What is Heritage Choir?

I've always loved stories. From a young age, I would hound my dad to tell me about his (mis)adventures growing up. As an adult, I've always been drawn to podcasts and concerts that center on the stories of a person or community. As a teacher, I've found myself asking my students "What's the story?" and seeking musical experiences that bring the audience on a journey that students helped me create.

When I envisioned what this project could be, I was hoping to create a space for people like my mom to sing. People who have sung their entire lives, but are limited by language ability to find a choir home that welcomes them without othering them. Heritage Choir is a place to come as you are with the hope that you'll share your story and voice. While that isn't happening as planned this fall, the spirit of the project is the same. Community. Storytelling. Music.

To summarize before this turns into an essay - when I had to reinvision what this project would look like this fall, I felt a tremendous amount of anxiety at the thought of interviewing people and asking them to tell me about their families, their careers, their stories, their music. Our story is our superpower and so often the thing that hooks us back into our home and our culture. Who was I to ask? Everyone involved has been so gracious and open through this experience. It has been LIFE GIVING to get to listen to people share, to laugh with them, and then turn around and get to share these stories with you.

I've felt increasingly disconnected and hopeless, but getting to see people's faces light up as they talk about their families and see the way they listen closely to a stranger share who they are.... it gives me hope. I hope you'll tune in. We start Friday.

"We envisioned a choir that drew repertoire from the people in the room... at its heart, Heritage Choir is about community, storytelling and the music that that weaves through our lives”. Hear Natalia talk about Heritage Choir.