mystery singer in the audience was still joining us for every word of every song. She’d moved to the back, so she could stand and bop along while she sang. 

We’ve added “Let the Sun Shine In”, from the musical Hair, to our core songs list recently, and sang a rousing version to close the concert. We ended up singing so enthusiastically that we missed the raised fist of our amazing conductor Rene , a signal to end the repeat, and went around one more time before finally taking our bows.

 We packed up and said our goodbyes. And we learned the secret of the woman who’d been singing along to every song. She knew all the words because she’d actually sung with us for several seasons more than a few years back. After the concert, she greeted and hugged a few of our long-time members who she knew, and thanked us again for coming. “That was just what the doctor ordered,” she said enthusiastically.

 Or as one audience member was overheard saying to their friend as they left, “I had a bad day today, and the music really helped me feel better.”

 In Harmony,

 Gary Baker – Tenor 2

March Gladness

Choir performs at Split Rock Rehabilitation Center, Goddard Riverside Community Center and the Sundays at JASA Program

by Carrie Wesolowski

[all photos by Frank Asencio]

March ushered in a new outreach season and just like Emily Dickinson’s poem heralding it “the month of expectation,” we were welcome visitors bringing color back to the dreary world of late winter blues. Our first outreach reminded us that we were wedged somewhere between winter and the official start of spring. An impressive turn-out of choir members had traveled by public transportation on as many as three or four trains to Split Rock Rehabilitation Center in the Bronx neighborhood of Baychester amidst the remnants of a late winter storm. The weather gods obliged to some extent when the inclement weather finally abated late Saturday morning signaling that it was time for us to sing. After all, we had been trying to secure this outreach for several years and our persistence finally paid off when Lis booked it. It was well worth the wait! Rene’s former student, Vivian Rivera, who is now a resident at the rehab center, was thrilled that we were finally able to sing at the center and it was truly a beautiful moment when Vivian and Lis performed a duet of Sull’ aria during the program.

“I felt this sense of community and ease. There was so much joy from choir and audience alike.”

— Brooke M., alto

The choir at Goddard Riverside Community Center

Six days later, we all had such a wonderful time on a sunny but chilly afternoon, singing at the Goddard Riverside Community Center. 

The smells of cooking drew us in, and as we entered, some of us wondered, "Was it seafood?” We all convened in the lobby area and Renè warmed us up a bit.

We sang in their cafeteria surrounded by brightly colored artwork—some perhaps self-portraits, some abstract pieces, and some artwork that featured women in sunglasses with words representing opposing emotions on each of their lenses. There was a piano in the center of the room which Renè played throughout our outreach. We sang to a very enthusiastic crowd of about sixty seniors who loved our music, many visibly singing along.

It was alto Brooke’s first outreach and as she noted, “I felt this sense of community and ease. There was so much joy from choir and audience alike. Everyone there was so engaged. I looked up from my music as much as I could and saw smiles, singing, someone playing air piano on the table, and even dancing from the audience.”

At the end of our outreach, our audience shouted, "Encore.” And we gave them what they wanted. We responded with a rousing impromptu "Let the Sun Shine in" which featured Johnny singing and running out into the audience, hugging a few ladies in the front row. 

“... the “one and only Peace of Heart Choir.”
”

— Norma, one of the choir's biggest supporters

Three guitarists accompany the choir on the song, Fragile, performed at Sundays at JASA. JASA stands for the Jewish Association Serving the Aging.

The month’s last marvelous outreach was at John Jay College on St. Patrick’s Day—thus, the smattering of green shirts here and there that you’ll notice in the photos. We provided the entertainment for the lunchtime Sundays at JASA program, a continuing education program for adults 55 years of age and older.

One of our biggest supporters, Norma introduced us amid much fanfare as the "one and only Peace of Heart Choir.” We sang on a stage in a classroom setting with blackboards at our backs as Renè, Andy, and Marv accompanied us on guitar throughout our concert. We had such a joyous time performing sing-alongs such as “This Land is Your Land,” “Singing for Our Lives,” and “Peace Like a River.”  We did our special rendition of “Fragile” driven by Andy’s vocals and René and Andy on guitar with the choir singing the chorus refrain.

As I walked out, I noticed John Jay’s 9/11 Memorial Sculpture, the twisted steel beam that had once supported one of the towers of the World Trade Center until that fateful day which now bears the names of 67 people from the John Jay community who lost their lives on 9/11 etched on the granite’s outer pathway.

I thought of our connection to 9/11—how Peace of Heart Choir was formed after the tragic events of that day to promote healing, diversity, and mutual understanding through music. And we continue to bring that healing through music nearly twenty years later.  

9/11 Memorial at John Jay College

 
March indeed was a month of expectation blossoming with three wonderful outreaches and one delightful public performance on the Sing for Hope Performing Arts Stage at Port Authority. (For a more in-depth account of our public performance on the Sing for Hope Performing Arts Stage at Port Authority, here is the link to check out our blog post: “Port Authority Rush Hour Commuters Transported by Our Rainbow of Music”.

After Brooke’s first outreach, she exclaimed, “I can’t wait for my next outreach!”  I second that emotion. Spring has arrived with more outreaches in April at The New Jewish Home, Fountain House, and The New York State Veterans’ Home. 

In Harmony,

Carrie Wesolowski, Alto 1

Port Authority Rush Hour Commuters Transported by Our Rainbow of Music

Choir performs at Sing for Hope’s balcony performance space

by Carrie Wesolowski

[All photos by Frank Asencio]

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Port Authority Bus Terminal during rush hour: scurrying commuters, patrolling National Guard soldiers, and on this Wednesday evening—the harmonious Peace of Heart Choir. Every Wednesday during rush hour on the Sing for Hope Performing Arts Stage just above the concourse level Au Bon Pain and wedged between steps and sets of escalators, the terminal is transformed by the sounds of music.

Located on a platform that was once the terminal’s operations control center, the glass-enclosed stage seems tucked away at the very center of Port Authority, almost an entity unto itself that majestically rises up from the street level with its official Sing for Hope logos on the front of the glass, Sing for Hope banners as the backdrop and of course, front and center, the artist-designed Sing for Hope rainbow piano jazzed up in marvelously whimsical swirls of color that would make Pucci proud. Our Peace of Heart Choir banner was featured too--at the far-right corner.    

We gathered in a semicircle around the piano with Renè at the helm. There was an “only in Port Authority irony” when as we sang “Save the Country”, the flashing LED sign on the opposite mezzanine read “God Bless America” followed by a flashing message heralding “Quick and Easy Hair Removal”. But that’s just the flavor of the ever-moving New York City—what makes it so unique, rich, and full-of-life. 

There was some blood—Renè cut his thumb playing—with Nancy quickly coming to the rescue with a Band-Aid, maybe a little sweat under the stage lights which produced some interesting optical illusions at times—a small group of baritones standing together looked as if they were part of Blue Man Group. There were no tears though, unless someone listening was choked up by one of our songs which has happened before.

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Maestro Renè Galvan conducts the choir at New York’s Port Authority

There was a lot of joy as all of us sang, sharing our music with the audience. We were clapping enthusiastically and dancing during sing-alongs such as "Peace Like a River" and "This Little Light of Mine”. Some of us waved to commuters below as a greeting and an invitation to stay and watch the music which some of them did. Perhaps for one song, perhaps two, before moving along again. Lis had her own fan club--friends from Texas who had come to see her sing her solo in the Billy Joel classic “River of Dreams”.

“She smiled enthusiastically, exclaiming how beautiful we sounded, how much she loved our music...”

In a place like the Port Authority, it’s hard to tell whether people are listening, and with most of them passing through on their way home during rush hour, one may never know. However, later walking through the terminal, a Port Authority cleaning lady approached me to let me know that she had seen all of us sing earlier. She smiled enthusiastically, exclaiming how beautiful we sounded, how much she loved our music, how she had loved seeing us sing here two years ago, and how glad she was to see us again. She had remembered us, remembered our music and made sure she saw us when we came back. After a mutual expression of gratitude and a hug, we were back on our way. I walked back into the anonymity of Port Authority with a smile on my face.

Ah, the power of music… Helping to make your time spent at Port Authority sound a whole lot better….

In Harmony,
Carrie Wesolowski, Alto 1

For more information on the non-profit Sing for Hope; visit their website at www.singforhope.org