Voices Rising Community Choir - Fall Season ‘26

🎶 VOICES RISING COMMUNITY CHOIR - FALL SEASON 🎶 A eight-week season of connecting with voice and community through joyful and wholehearted singing in the oral tradition, culminating in a Big Sing! This is an invitation for you. Yes, YOU! Do you sing in the shower? Driving around town? Taking a walk? Doing the dishes? This is a choir for you. This is a non-audition, experiential singing group, created by and for community. Try it out and be delighted by the beautiful sound we can make together - all voices welcome! No experience needed. We are a non-performing group; we are oriented around experience, fun, depth, and connection. This committed series will give you the opportunity to expand and open into your natural voice, and sing uplifting, inspiring, and healing songs while connecting with community over the course of 8-weeks. ..... WHEN & WHERE: Two sessions to choose from each week. Come to EITHER or BOTH, as you're able. This is a super deal! THURSDAY EVENINGS Oct 1, 8, 15, 22, 29; Nov 5, 12, 19 6:00-8:00pm > AND/OR < SUNDAY AFTERNOONS Oct 4, 11, 18, 25; Nov 1, 8, 15, 22 2:00-4:00pm LOCATION (for all weekly sessions) Heritage Hall, First Presbyterian Church 230 NE 9th Street, Bend > PLUS < BIG SING Saturday, November 28 3:00-5:00pm Larkspur Community Center 1600 SE Reed Market Rd, Bend A participatory community celebration of singing together! More details to come. ..... WHAT IS THIS? This is community choir redefined - accessible, easy to catch on, group harmony singing for ANYONE to join and experience the magical delight of creating something beautiful together in no time at all. Led by Kira Seto, discover an experiential, inclusive, and supportive space for connecting with community and voice, through joyful and wholehearted singing. We're singing for the simple pleasure of singing as a group, NO PERFORMING, nor standing in formation. We gather in a circle and move organically together. Timid and new singers are held by the collective as they find their voices and belonging in the group tapestry of sound. Like a yoga class, you will leave feeling a mixture of upliftment, learning, and connection. • OVERVIEW: Over the course of 8 weeks, participants will learn a repertoire of easy-to-learn, short-form, engaging, and uplifting songs that are mostly sourced from the contemporary community singing movement, including possible originals from Kira. This includes rounds, layered parts, and harmonies. There is NO SHEET MUSIC, all songs are taught by ear, through call and repeat. • SESSION STRUCTURE: Sessions vary from week to week but generally include playful warm-ups, learning & enjoying songs, connective prompts, a social break, and a winding-down intentional moment. • MEMBERSHIP: When you register for the season, you have access to all sixteen sessions (two each week, plus our Big Sing) and can attend as many (on EITHER or BOTH days) as you like - like a gym membership. There is no requirement on how much you attend, but sessions are progressive in the material. The songs we sing will be mostly the same between the two days but may vary a little depending on the energy of group. • PRACTICE TRACKS: All registered members will have access to practice tracks, which include audio tracks for each part, lyrics, and song information. These will be available after the first week. • BIG SING: Our season will culminate in a BIG SING, where we all dress up festively, come together with family and friends, and revel in all of our voices combined! This is NOT A PERFORMANCE, but a participatory celebration of singing together and building community! More on that later... ..... REGISTRATION General Registration is open from Aug 31 to Oct 7 (or until we sell out). Registration is capped and will likely fill up before the season starts. To ensure a spot, please register early. Pre-Registration is open Aug 17 to prior choir members only (details sent via email). $150-300 sliding scale* • *SLIDING SCALE is meant to welcome people of diverse backgrounds and economic access. Please consider your positionality and choose the sweet spot that is both generous and affordable for you. • ATTENDANCE: Your payment covers your access to the entire season and all provided materials, regardless of your attendance. If you make it to four or five sessions, it's still a great deal. If you make it to all sixteen 2-hour sessions, plus the Big Sing, it's a crazy deal! • KIDDOS: Youths under 18 years old may attend for FREE with an accompanying adult. Please read more below on bringing kiddos and be sure to fill in any relevant info in the registration questions. • WORKTRADE & FINANCIAL SUPPORT: If money is a limiting factor, please reach out and let's see what we can work out - payment plans available. If you're able to offer trade in lieu of financial contribution, reciprocity is greatly appreciated. Please contact Kira ASAP at [email protected]. It's important that this offering is accessible to all who want to join, as well as valued and supported through some energetic exchange. • CANCELLATIONS & REFUNDS: Cancellations made at least 7 days before the season start date (Oct 1) will receive a full refund. Cancellations made within 6 days or less before the start date will incur a $30 fee. Cancellations made on or within one week after the start date will incur a $50 fee. Refunds will not be available beyond one week (Oct 7) after the start date. Please also note that payments are non-transferable to future seasons. • Please PAY IN FULL & ASAP to ensure your spot. Once your registration and payment are received (or an alternative agreement made with Kira), your spot is confirmed, and you will receive access to practice tracks and all choir materials. ..... CONTAINER NOTES • ACCESSIBILITY: Sessions are mainly standing events, AND if anyone needs to be seated to support their physical health, chairs are available. Take care of your body. Feel free to move a chair about the room to support your participation. Please share in your registration if you will need a chair or if you have any other accessibility needs that we can try to meet. • KIDDOS: This is primarily an adult group. Children who are quiet and non-disruptive are welcome to be present and participate. I ask for parents' support in helping mitigate any disruptive behavior. They are welcome to be part of the circle if they feel comfortable, or self-entertain nearby. You are welcome to bring your family to try it out. Youth under 18 are included for FREE. Drawing materials available. • HEALTH: This is an in-person, indoor, mask-optional event. Consider it to be full exposure. We will be close to one another, and breathing together deeply. Do not come if you are sick with anything, or might be. ..... INCLUSION & SOLIDARITY STATEMENT As a cis-gendered, white-passing, multi-racial, hetero, able-bodied woman, I am committed to undoing systems of societal oppression and supporting liberation from the inside out, personally and collectively. I welcome folks of all identities and backgrounds to join my offerings and will do my best to cultivate an inclusive and supportive community space, particularly for those demographics that have been historically marginalized and oppressed. I also acknowledge the limitations of my perspective and capacity due to the conditioned lens through which I see the world. I am committed to listening, learning, and unlearning. May our collective learning serve towards the liberation of all beings. 💗 ..... BENEFITS OF GROUP SINGING