Animaterra is a women's chorus in the Monadnock Region of New Hampshire, USA. We are a non-profit organization, formed by women to communicate through music of the world's traditions. We welcome all women in a community of song, reaching out to all people locally, regionally and globally. We offer an environment of learning and shared musical artistry in which women, whether beginners or experienced, can express themselves through music.
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June 18th 2013
Readers of this space will know that we write over and over again about the benefits of singing. Animaterra is on its summer break now, so for your reflecti0n and pleasure, we offer you these Ted Talks to inspire you. Meanwhile, sing in the car, sing in the shower, invite some friends over and http://www.angelfire.com/mi2/campsongs/, silly songs, old tv jingles, or http://www.singout.org/rus.html. Just sing!
May 23rd 2013
What a wonderful concert it will be!
This season we honor motherhood and Mother Earth with songs from Eastern Europe, Africa, the Hindu and Native American traditions, and more. From the thought-provoking to the soothing to the joyful, our songs will refresh and renew. Our usual wonderful percussionistas will be joined by guitar, mandolin, ukulele, piano and even accordion on some of the songs. And of course our beautiful singers will raise the rafters with vibrant song!
Look at the Upcoming Events sidebar for details.
April 28th 2013
This is a guest post by one of our members.
A couple of months ago, after a long-time build up events, my emotional state came to the point of crisis. I called an appropriate person to vent. When I got off the phone, some of the pressure and anger had been released, but I didn’t want to wallow in pain anymore. I wanted to heal. I wanted hope. I wanted to know that I mattered. That’s why my next call was to the friend who introduced me to Animaterra. She gathered a few others and a friend from church, who came over and sang with me songs to acknowledge my pain and refresh my spirit, some from a distance and despite their busy lives.
I knew they would come. I knew they wouldn’t push about “getting the dirt” and details on what was wrong. I knew I wouldn’t be judged, just accepted and uplifted.
Not even my family gets how much I need to sing and how it heals, but I’m working on that! So, I thought everyone should know how I knew that Animaterrans would answer my call. Since my stream of consciousness tends to slip into my writing and conversations, it often presents itself as me thinking out loud on a convoluted path to a final destination of making sense. So, I tried to put my thoughts and feelings about Animaterra below, hopefully in a fairly succinct way!
Animaterra is different. It is an experience of the powerful, positive and caring energy generated by the intertwining of kindred spirits. A strong, compassionate spirit, that naturally abides in us and the women before us and the women now present in the world.
Animaterra is different. It is a collective, brief acknowledgement of our sorrows, quickly pulled up by a perseverance to intentionally live in joy and proclaim both in song.
Animaterra is different. It is an anthology of lives, women who nurture each other, and balance the power of sound with an understanding of the powerful healing of silence.
Animaterra is different. It is organic and authentic. It is of ancestry and the elements of nature. My anxiety and fear of judgment does not exist there. Each woman’s value and eccentricity is embraced there. When I called in need, its spirit came without question to sing me back to the joy and strength from childhood spirit.
Animaterra is different. It is not a solely a chorus, or a women’s group. It is not a committee, a job or a burdening commitment.
Animaterra is an amalgamation of dedicated soulful spirits singing refreshments of joy and light into the world.
With love, gratitude and joy,
Leeni Gravlin-Dunn
Hancock
April 1st 2013
Yet another article on the science of singing in a group: Does Singing Make You Happy? by Julia Layton.
Of course it does! Singing alone has many benefits, but singing in a group multiplies the positive experience manyfold.
From the article: “…some of the most important ties between singing and happiness are social ones. The support system of being part of a group, and the commitment to that group that gets people out of the house and into the chorus every week — these are benefits that are specific to group singing. And they seem to be a big component of why choral singers tend to be happier than the rest of us. The feelings of belonging to a group, of being needed by the other members of that group (“We can’t do this one without our alto!”), go a long way toward combating the loneliness that often comes along with being human in modern times.”
If you are not already part of a group, there are many local opportunities. The Monadnock Region alone boasts eleven!
There are also many local workshops, searchable on the web.
For an Animaterra boost this month, come to the New England Folk Festival on Saturday, April 20 and sing with us at 8:30 pm in our workshop, “Sing for Joy”!
Whatever you do, sing!
March 10th 2013
We are delighted to have the wonderful Peggo Horstmann Hodes with us on
March 23 to offer a workshop entitled “Re-Awaken Your Voice”.
Here is what Peggo has to say:
This workshop will connect voice to breath, breath to heart, and heart to Spirit. Building on a foundation of supportive breath and vocal technique, this workshop expands our concepts and experience of “good” singing to include the whole continuum of our voice. As we awaken our fundamental vibration, we learn to hear our voice in new, personally enlightening ways. Come sing, chant, breathe, tone, move play and re-awaken your voice and spirit.
Peggo is an accomplished song leader and voice teacher from Concord, NH. She currently leads the Songweavers women’s chorus in Concord, leads Vibrant Voice workshops, and has recorded 9 of her own cds. For more information about Peggo, see her website:www.peggohodes.com
The workshop will take place from 10:00 AM to 3:30 PM at the Monadnock Waldorf School, 98 S. Lincoln Street, Keene, NH 03431.
It is open to all, including past Animaterra members*, friends, family, and other interested folks.
Please bring your own bag lunch, water bottle, and mid-morning snack if you wish.
For information or to register, please call 603-209-3304 or email animaterrasings@gmail.com
*If you are a former Animaterran who EVER worked on a Pumpkin Festival fundraiser, this workshop is free to you!
February 12th 2013
Victor Hugo said, “Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent”.
Music is one of the deepest means of expressing the inexpressible, whether it be emotions, reactions to events, spiritual awakenings, honoring the wheel of the year, or celebration. Songs bring words to that expression, but the music is the means and the vehicle. In Animaterra, we make many technical decisions about when to breathe, how to enunciate, how to “adjust the volume”, and so on, in order to create a unified sound that is the hallmark of a chorus versus a soloist or even a duet or trio. Sometimes decisions are obvious: breathe at a comma, or when there’s a rest or pause in the music. Other times, it’s not so clear: when the songwriter or arranger artistically phrases the lyrics to run through phrase after phrase of melody, or when various parts are polyphonic so the entrances and breaks are not the same in each voice. What’s a chorus to do?
Ultimately, we are a chorus because we choose music as the means of our expression. Therefore, we serve the music first. Even at the expense of a comma (or lack of punctuation!) we will let the music inform the technical decisions. In this way we allow the music to speak, to express what the words cannot.
One of the joys of Animaterra is that, while the director comes to the first rehearsal fully armed with music and words for the whole season, there truly is collaboration with the chorus, and the concert reflects many decisions made, changes (some spontaneous) and the shining power of weeks and months of practicing together. In this way we are able to express the inexpressible and let the music shine!
December 29th 2012
And what a beautiful concert it was! Many thanks to all the fine singers who shone their lights and shared their beauty with the wonderful audience!
So now it’s time to get ready for the Spring, 2013 season! If you are a woman who loves to sing, or if you know any woman in the Monadnock region, age 12 on up, who would like to have the opportunity to sing with us, we will be starting our new season on January 29. No previous experience needed- all the music is taught, and we carry each other along and discover the power of the group! We’ll kick off the season with a New and Prospective Member Reception, immediately followed by the first rehearsal of the year. Look at the sidebar for more information.
November 30th 2012
Come to the Animaterra Winter concert! It is a shimmering, beautiful program of delightful songs from South Africa, Native America, and original songs by wonderful composers, including Cris Williamson, Holly Near, and the Monadnock Region’s own Tara Greenblatt, who will be appearing as a special guest! We are very excited to share the music of this season with you.
September 16th 2012
Rehearsals have begun, and we’re strong in numbers and enthusiasm! It’s been delightful and humbling to me to watch our membership grow- we’ve nearly doubled in the past 3 years, and we sound better than ever! I’m so grateful for the willingness of women of all ages and experience levels to come together and work to create such beauty in song.
We're smiling whenever we're with Animaterrans! Photo by Kathy Bruce.
Old friendships are gelling, new friendships are forming, new members are being matched with a “buddy” to help them feel welcome, and we’re starting to make our way through the music. As usual, we are singing an eclectic assortment of songs from long ago, far away, and the present. Each of us unique, each bringing our own issues and trials and joys of the day, uniting our voices to create beauty and positive energy- one member, returning after a long hiatus, said that she hoped she would find a way to settle down for the night after such a high, because she used to find it hard to sleep after an Animaterra rehearsal! May we all find ways to bring such joy into our lives, and also to find that peaceful, grounded center that brings true serenity (and sleep!).
August 21st 2012
A new season looms! Soon we will be holding our welcome reception. New faces will mingle with returning members. There will be smiles, happy voices, some anxiety, but much happiness at being back together again after the long summer break. It’s always daunting to join a group that has been established for so long- questions swirl in the mind: Will I fit in? Will I be able to learn the songs? Will they like me? What if I can’t sing? Whatifwhatifwhatif???
In Animaterra we strive to be a warmly welcoming and inclusive community. We hold our musical standards high, and work together to learn the music, but we also treasure the nurturing community that we have become. We make every effort to make all welcome: newcomers, member struggling with health, family and other issues, those who want to get heavily involved in the operations of the chorus and those for whom it is deeply healing therapy simply to show up and sing.
There’s a good reason we are celebrating 15 years- women long for a safe, creative space (so do men!). Animaterra has provided and continues to be a welcoming home for those who yearn for that sense of community that can be expressed through song and togetherness. If you or a woman you know is looking for such a space, look at the sidebar and contact us! Or just show up on Tuesday, Sept. 4- we look forward to welcoming you!
Langdon Place , 136 Arch St., Keene
New and returning member reception: 6-7 pm
Rehearsal 7-9 pm
Photos by Charlie and Kathy Bruce
