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Wendell Community Chorus Album

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In a vibrant small town, surrounded by forest, the Wendell Community Chorus has been uplifting audiences in Western Massachusetts for eight years with our songs of justice, reverence, and liberation. We can be found raising our voices in song at rallies, concerts, nursing homes, and community events, helping all who attend to find courage in their own voices and to nurture hope and social justice. Now, with your help, we will bring years of in-person performances into the recording studio to make our first album and provide lasting musical messages to all.

Our chorus welcomes people of all ages and experiences, believing that everyone can sing and all voices can come together to raise energy and create change. This belief inspires our vision to record a CD. We have witnessed the power of song and hope to use the CD to spread our music’s message beyond the walls of our concerts and to provide a way for listeners to sing along to our rousing, emotionally uplifting, and at-times political songs with us whenever they need it.

Our chorus is blessed with the extraordinary direction of Morning Star Chenven and Moonlight Davis who offer us their wisdom behind decades of multicultural musical collaboration well noted by their rich harmonies and intimate performance style, weaving together songs from many cultures, languages, and countries.

 The CD we are planning encompasses music from many traditions and languages, from a marching song by Emma’s Revolution to uplifting gospel by Kirk Franklin, from the contemporary insurgent “One Day” by Matisyahu and “Happy” by Pharrell Williams’ to an ethereal soothing Sanskrit chant, and many more, all with the special inclusion of vocal harmonies by Moonlight and Morning Star on many of the songs.

We’re asking for your participation to turn this vision into a reality by helping us to raise $5,000. This amount will cover all expenses for studio recording, song licensing, direction, musical accompaniment and CD production. With your help, recording can begin in late May to have a CD available by the end of summer 2019.

To show our gratitude for your contributions, we have some fun rewards for you:

- When you donate $25 or more, you will receive our completed CD and the joy of knowing you helped us to make it!
- When you donate $40 or more, your CD jacket will be autographed by Directors Morning Star Chenven and Moonlight Davis along with chorus members.
- For donations of $150 or more, you will receive an autographed CD and a year of complimentary tickets to our concerts with the best seats in the house, including our CD release concert.
- Donations of $400 or more will be gifted with the above rewards in addition to a private live performance/house concert to be scheduled in the following year at a nearby location of your choice!
 
Additionally, and because we are committed to supporting the global healing ideas that we sing about, we will be donating 10% of our future CD sales to a local community building social justice organization.

Spreading the word is just as important as donating, so we hope you will also share this with friends, via email, social media, and old fashioned conversation (or song!). We’d like to close with words from audience as well as chorus members about the impact of our music.

We thank you for your support!

Join us on Facebook to see updates and to engage with the Wendell Community Chorus!

***********Testimonials! ***********

“I so appreciate the diversity included in the program, you touch on many different traditions and heritages and really bring us all into it, I feel so nurtured by my entire experience, what a deep and beautiful afternoon blessing. You all showed us what ‘courage to show up with our whole selves’ in these times--looks like. And through that, issued us the invitation to join you there. Thank-you for that. I experienced the strong medicinal quality of the entire experience, the giving and receiving back and forth from you to the audience, and the audience to you...a co-creative artform...we were ‘catching’ the thermal you were all on, being with you.  ~Johanna Hall

“In their rousing and tender anthems to autumn and the changing seasons, the Wendell Community Chorus lifted our spirits.  Morning Star and Moonlight are living legends who always delight. What a gift to our special town and its grateful visitors!” ~ Chris Queen

"We always love the Wendell Chorus concerts.  The voices are beautifully blended, the music is carefully chosen, stirring and meaningful.  Morning Star and Moonlight add excitement and poetry to create a pleasurable and unforgettable evening.  ~Weezie Nelson, Barnstable, MA

“The songs we sing have meaning. They're songs of hope, inspiration, love and positive vision for this troubled world of ours. I think they move people so much because the songs/music are like a healing balm for the soul, and also because we put our hearts into the music. It's amazing to sing and look out at the audience, many of whom have tears in their eyes.” ~ Kate O’Kane, Chorus member

“As someone who loves to sing passionately, but was told as a child that my voice sounded awful, I have carried deep hurt and self-consciousness around singing. In the Wendell Community Chorus, I have finally landed in a compassionate place to grow into my voice while being held in love and encouragement. My three years with this dynamic and talented group continues to nourish and encourage a long-exiled part of me” ~Taica Patience, chorus member

“Wendell is a unique community and we all feel fortunate to live here together surrounded by our beautiful woods and loving, generous and talented neighbors! Perhaps it is the land -- the music of the trees and the field; and the people — our love for our neighbors — that make the Wendell Chorus sing with such beautiful harmony. It is a blessing and delight to be part of making wonderful music together. A deep bow of gratitude to inspired, talented and tireless choral directors, Morningstar Chenven and Moonlight Davis. And to our community of Wendellites that loves us, cheers us on, and inspires us to our most beautiful harmony. You dear community are part of us, and we welcome your support of this new endeavor, our first CD! Let our people sing!” ~Sara Schley, chorus member

Singing with this group really connects me with my community.  It has also challenged me to step on stage with courage and confront my fears. As I witness the response and participation from the audience as they sing along with smiling faces I know it is making a difference, as it unites us all. Producing a CD with this group can make the joy of singing a timeless experience. Each time one listens or sings along to the CD they can recreate the joy of the performance and the community and smile. ~Tracey Dawn Alden, chorus member
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Donations 

  • Betsy Ames
    • $25
    • 5 yrs
  • L. Chenven and P. Bunten
    • $45 (Offline)
    • 5 yrs
  • Susan von Ranson
    • $25 (Offline)
    • 5 yrs
  • Evi Schachtl
    • $25 (Offline)
    • 5 yrs
  • Anonymous
    • $150 (Offline)
    • 5 yrs
Donate

Organizer

Morning Star Chenven
Organizer
Wendell, MA

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