At The Advent Lutheran Church

I looked for the red double doors noted in the Peace of Heart Choir email with details for our outreach at Advent Lutheran Church and when I spotted the red doors I knew I had found the right place. I walked through the red double doors on the side of the building and walked down the stairs to the basement past a long line of those in need waiting to be admitted for their monthly luncheon—in this case, a Thanksgiving meal.

When I arrived downstairs, I found preparations underway—volunteers scurrying to get everything ready. There was a room in the back with countless pieces of pumpkin pie. I was very early and so was a small contingent of Peace of Heart Choir singers who were in the middle of it all chatting with Rene. Volunteers cleaned tables and we began to do our vocal warm-up. Our performance area was definitely going to be a tight fit but we adapt easily. There were rows and rows of tables with at least 75 people in attendance. Perhaps that is a low estimate. There easily could have been over a hundred. Sightlines were tricky because there were several poles in the way so not everyone in attendance had an unobstructed view.

Nonetheless, as our audience began their meals and volunteers came around serving food, we opened our outreach with our signature opening piece, Siyahamba. We continued with the lovely sounds of Wanemo with fine vocal support from Gail and Cheryl. The Maori love ballad Pocarekare Ana was next followed by Barry’s impromptu heartfelt version of It Had To Be Youto which several audience members sang along. Next was the sing-along Down By The Riverside with fine musical accompaniment by Dave on guitar.

One minor difference though we did not go into the audience to shake hands as usual. It was clear we did have a cheering section in the lady in the red sweater with a white scarf wrapped around her head. As Lexi declared, “This lady was great!”  I know she definitely put a smile on my face and moved me with her enthusiasm. I can’t agree with Rob more wholeheartedly in his assessment that she embodies what the spirit of outreach is all about. She was most visibly affected by Carole King's You’ve Got A Friend with lovely vocal support from Laura and Wilfred. She sang along, mouthing the words and even began to cry. James Taylor's Lonesome Road was next with another fine vocal turn from Wilfred. Rene looked out to us and at this point signaled we had done enough, yes? And so all was left but one of our core songs, Let There Be Peace on Earth which was introduced by Ruth and was a lovely way to end the afternoon.

- Carrie, 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 Home & Hospital

The room was large, but there were only two rows of regular chairs. The rest of the floor was in reserve for residents who would be coming down in wheel chairs. A few were there when we started warmups, which included testing Rene’s latest toy—his portable mike. When Leslie tried it out with Ciribiribim, one of the early-birds mouthed all the words. After the warmups I spoke to a man who was looking through the singalong handout. I said he probably knew some of the songs, and he said, “Oh, yes! Pete Seeger!” He said he hadn’t known about the concert and was “getting ready to turn in,” when someone came by his room and told him about us. “I’m glad I came down,” he said. I pointed out that the concert hadn’t started yet. “Doesn’t matter. You guys are good.” Rene arranged us in a semi-circle so we could hear each other in the spongey (his word) room—first-sopranos facing second-altos across the piano. And then it was time to begin.

Siyahamba, as always, was a great opening. It says to the audience, This is who we are—enthusiastic, fun-loving, energetic. Come into our world. These residents got it. They may not have been physically able to dance in the aisles, but it was obvious from their smiles and participation throughout the concert that they were engaged. They were especially energized by the two singalongs, Rock-a-My-Soul and Down by the Riverside. Rock-a-My-Soul is always my favorite, when we embed ourselves among the audience members and our voices blend with theirs. Tonight I got the feeling that singing was a lost art for some of them—a few didn’t get the courage to join in until the last repetition or two, but when they did, there was such joy on their faces. At the end, a few residents told us that they loved the concert and wished we had had a longer program. They also said they would have liked more singalongs.

This concert was special for me in another way, too. While we sing for our audiences, we also sing for ourselves, and tonight, POHC members were treated to some spectacular performances by our fellow singers. (I don’t think it was just that they used Rene’s new mike.)

Gail and Leslie in Wanemo. Laura and Charlie in You’ve Got a Friend. Leslie in Ciribiribim. Wilfred in Lonesome Road. Barry in a surprise rendition of It Had to Be You. Marv’s piano accompaniment to Light One Candle.

Wonderful concert. For the audience as well as ourselves.

-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 Carter Burden Senior Center

It was an especially chilly mid-November afternoon but you would never know it as you walked into the Carter Burden Senior Center on Saturday afternoon. The seniors’ recreational room where we would perform was quite warm. As Dave noted, “I always forget how warm senior centers are.” I arrived and joined a nice-sized group of Peace of Heart Choir singers beginning Rene’s vocal warm-up. There were no fewer than 6 choir members attired in purple and Rene smiled and noted to Wilfred that we should get a purple picture as he was dressed in a purple shirt as well. The concert opened with a signature opening number of one of our core songs, a rousing Siyahamba followed by Wanemo. Next was the Maori ballad Pokarekare Ana with Brian and Dave providing fine musical support to Rene on lovely ukelele with a reverie-like feeling. The sing-along Down by the Riverside with spirited musical support from Brian and Dave followed with several of us running exuberantly into the audience to shake the hands of the seniors. We ran back to our places.

Barry did a sweet little impromptu surprise for the audience of It Had To Be You. Rene then introduced a fine new selection to this season’s repertoire, the Carole King classic, You’ve Got A Friend, a fitting piece for the spirit of outreach. Appreciative audience members visibly sang along to this one.

The next tune was a perfect follow-up, the James Taylor standard, That Lonesome Road, introduced by Rene with lovely vocal support from Nancy. Our outreach continued with another sing-along, Rock-a My-Soul. We started by singing each of the three choral parts to coach the audience. Then choir members ran into the audience and we split up into three sections to encourage audience members to sing along.

I noticed one audience member sitting in the back left hand side who seemed as if he might just want to rise from his seat as we sang but remain seated. We started our next song, Oye Come Va, introduced by Rob with fun, rollicking musical accompaniment by Dave and Brian. It was rousing and fun and I decided to start to dance to the music with the intention of getting the gentleman who seemed as if he wanted to dance to Rock-a My Soul on his feet and, of course, and any other audience member who wanted to dance.

I motivated one lady who was the first to get up and dance in front of the audience and finally, the gentlemen who I felt wanted to dance. You just couldn’t stop them. And it was such a delight to behold to see the seniors dancing—definitely a highlight. Next I introduced one of our core repertoire songs, the Jim Papoulis anthem for the future of our children, Give Us Hope. Our voices soared and filled the room. Ruth introduced our last song of the afternoon, one of our core repertoire pieces, Let There Be Peace on Earth. Again our voices filled the room.

After the concert, we did our usual audience feedback surveys. Ida came up to me and said that she loved us and we had to come back. As I walked out, a senior who had just seen the concert stopped me to say ‘thank you’ and held his heart. I then held my heart and said ‘thank you’ in return. He then leaned in closer and said, “ You rock-a my soul.” It was our first visit to Carter Burden Senior Center and the temperature wasn’t the only warm thing--it was the hearts and spirits of an appreciative group of seniors who look forward to our next visit.

-Carrie Wesolowski, 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 DeWitt Rehab and Nursing Center

I arrived late (because of work) to find a few residents seated around tables listening to the choir singing "That Lonesome Road." The sound was so good I thought it was the concert and realized it was the warm-up only when Rene stopped before the end of the song.

One of the recreation workers came around to the tables with a beverage cart that had wine as well as soft drinks. She put out plates of chips, too, cabaret-style. Then it was time to begin.

"Siyahamba," always a rousing opening, drew enthusiastic applause. We followed that with a mix of old and new pieces. I enjoyed seeing members of the audience singing along to songs other than the official sing-alongs, in particular, "You've Got a Friend."

Residents and a few of their visitors kept coming in, and before long, all the tables were full. Anthony's mom, Jeanette, was also in the audience, along with her sister, who lives in Indonesia and hasn't been to New York in 23 years. Anthony's mom sang and bopped along with several songs, like the honorary choir member she is.

Marv and Dave provided excellent accompaniment, freeing Rene to do what he does so well--conduct and help us sing with more nuance, and also get the "s" and "t" sounds on the right beat.

For me, the highlight of the evening was "Rock-a-My Soul," when Rene divided the audience into three groups and the choir broke formation to stand among them. I was with the residents of Group-3. Some sang with more gusto than others, but they were all obviously enjoying themselves. One woman was a bit tentative, but I could tell she really wanted to do this. We locked eyes, and the longer we held the connection, the more she sang with more confidence.

On the way out, I talked to a woman who said, "Encore, encore." I told her she should have shouted it sooner, before we had our coats on. She said, "I did, but no one heard me." This wasn't the official opening of our fall season. We already sang two concerts with the Fusion ensemble and one by ourselves at the 9/11 memorial. It felt like the opening, though, the first concert where we connected to the audience in an intimate setting. We didn't sing "Furaha!" tonight, but we definitely sang joy.

-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 Hamilton Senior Center

I walked into Hamilton Senior Center and a smiling Ruth greeted me, directing me to the restrooms and to the room at the end of the hallway where Peace of Heart Choir was rehearsing. Rene noted that there was a ‘lovely sound quality to the room’ and, I would add, an infectiously excited, almost giddy, feeling among choir members. We were all looking forward to our first outreach in a few months and our second collaboration with the Classical Fusion Chamber Ensemble. Abigail, the coordinator of the center loves to start promptly and so at 1:30 pm sharp, we made our way into the main room. We entered and found Classical Fusion Chamber Ensemble in their places. We found our spots in our respective sections, having to squeeze in a bit to make room for all of us. I looked out into the nice-sized audience. Our program opened with a rousing Star Spangled Banner, a joint effort between Peace of Heart Choir and Classical Fusion Chamber Ensemble.

The program continued with one of Peace of Heart Choir’s core songs, Siyahamba. There was a lady who was sitting in one of the front rows in the center who had been to an earlier Peace of Heart Choir outreach concert and so she sang along enthusiastically to Siyahamba, mouthing the words which was absolutely a joy to behold. Next was our traditional Maori ballad, Pokarekare Ana, with lovely introductory accompaniment by our choir director Rene on ukelele and fine musical accompaniment by Brian Muni and Dave Koch that lifted the song to another level.

We performed our solo efforts in pairs, so the next set was enjoyable versions of Masquerade Waltz from the Masquerade Suite and La Bella Cubana performed by the Classical Fusion Chamber Ensemble.

We followed with a set of Peace of Heart Choir’s core songs, Peace Salaam Shalom and a soaring Give Us Hope, by Jim Papoulis, a traditional anthem of September Song and the September Concert Foundation. Give Us Hope really resonated with an appreciative audience. The song felt triumphant, buoyed by Dave and Brian’s uplifting musical accompaniment that really helped to escalate the feeling of anticipation and, ultimately, triumph.

We took our seats during the Classical Fusion Chamber Ensemble’s sets and of their solo efforts, I particularly enjoyed A Call to Courage by William Ross from the 2006 motion picture” Ladder 49”. Classical Fusion Chamber Ensemble’s Conductor Stephen Francis Vasta made a point of the fact that the Classical Fusion Chamber Ensemble has exclusive rights to the piece. For me, the real treasure of the piece was, as I affectionately refer to him, “The Little Drummer Boy”, Frederick Chau, the adorable little boy who was the guest artist on percussion.

The two centerpieces of the Peace of Heart Choir/Classical Fusion Chamber Ensemble collaboration closed out the concert: Hope, with lovely vocals from Gwyn Griffin and Non Nobis Domine with fine vocal support from Gary Baker. Non Nobis Domine, with really lovely conduction from Rene, really showcased the collaboration of the two groups. And so we were ready for our encore. Rene posed the question to the group, “So what shall we do?” I and a few other choir members called out, Let There Be Peace on Earth. And so it ‘twas—a lovely way to end a lovely afternoon of music. We took our bows to a nice amount of applause and made our way outside into the hallway. As I walked towards the end of the hallway, a senior who had just seen our concert said, “Thanks for a great concert.” “It was our pleasure”, I responded. “What’s your name?” “Bob", he said. Then Bob said the most touching thing. “It made my day.” Well that was music to my ears. I smiled to myself and I thought 'that’s the magic of outreach and precisely why we do what we do.'

-Carrie, 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 National Sep 11 Memorial

The 9/11 Memorial is a contemplative, park-like outdoor space with lawns, walkways, and rows of trees surrounded by ivy groundcover. POHC was honored to be one of four groups performing there on 9/12. The bagpipes were the first group, while it was still light; when they finished, they graciously posed for pictures with choir members. Next came a string chamber group whose sound was all but lost in the great outdoors until Rene, Brian, and Dave assisted them with POHC amplification equipment brought by Rene. Third was a singer who has sung the “Star Spangled Banner” in all fifty states. When she finished singing it here, she invited her “friend who I just met,” Evelyn, a POHC soprano, up to the podium to read a poem she (the Star Spangled Banner singer) wrote about love of country and flag.

All this took some time, and when the POHC ascended the podium, the light was fast fading. There was still a sizable audience on the grass, though. How many were POHC family and friends, and how many random passers-by, I do not know. We sang ten songs, all well-received. What was more challenging than getting our sound to carry in the open space was the light. From the time we sang our first song, “Senzenia,” to the time we sang our last, “Let There be Peace on Earth,” our sheet music went from visible to invisible. For some songs, that was no problem—most of us knew them by heart. Others, like “Hard Times” and “Cherokee Morning Song,” were not as easy. It was also difficult for Rene to see the pitches on his pitch pipe. Despite all this, we sounded wonderful. I think we all felt very good about our performance—not just for the way we sang, but for our participation in the commemoration.

A note on the attached photo: The memorial park is surrounded by the tall buildings of downtown Manhattan. From our lineup on the podium, before we started singing, I took this picture of the sunset being reflected in one of those buildings. (Sorry it’s a bit fuzzy.)

-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 Shrine Church of St Anthony of Padua

Last night we performed with the Classical Fusion Chamber Ensemble (CFCE) in the beautiful Shrine Church of St. Anthony of Padua. The concert was in remembrance of 9/11. This was the first time, to my knowledge, that POHC sang with a full orchestra and was directed by an outside conductor. It was an interesting experience.

There were sixteen pieces on the program. Seven were performed by orchestra alone, six by POHC alone, and three by the combined orchestra and choir. Of the three pieces we did together, Rene conducted two: “Star Spangled Banner” and “Non Nobis Domine.” The third, "Hope," was conducted by Stephen from CFCE. Those three were the most challenging to prepare.

We had two rehearsals. The first was in a studio barely large enough to contain the whole orchestra. The choir members stood in the back, squeezed against one another. Think rush hour in a subway car without air conditioning. The second was in the church, much more humane and roomy. During the rehearsals, we worked out the sound balance—the choir had to sing very loud in order not to be drowned out by the orchestra. And for “Hope,” we adapted to a different conducting style, a new way of getting cued in after many measures’ rest. POHC is nothing if not flexible and professional.

The actual performance went very well. Kudos to our two soloists, Marta in “Hope,” and Gary in “Non Nobis Domine.” Your beautiful voices soared with feeling in that church. And to Gail and Cheryl in "Wanemo," and Gwen and Cheryl in "Senzenia." And to the whole choir in the songs we did by ourselves, especially the spirit with which we sang “Give Us Hope.”

The highlight from CFCE for me was “A Call To Courage,” from the 2006 motion picture Ladder 49, about a firefighter. It was moving and exquisitely performed. I also loved watching their drummer, a boy so young he was probably born after 9/11.

While I enjoyed singing in this concert, I didn’t feel as much of a connection to the audience as I do in our smaller community concerts, where we get closer to the audience and sometimes walk among them. This was more formal, with the orchestra in the pit and the choir on the stage. Still, it was a thrilling experience. It was also nice to see many POHC members and spouses/partners in the audience.

Well-done, choir. And now we can look ahead to our regular seasion, with our regular conductor, the incomparable Rene.

-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

Live Music Returns to the 9/11 Memorial`

In recognition of its ongoing commemoration, a special musical tribute will take place at the 9/11 Memorial on Friday evening, Sept. 12. The Peace of Heart Choir and other performers, including bagpipers from the NYPD, PAPD, and FDNY, Janine Stange, and Tone Academy faculty, will perform in honor of those who lost their lives on 9/11, in recognition of the thousands who survived, and in remembrance of the extraordinary acts of bravery and compassion in the aftermath of the attacks.

Who: Peace of Heart Choir

What: Free public concert of vocal music

When: Friday, Sept. 12;

Concert begins at 6:00 p.m.; Choir performs at 7:30 p.m. Where: National September 11 Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center 200 Liberty Street at Greenwich Street

More than 40 voices will join in unison to perform songs devoted to peace. Music will include American classics like “Hard Times Come Again No More” by Stephen Foster; the inspiring anthems “Give Us Hope” by Jim Papoulis, and “Peace Salaam Shalom” by Pat Humphries and Sandy Opatow; as well as songs from around the world. The Choir is led by musical facilitator Robert René Galván.

An alto's first benefit concert

How do I describe my first big concert with Peace of Heart?

First, the trip with other choristers “down under”, 4 floors down in the elevator, not really knowing where we were going. Then being met by people who knew the way, shepherding us down long corridors to the Green Room, and, eventually, the auditorium. Next, a flurry of activity: taking in some emergency food and water, going over some problem passages and musical questions with others in my section. Then emerging into this grand hall: working out who was going to stand where, how to handle the mikes. A lot of last minute details to take in. Then regrouping and chilling before the concert.

Chorus members were very supportive in congratulating me on the solo phrase in “Downtown”. After the final rehearsal, someone in the Green Room asked:” How does it feel to do your solo?” I answered, “Pick up the mike, remember to turn it on, place it close (like eating an ice cream cone), get the phrase out, remember to turn it off and replace on the piano—all while juggling my music in the other hand.” It all happened so fast, there was no time to think about it, just do it. Later on, when I thought about it, several images came to mind: It was like changing gears from group mode to solo mode and back again; or, to put it more poetically - it was like riding a wave - finding the right moment to jump on and then off; or, like a fish jumping out of the water for a flash and then diving back in to rejoin the group.

Then the concert. At the start of the first number “Wanemo” (“Geronimo!”) I heard the soloists (“Oops! Get Ready. When do we come in?”) was running through my mind. Then, when the group voice and harmony came into play, the sound was absolutely gorgeous. But I can’t be performer and audience at the same time so most of my attention was on staying tuned to the collective sound and the changing tempos and rhythms of each piece.

For me it was such a pleasure to be surrounded and supported by the wall/blanket of sound that this choir produced. A lot of my focus was on navigating my alto part in relationship to the group. Hearing and listening were so important and it was wonderful to have great acoustics of this hall. The Second Altos to my left were stalwart and sure: I found some of my shaky notes and entrances with them as a guide. My eyes were focussed on Rene, especially with some of the difficult rhythmic sections. ( I had given up trying to count a couple of the pieces and just needed to rely on the feel of it, and his cues.)

One of the things that was so engaging and different about the concert was the relationship with the audience. The seats in Engelman Recital Hall were raked at such a steep angle that I could see my friends from head to toe. The audience was totally open to our view as we were to them. I could see their reactions during the talks and sing-a-longs. It’s a wonderful experience to sing before a receptive audience of friends and well wishers. One thing that was so unique with this group is that individual members get to pop out, as did the soloists, to speak to the audience, as did our director, who shared his instruments and comments with them so they could be a part of it all. ( I was reminded of “Young Persons Guide to the Orchestra” that Leonard Bernstein conducted) A friend called thanking us for inviting him to the delightful concert: “I had a great time. I love the way the group was run.” Another person who was in the audience said she noticed the spirit of friendliness in the chorus.

One thing I noticed at rehearsals was how tired a lot of people were after a hard day’s work. Rene really worked us hard and demanded total concentration. (But not in an authoritarian dictatorial way). Afterwards I felt as if I had had a workout. But I always had a sense that the music that had seemed so impossible to me now made more sense. (Maybe I could actually learn it). It took me a while to realize how all the logistics were being handled by members of the group and how much they were doing.

But all of the hard work paid off. It was wonderful to have a finished product that we could be proud of. Another friend left me a message after the concert: “My mother thought it was nicely done, with great refinement. This is high praise from her.” Before the performance it was amazing to see everyone wide awake and alive. The energy was really “up”. I took Rene’s directive - “ do not over sing” - to heart, and it helped me pace myself and be relaxed enough to handle whatever might come up.

The final rehearsal in the hall and concert was an endurance test for some of us. We had never sung through the whole concert or stood for so long. So, in the actual performance, while we were singing “It Takes a Village,” I began to pick up that there was some kind of commotion and scuffle going on to my right. When I turned a little to see what was going on, I saw one of the Altos behind me sinking towards to the ground. I originally missed out on a lot of the details because I couldn’t believe this was happening — an “Alternative Universe” experience. I was still singing. Rene was directing the upbeat syncopated tempo, totally focussed on the song. I don’t know if anyone except us knew what was happening. The group didn’t miss a beat as one of the Altos guided her gracefully to the floor. Happily, she was able to recoup after the song, climb over the rail and exit up the stairs. After intermission she was fine and was able to rejoin the group. Talk about Drama.

I enjoyed the presentations to Rene and to us “new-bies” in the Green Room afterwards. I felt very welcomed by the group. It was a full day, well spent.

-Lenore Manzella,  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 Ronald McDonald House

One young couple with an infant in their arms peeked in and said hi while we warming up. They left for a bit but came back later with the rest of their family and friends during the performance. Our contact staff member there said the children and families were late finishing dinner upstairs and suggested we just start singing and people would come downstairs when they heard the music. So we did exactly that.

We started singing Downtown to an audience-less room, and 2 teenage/young adults came in and pulled up chairs. We sang their own personal rendition of Wanemo for them, after which the room quickly filled with more than a dozen children ranging in age from a few mos. to 9 or 10 yrs. old, with their families, as well as a volunteer & her sweet service husky dog, Bo. Quite a few kids and family members did not speak English. Chinese was spoken by about 8 people there, and about 5 or 6 spoke Spanish. I spoke with some of the parents and kids before and after our show.

When we sang Cherokee Morning Song, a cute little 16 mos. old toddling redhead in a green onesy walked right up to Rene intently focused on his flute playing. Sharing songsheets, they sang along for Michael Row The Boat Ashore (more grown-ups than kids on that one) and they all kept up with us really well on Rock My Soul. After Paz Y Libertad, I introduced Pokarkare Ana with a special twist - I had picked up multi-colored plastic leis to give out to the kids. The leis turned out to be the big hit of the evening. I heard them singing "happy birthday" to one of the kids upstairs earlier so when I asked whose birthday it was, the birthday boy and his brother (about 7 - 9 y.o.) jumped up for their leis first. Then the rest of the kids all went wild for them and even put one around the service dog's neck, who marched around proudly with it on. It kept them engaged, complete with dancing.

For Mas Que Nada, 2 little ones, 4-5 year olds, ran up and tried to play along (more like pound along) on the piano with Rene, who good-naturedly played right along with them. After beginning, our audience numbered about 40 or more for the duration of the concert, including infants, children, parents, friends, staff, volunteer, and of course, service dog, Bo.

I talked with 1 couple and their kids afterward who were here for treatment for one their sons at Sloan Kettering (birthday boy's family) and were heading home to New Mexico the following day. They enjoyed the concert and were especially grateful for the services provided by Ronald McDonald House, saying they wouldn't have been able to afford to come for the good treatment for their son without it.

It was a very special, moving concert for all of us as well as our spirited audience.

-Lily, 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