What do you get when the 8 major choruses in a small city come together? Choralpalooza! This Sunday, March 7, all the major singing groups in Keene will join together to support the best little theatre around. The Colonial Theatre will host this extravaganza from 4:00 till 6:00 or so. Each group will have a featured spot to show the community their unique sound: the Keene High School a cappella choir, the Keene State College Chamber Singers, the Cheshiremen, Animaterra, Main Street quartet, Keene Chamber Singers, Keene Chorale and Keene Pops. Closing out the event will be an amazing moment of sound, when all the choruses join in song- close to 300 voices in all. This will be a rare and exciting event!

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 Winter Blues by Allison Aldrich c.2008 [2:23m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

It’s Winter. The holidays are over, and many of us retreat into hibernation. Some of us are very much affected by the cold and the dark. Seasonal Affective Disorder is a very real form of depression that can be helped with light therapy, exercise, and even drugs. But there’s another very helpful form of therapy, and that’s creativity. Finding a creative release, be it through painting, photography, dance, or music, can feed the inner part of us whose flame feels dim at this time of year.

Animaterra has become a beacon of light for many of us who look forward to our weekly rehearsals as healing, nurturing, invigorating therapy sessions. First come the smiles and greetings- clusters of women in the hallway, in the back room, or sitting (with or without knitting) in the chairs that have been thoughtfully arranged by early arrivals. Then comes one lone voice, joined by many others, first in unison and gradually growing into lovely harmonies- the call to stand and prepare for warmups: “Circle round for freedom, circle round for peace, for all of us imprisoned, circle for release. Circle for the planet, circle for each soul, for the children of our children, keep the circle whole.” (words and music c. Linda Hirschhorn).

Now we smile and greet each other, now we stretch and often step out of our physical comfort zone, learning moves and sounds that will enhance and improve our singing voices and our ability to listen and sing and blend as a group. Soon we are practicing the songs that will come together by some seeming magic, to make an amazing concert experience. The rehearsal lasts 2 hours but no matter how tired or worn out we felt at the beginning of the evening, we leave smiling, energized by singing together. It’s therapy!

Animaterra begins rehearsals for the new season on Feb. 2, 2010. More information can be found on the side bar, or by clicking “Contact the director”.

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From its beginnings in 1997, Animaterra has made a commitment to community: we nurture our connections as a group, and we reach out to the region, the country and the world in which we find ourselves. We sing for community events, such as the Keene Pumpkin Festival and Tree Lighting, and the Empty Bowls project of the Keene Community Kitchen (see Events sidebar). Our hospice group, Pathway singers, brings music to bedside and the homes of the ill and dying and those in transition. We believe that bringing the joy of our music into the greater community will foster the spirit of unity in ways that other forms of volunteerism (as vital as they are) can’t reach.

Robert Putnam of Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government spoke in his book  “Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community” (Simon and Schuster, 2001) of “social capital”, the networks that connect us, the fabric of our connections with each other. He includes group song as one of the forms of civic engagement that can lead to other kinds of involvement, such as volunteer work or political activism.

We hope that as women, community members who love to sing, we are helping bind ourselves and those we encounter with a stronger sense of togetherness and connectedness that makes for true community!

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It’s true! It doesn’t need a doctor’s study to prove it. Here is one of the many articles you can find on line supporting the health benefits of singing. Members of Animaterra will tell how they often arrive at our Tuesday evening rehearsals exhausted and stressed, but leave energized and relaxed. The deep, diaphragmatic breathing is one benefit, but the beauty of our singing voices, the joy of our community, and the bond of our common cause adds to our mental as well as physical health.

Rehearsals begin Sept. 15 in Keene. All women are welcome to sing with us. We will have several opportunities to share our music during the season, culminating in our seasonal concerts on Dec. 11 in Peterborough, NH and Dec. 12 in Keene, NH. Watch this space for more detailed information on our fall schedule!

If you love to sing, miss singing, wish you could sing, you are welcome. Click the “Sing with us” link for contact information to get details about rehearsals, and any questions answered.

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Since Allison is busy building her new home this summer, I wanted to write more on what it means to be an Animaterran.  And, talk about opportunities in our Monadnock-area community: our summer sings and the Pathway Singers.

On the sidebar, you will notice that Animaterra is offering Summer Sings.  These sings are open to everyone: men, children, and women.  Led by Allison, for just $8.00, you will be able to go through warm-ups, get song sheets, and participate in a community sing 4 times this summer: twice in Keene at the Starving Artist, and twice in Peterborough at the Mariposa Museum.   I am looking forward to these sings.  And, I hope you will join us.

Pathway Singers is our hospice singing group.  Started by Allison in the fall of 2007, several of us met with members of the Hallowell Singers based in Vermont.  They introduced us to their songs, their philosophies, and how important it is to connect to those in the dying process, to help them through their transition.  While anyone can call on us, we are also connected with two hospice groups in the region: HCSS and Beacon Hospice.  We go into people’s homes, and we go into nursing homes, bring comfort to the dying, to their families and caretakers.   We get together a couple of times a month for rehearsal, learn new music and add to our repertoire, and check-in with each other, exchanging books and resources.   It is a wonderful and fulfilling calling.

Andi

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Spring is early this year. Lilacs are nearly blooming, tulips are nearly out. And there’s young green leaves in the trees.
The Monadnock region is truly magnificant this time of year. Our concerts in April were fabulous! The theme of “All Shall Be
Well Again” fit the season well, and drew us into our early spring.

When I first heard Animaterra sing 11 years ago, I heard my voice. I loved the music, the meaning in the music, and the presentation of the music.

I’ve just finished singing my 10th year with Animaterra, and the music still brings as much joy into my life as when I first heard it. Even more, because I participate in making the music.

Allison is a wonderful teacher. I tell people that if they think haven’t sung well in the past, but if they enjoy singing, they should try us out. Come to the first rehearsal. And come to the second rehearsal. Reserve your Tueday evenings. And, it will be worth it. Allison will help you find your voice. Allison also keeps us on our toes. Heather Bower, our assistant director, is also amazing, able to step in for Allison when we need her and brings her own talents in the music.

And, of course, there is community. We really do care about each other. We help each other through rough times. We support each other. We have potlucks. We reach out to those who can’t make it to our concerts and help others raise funds by providing entertainment. And, we give back to our local community by giving a portion of our proceeds to a local non-profit.

Some of the local non-profits we have given to include: The Keene Community Kitchen, Peterborough Food Pantry,
RISE for Babies and Families, Monadnock Center for Violence Prevention, Southwestern Community Services Homeless Shelters,
AVEO (Ashuelot Valley Environmental Observatory), Sophie’s Hearth, Fuel Assistance, In From the Cold, Prospect Place, and
scholarships or donations to local families in need. There are others that I have forgotten but are just as important to our community.

So, if you want to join us, you can. If you can support us, please do.

Andi

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When every woman in the world has her mind set on freedom

When every woman in the world dreams a sweet dream of peace

When every woman from every nation,

young and old, each generation

Joins hands in the name of love, there will be no more war.

This stirring song has become an Animaterra anthem. We close every rehearsal with it, and it provides a dramatic climax for our concerts. We feel it binds us together and strengthens us to go forth.

I have been searching for years to find out more information about the source of this song. A recent email from a friend gave me a link that has provided more than I had ever been able to find out before.

The following is quoted from a website of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations

If Every Woman in the World: From Karen MacKay’s deep connection to the living tradition of West Virginia women’s music; a tradition that, in Karen’s hands and voice, continues to be the means for perpetuating the simple ancient wisdom of mountain women. In 1982, suffering harassment at work and unsure of her life’s direction, Karen spent a weekend with “Aunt Jenny” and received the wisdom that has guided her life and music ever since. “Just git out there and play yer banjer. Git out there and play yer music and give ‘em all you’ve got!” Two weeks later Karen had quit her job. A year later she had written and recorded the songs on her first album, “Annie Oakley Rides Again.”

The final song on that album was If Every Woman in the World. Karen’s strong belief in the power of women to influence global culture and bring peace to the world found a deep expression in this song, and women all over the world have responded by passing it on from woman to woman, country to country. It has been sung at the 1985 International Women’s Conference in Nairobi, as well as at retreats and gatherings throughout Canada and the United States. It was included on the CD, O Beautiful Gaia, recorded by Carolyn McDade and the women of three different bioregions in Canada and the United States. The song’s current form incorporates three new verses written especially for its inclusion in this Unitarian Universalist (UU) hymnal supplement. If Every Woman in the World portrays a powerful dream of planetary peace that begins inside the heart of each person who sings it. The most important thing to remember in singing this music is to heed the simple wisdom of “Aunt Jenny” Wilson, “Just git out there…and give ‘em all you’ve got!”

** Substantial portions of the material included here were taken from Karen MacKay’s article “A Matter of Tradition,” published in HOT WIRE, July 1985.

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We are beginning our new rehearsal season on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2009. New singers are welcome! For more information on how to join, check out our “Sing with us!” page. 

I couldn’t say it better than our dear member Deborah Butler:

ANGELS GATHER HERE

I heard a choir of angels singing,

Raising voices to the skies;

(and) A director joyfully leading

Drums and deeps and mids and highs.

Songs of love, and hope, and justice,

Mother Earth and Unity,

Chants and rounds and tuneful humming

Of friends and home:  Community.

Hospice songs to ease the passing,

Courage songs for those in need,

Giving songs to raise awareness

Follow angels where they lead.

Angels sing to share a vision,

Heal the soul and ease the pain.

Angels sing to bring together

All who hear their glad refrain.

Holding hands and hearts together,

Hoping all who hear respond;

Angels gather for a purpose,

Young and old, in common bond.

Not all angels dwell in heaven

Not all angels fly with wings

Sharing joy with all who hear them

Standing here…  These angels sing!

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