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Echo Women's Choir

The Echo Women's Choir is a community choir from Toronto, for women's voices. We sing music from community traditions around the world, in English and also many other languages. Echo is dedicated to diversity, inclusivity and social justice. This channel is for videos of our performances, at the Church of the Holy Trinity and other locations around Toronto. New videos released weekly!

Echo Women's Choir
On Dec 4 2022, Common Thread Community Choir joined Echo Choir as special guests, almost exactly 3 years after we sang as their guests at Eastminster Church. In-between was an extended break from public singing, and a re-awakening. Special thanks to the Canada Council for the Arts which encouraged us by sponsoring a number of our plans for this season and next, including workshops, and video production. 0:00 Thula (Echo and Common Thread) 5:00 Where ARE we? (A Land Acknowledgement) 9:26 She’s Like the Swallow (Common Thread) 11:15 Oshwitsate 14:11 You Are My Sister 16:41 We Were There 21:55 Log Driver’s Waltz 24:32 Talkin’ ’Bout a Revolution 29:21 What Happens When a Woman (both choirs) 32:12 Quiet 35:20 Sholem, Sholem, Sholem (Echo) 42:30 Merisuli 46:40 Those Gambler’s Blues 50:28 To My Old Brown Earth 52:24 Beautiful Fools 1:00:04 Grandma 1:02:29 500 Miles 1:08:42 Hope (both choirs) 1:11:44 Joyful Banner Blazing
Singer songwriter Maria Dunn, fresh off her 2022 Juno win for Traditional Roots Album, came to Toronto in November 2022 to work with Echo and Common Thread Community Chorus. It was a joy to work with Maria to learn some of her songs, arranged for choir. This video features Maria talking about her music, the story behind the song “Joyful Banner Blazing,” and her relationship with Echo Women’s Choir. It also documents the process of Echo learning "Joyful Banner Blazing", the title piece from Maria's latest album. The video is part of the ECHO!! Revived project, funded by a Canada Council for the Arts Digital Now grant. We are deeply grateful for this government commitment to Community Music and the Arts in Canada. Directed, filmed and edited by Carlos Coronado, https://www.coronadofilms.ca/ Connect with the Echo Choir: https://www.echochoir.ca/ Buy Maria Dunn's music and learn about upcoming concerts and events: https://www.mariadunn.com/
A Song For Michael Words and music by Vera Johnson, © Oct 29, 1969 Vera Johnson’s songs and recordings are overdue for a comeback. She was born in 1920 and there was a time in the 60s and 70s, when she circulated in all the right company: she met Malvina Reynolds in Vancouver for a peace conference, and taught one of her songs to a busload of Canadian protestors; she had a record deal with Stompin’ Tom’s company Boot Records; and audiences and music-business people loved her singing on the folk circuit. She wrote 274 songs, as well as lots of stories; she supported the co-op housing movement and was a freakishly fast typist. There were homespun songs, crafted into great stories, with gorgeous tunes and cheerful energy: the Do-It-Yourself Divorce, the song about Trudeau-mania, love songs, the history of her dad who was a railway engineer, and the Women’s Liberation Blues. But what caught our eye first was a fabulous dream song lullaby for her grandson, A Song for Michael. She somehow knits together the modernity of the moon landing, and the tenderness of a kitten landing on its feet, in the wish for her boy’s healthy development. Spoiler alert: he did OK, and we found him on Facebook! March, 2022 Echo started a new season online, and then a new year, still longing almost feverishly for the joys of singing together in the same place. We do have energy for those Zoom meetings and the feelings of connection, but we’re really ready to sing together. How happy we’ll be to celebrate International Women’s Day this year, with a hybrid in-person AND online rehearsal, as well as this new song gift we give to the world. Many thanks to the Echo Alumnae, guest artists and other singer friends who have joined us, virtually every week. Recording © 2022, The Echo Women’s Choir Audio and video editing: Peter Turner Echo 4th-Wave Pandemica Singers Alan Gasser, Artistic Director (and choral arranger) Susanne Maziarz, accompanist (and arranger) Thanks also to section leaders Alida Doornberg and Susanne Maziarz Lyrics: This is a song for Michael, now that you’re nearly three; You’re too young to get the message, but you’ll grow older and you’ll see The reason I say I’m sorry that I can’t do more. Wish that I could shield you from the cold and the rain, Keep you always laughing, free of sorrow and pain, Hide you deep in your nest, but I know it’s in vain – Maybe you’ll understand when you’re four. This is a wish for Michael, may you stay warm and kind, Keep on reaching out for answers with groping fingers of your mind, May you never finish learning and wondering why – Why a little kitten always lands on its feet, Why the streetlights glisten in the rain on the street, Why in lands far away they have nothing to eat And why soldiers are sent off to die. This is a hope for Michael – we’ll build a world that’s new; Hopes are sometimes pretty futile, but we can help them to come true, So we who still hope are trying to let people know: We have reached the moon and left our prints in its dust, It’s an age of marvels and we have to adjust, We can leap to the stars, but before that we must Make a world where a boy can just grow. Echo Pandemica Singers Videos 1) Do Not Carry a Heavy Heart, by Alison Burns -- https://youtu.be/Poay7rLwtpQ 2) Fount, by Malcolm Dalglish -- https://youtu.be/52GRxvlMNAQ 3) Bird Song, by Heather Masse & Nicky Mehta -- https://youtu.be/5SowPDbmqEk 4) Big Sky, by Seth Houston -- https://youtu.be/vnpuc-5afto 5) Hope, by Alex Bevan -- https://youtu.be/o1jq9V0SHyQ 6) Better Times Will Come, by Janis Ian -- https://youtu.be/Cee4H6VoTfg 7) Holding You in the Light, by Kathy Reid-Naiman -- https://youtu.be/pAUF6nHw-9U 8) Green Shadows, by Malvina Reynolds -- https://youtu.be/Kh9xIGfchM4 9) My Rainbow Race, by Pete Seeger – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8pJBjJruyU 10) A Song for Michael, by Vera Johnson -- https://youtu.be/-h9obbDbEQM
My Rainbow Race Words and music by Pete Seeger, © Sanga Music Inc., 1970 https://www.peteseegermusic.com/ https://www.discogs.com/artist/239937-Pete-Seeger Any paragraph that tried to describe Pete Seeger’s influence on his communities’ songs would fall apart from its own immensity, so let’s restrict ourselves to this one tune, from Chapter 4 (the love songs) of Pete’s book “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” He wrote it in 1967, and mailed it to a Yamaha song contest; in return, he says, he got “a prize – a song I’ve sung ever since.” Somewhere else, Pete claimed that almost all songs are love songs, but this one is specific. And timely: “How do you separate love of home, country, kids, love of O.F. (Old Forever)? The last song in this chapter is another kind of love song. A love song for the earth.” Rainbow Race was translated into Norwegian by Lillebjørn Nilsen as the hit song Barn av regnbuen in 1973. More recently it was sung in the public square of Oslo, on April 26, 2012, to rebuke a mass murderer who thought it was a bad, communist song which corrupted the youth of Norway. We have been singing it in Echo for many years, usually including the extra verse adapted from a Findhorn song, about living together in harmony. www.echochoir.ca Art Work: Anne Stanley Audio and video editing: Peter Turner Echo 4th-Wave Pandemica Singers Alan Gasser, Artistic Director (and choral arranger) Thanks also to our piano accompanist Susanne Maziarz and section leaders Alida Doornberg and Susanne Maziarz Fall, 2021 – Echo Women’s Choir continued its “new fall season” still at home on Zoom, holding regular virtual meetups that are almost the same as a rehearsal, and which remind us of the camaraderie of singing together. We keep learning how to present our work in virtual video form, to show our audiences; and we try to learn from teachers far and near. We’re very proud to know our voices are still sounding together … though with fewer singers, and all of us widely separated. Many thanks to the Echo Alumnae, guest artists and other singer friends who have joined us, virtually every week. We have enjoyed many singing dates outdoors and are beginning hybrid rehearsals. Looking forward to when we can all be together again. Lyrics: One blue sky above us, one ocean lapping all our shore One earth so green and round, who could ask for more And because I love you, I’ll give it one more try to show my Rainbow Race it’s too soon to die. Some folks want to be like an ostrich And bury their heads in the sand. Some hope that plastic dreams Can unclench all those greedy hands. Some try to take the easy way: Poisons, bombs. They think we need ’em. Don’t you know, you can’t kill all the unbelievers? There’s no shortcut to freedom. Go tell all the little children Tell all the mothers and fathers too Now’s our last chance to learn to share What’s been given to me and you. Let’s sing songs together Growing food to share Living lightly on this Earth With the ones that we hold dear Echo Pandemica Singers Videos 1) Do Not Carry a Heavy Heart, by Alison Burns -- https://youtu.be/Poay7rLwtpQ 2) Fount, by Malcolm Dalglish -- https://youtu.be/52GRxvlMNAQ 3) Bird Song, by Heather Masse & Nicky Mehta https://youtu.be/5SowPDbmqEk 4) Big Sky, by Seth Houston -- https://youtu.be/vnpuc-5afto 5) Hope, by Alex Bevan -- https://youtu.be/o1jq9V0SHyQ 6) Better Times Will Come, by Janis Ian -- https://youtu.be/Cee4H6VoTfg 7) Holding You in the Light, by Kathy Reid-Naiman -- https://youtu.be/pAUF6nHw-9U 8) Green Shadows, by Malvina Reynolds -- https://youtu.be/Kh9xIGfchM4 9) My Rainbow Race, by Pete Seeger -- https://youtu.be/Y8pJBjJruyU
Green Shadows, by Malvina Reynolds, © Schroder Music Company, 1969 all rights reserved; used by permission. Website: http://www.sisterschoice.com/malvinamain.html Malvina has always been something of a hero to me (Alan), starting with Pete Seeger's introductions of her songs, by singing them and including them in his song-autobiography. Still though, her reputation is limited by the overwhelming popularity of Magic Penny and Little Boxes. But check this out: a song that sounds like a numinous meeting of Emily Carr and Joni Mitchell, fashioning a mystical scene in the Forest Primeval Recording © 2021, The Echo Women's Choir www.echowomenschoir.ca Audio and video editing: Peter Turner Bloor-Avenue Chiropractic: your downtown Toronto chiropractors Celebrating community sponsorship, even during the Pandemic, from our loyal friends at BAC, 208 Bloor St W #603, Toronto, ON M5S 3B4, 416-920-2468 https://www.downtowntorontochiropractor.com/ -- for current locations on Spadina and Kingsway-Junction Congratulations, on staying open in the new locations throughout our city’s public-health crisis. And thanks so much for your continuing support of Echo. Echo 3rd - Wave Pandemica Singers Alan Gasser, Artistic Director (and choral arranger) Thanks also to section leaders Alida Doornberg and Susanne Maziarz Introducing our special guest, Emma So, Dancer Spring, 2021 – Echo Women’s Choir continued its “new season” at home in isolation, and holding regular virtual meetups that are almost the same as a rehearsal, and remind us of singing together and camaraderie. We keep learning how to present our work in virtual video form, to show our audiences; and we try to learn from teachers far and near. We’re very proud to know our voices are still sounding together … though with fewer singers, and all of us widely separated. Many thanks to the Echo Alumnae, guest artists and other singer friends who have joined us, virtually every week. Looking forward to outdoors singing over the summer, and … the future. Lyrics: You walk into this room The trees are all around you Green shadows kiss your head The gentle sounds surround you Your soul lies down on the piney bed The walls are random walls You do not feel them press you Green shadows touch your eyes Their silent welcomes bless you Your dreams come singing from the skies You are no longer one But all that breathes beside you You are the craggy bark The leaves that move and hide you Green shadows and the rising dark You walk into this room The trees are all around you This is a living day No hostile sounds will wound you The chain saw’s cry is far away Echo Pandemica Singers Videos 1) Do Not Carry a Heavy Heart, by Alison Burns -- https://youtu.be/Poay7rLwtpQ 2) Fount, by Malcolm Dalglish -- https://youtu.be/52GRxvlMNAQ 3) Bird Song, by Heather Masse & Nicky Mehta https://youtu.be/5SowPDbmqEk 4) Big Sky, by Seth Houston -- https://youtu.be/vnpuc-5afto 5) Hope, by Alex Bevan -- https://youtu.be/o1jq9V0SHyQ 6) Better Times Will Come, by Janis Ian -- https://youtu.be/Cee4H6VoTfg 7) Holding You in the Light, by Kathy Reid-Naiman -- https://youtu.be/pAUF6nHw-9U 8) Green Shadows, by Malvina Reynolds -- https://youtu.be/Kh9xIGfchM4
Holding You in the Light, by Kathy Reid-Naiman, © SOCAN 2014 all rights reserved; used by permission. kathyreidnaiman.com Kathy says: "This song is deeply personal to me. I wrote the first verse for this song when my dear friend Ken Whiteley was gravely ill and we were all hoping and praying that he would pull through, but no one knew. Thankfully he did and is thriving! The other verses were written for another friend, Terry Glecoff who sadly did not survive but I was honoured to have been able to sing it to him before he died." Kathy and I [AlanG] have been singing this song in long-term care homes, and for hospice patients, along with other friends in Singing Through Life for about 5-6 years. We’re very happy to share it with Echo. And with the world. Recording © 2021, The Echo Women's Choir Audio and video editing: Peter Turner Something brand-new: sponsorship from a loyal friend Mattachioni East Italian grocery store, now in a new location 1501 Gerrard St E, Toronto, ON M4L 2A4 (416) 466-1111 Congratulations, East-enders on the fantastic bread, sandwiches and pizzas And thanks so much from Echo for your support Mattachioni West -- 1617 Dupont St. 416-519-1010 Echo 2nd-Wave Pandemica Singers Alan Gasser, Artistic Director (and choral arranger) Thanks also to section leaders Alida Doornberg and Susanne Maziarz Jan, 2021 – Echo Women’s Choir continued its “new season” this year, still staying home in isolation, and holding regular virtual meetups that aren’t quite the same as a rehearsal, but remind us of singing together and camaraderie. We keep learning how to present our work in virtual video form, to show our audiences, which is paired with the songs we are learning from teachers far and near. We’re very proud to know our voices are still sounding together … though with fewer singers, and all of us widely separated. Many thanks to the Echo Alumnae, guest artists and other singer friends who have joined us, virtually every week. Lyrics: We are holding you in our hearts, We are keeping you in our sight, We are drawing you ever nearer, We are holding you in the light. Holding, holding, we are holding you in the light (2x) 2. We are thinking of you with love, We are thinking of you with light, We are thinking of you with gladness, We are holding you in the light. 3. We are singing here by your side, We are praying your load is light, We are wishing you no more sadness, We are holding you in the light. Echo Pandemica Singers Videos 1) Do Not Carry a Heavy Heart, by Alison Burns -- https://youtu.be/Poay7rLwtpQ 2) Fount, by Malcolm Dalglish -- https://youtu.be/52GRxvlMNAQ 3) Bird Song, by Heather Masse & Nicky Mehta https://youtu.be/5SowPDbmqEk 4) Big Sky, by Seth Houston -- https://youtu.be/vnpuc-5afto 5) Hope, by Alex Bevan -- https://youtu.be/o1jq9V0SHyQ 6) Better Times Will Come, by Janis Ian -- https://youtu.be/Cee4H6VoTfg 7) Holding You in the Light, by Kathy Reid-Naiman -- https://youtu.be/pAUF6nHw-9U 8) Green Shadows, by Malvina Reynolds -- https://youtu.be/Kh9xIGfchM4
Better Times Will Come, Original words & music by Janis Ian, © 2020 Janis Ian; all rights reserved; used by permission. https://janisian.com/ https://www.bettertimeswillcome.com/ The “Better Times” Project, Janis Ian & Friends Janis Ian wrote something of a motto song for this stressful year, right after John Prine died of Covid in early April; then she sang it into her phone while doing laundry. And uploaded it for sharing with the world. She challenged people to make something of her song, to better our times, by sending out hope from lockdown and quarantine. She began from a point of deep compassion and generosity. We are thrilled to respond in kind. “What matters is that we enjoy it, give voice to it, and remember that someday, better times will come. Thanks, and stay safe.” Dec, 2020 – Echo Women’s Choir began a new season this fall, while staying apart from each other, everyone at home, still in isolation, and still meeting up weekly on Zoom for workshops and regular virtual meetups that aren’t quite the same as a rehearsal, but do have some singing and camaraderie. We’re still learning how to present our work in virtual video form, as the achievement part of our season, which is paired with the learning we are doing from teachers far and near. We’re very proud to know our voices are still sounding together … though with fewer singers, and all of us widely separated. Many thanks to the Echo Alumnae, guest artists and other singer friends who have joined us, virtually every week. Recording © 2020, The Echo Women's Choir Audio and video editing: Peter Turner Echo 2nd-Wave Pandemica Singers Alan Gasser, Artistic Director (and choral arranger), Susanne Maziarz, piano Thanks also to section leaders Alida Doornberg and Susanne Maziarz Lyrics: Better times, better times will come. Better times, better times will come. When this world learns to live as one, oh, better times will come When we greet each dawn without fear knowing loved ones soon will be near When the winds of war cannot blow any more Oh, better times will come Though we live each day as our last we know someday soon it will pass. We will dance, we will sing in that never-ending spring Oh, better times will come Echo Pandemica 1) Do Not Carry a Heavy Heart https://youtu.be/Poay7rLwtpQ 2) Fount https://youtu.be/52GRxvlMNAQ 3) Bird Song https://youtu.be/5SowPDbmqEk 4) Big Sky https://youtu.be/vnpuc-5afto 5) Hope https://youtu.be/o1jq9V0SHyQ 6) Better Times Will Come https://youtu.be/Cee4H6VoTfg
Hope, Words and music by Alex Bevan ©2020 Fiddler’s Wynde Music BMI (all rights reserved) http://alexbevan.com/ Virtual Tip Jar Paypal= alex@alexbevan.com Venmo = Alex-Bevan-4 Alex Bevan on Facebook -- for live @home mini-concerts, and live-stream events Starting in mid-March, Alex sang a daily mini-home-FB-live-concert in his basement every day for at least 100 days. He was voicing hope implicitly right after the briefings from the Ohio Governor and Dr Amy Acton. And in April, he wrote and sang a brand-new song about the message on the sidewalk. (Our choir director grew up in NE Ohio in the 70s, listening to Alex when he was known as the Skinny Little Boy.) Sept, 2020 – Echo Women’s Choir began a new season this fall, still staying home, still in isolation, and still meeting up weekly on Zoom for workshops and regular virtual meetups that aren’t quite the same as a rehearsal, but do have a bit of singing and camaraderie. We’re still learning how to present our work in virtual video form, as the achievement part of our season, which is paired with the learning we are doing from teachers far and near. We’re very proud to know our voices are still sounding together … though apart, with fewer singers, and all of us widely separated. Many thanks to the Echo Alumnae, guest artists and other singer friends who have joined us, virtually every week. Recording © 2020, The Echo Women's Choir Audio and video editing: Peter Turner Echo 2nd-Wave Pandemica Singers Alan Gasser, Artistic Director (and choral arranger) Thanks also to section leaders Alida Doornberg and Susanne Maziarz Lyrics: On the space in the middle of the old sidewalk (there was) Grace from a child with a chip of chalk Only four letters were all she wrote Just one word ... that word was “Hope” The backstory’s not hard to understand Her daddy drives a delivery van Mommy works and prays for masks It’s all about give and not about ask... If you don’t get it .... then I don’t know It’s not about the what... or the who you know While political minds position and fuss It’s not about them ... it’s all about us... It’s the old ... it’s the homeless ... it’s the shut out crowd The deplorables, adorables and “talks too loud!” This wound will heal ... it will leave a scar... It’s about you and me... it’s all we are Echo Pandemica Singers Videos 1) Do Not Carry a Heavy Heart, by Alison Burns -- https://youtu.be/Poay7rLwtpQ 2) Fount, by Malcolm Dalglish -- https://youtu.be/52GRxvlMNAQ 3) Bird Song, by Heather Masse & Nicky Mehta https://youtu.be/5SowPDbmqEk 4) Big Sky, by Seth Houston -- https://youtu.be/vnpuc-5afto 5) Hope, by Alex Bevan -- https://youtu.be/o1jq9V0SHyQ 6) Better Times Will Come, by Janis Ian -- https://youtu.be/Cee4H6VoTfg 7) Holding You in the Light, by Kathy Reid-Naiman -- https://youtu.be/pAUF6nHw-9U 8) Green Shadows, by Malvina Reynolds -- https://youtu.be/Kh9xIGfchM4
Do Not Carry a Heavy Heart, text and music by Ali Burns https://www.aliburns.co.uk https://www.patreon.com/aliburns The motto song of our early online meetups: to be kind to ourselves and encourage each other. When we sang this one the first time, someone held up a lighter and swayed back and forth with her hands up. Fond memories of Ali Burns leading a song workshop last summer. May, 2020 – Echo Women’s Choir was preparing to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day with a spring concert on Mothers’ Day at Holy Trinity Church in downtown Toronto, where we usually sing. And then … we began a different program, of staying home, in isolation, and meeting up weekly on Zoom for something that wasn’t quite a rehearsal, but did have a bit of singing and camaraderie. These videos are the small part of our season that we thought we could manage to knit together out of our disappointment. We’re very proud of the effort we put out, and happy to sound virtually as good as we “really” do, only with fewer singers, and all of us widely separated. Many thanks to the Echo Alumnae, guest artists and friends of Emma who joined us. Recording © 2020, The Echo Women's Choir Audio and video editing: Peter Turner and Emma Whitla Echo Pandemica Singers Alan Gasser, Artistic Director Tahirih Vejdani Lopez, Assistant Conductor Thanks also to section leaders Alida Doornberg and Susanne Maziarz Piano accompaniment: Susanne Mariarz Lyrics: Do not carry a heavy heart Or the weight of the whole dark mountain Do not carry such a heavy heart But tend the earth in all its glory River deep and ocean wide 'Cos on this blue pearl that charms the moon We are the turning tide All and every one of us and all and every one Echo Pandemica Singers Videos 1) Do Not Carry a Heavy Heart, by Alison Burns -- https://youtu.be/Poay7rLwtpQ 2) Fount, by Malcolm Dalglish -- https://youtu.be/52GRxvlMNAQ 3) Bird Song, by Heather Masse & Nicky Mehta https://youtu.be/5SowPDbmqEk 4) Big Sky, by Seth Houston -- https://youtu.be/vnpuc-5afto 5) Hope, by Alex Bevan -- https://youtu.be/o1jq9V0SHyQ 6) Better Times Will Come, by Janis Ian -- https://youtu.be/Cee4H6VoTfg 7) Holding You in the Light, by Kathy Reid-Naiman -- https://youtu.be/pAUF6nHw-9U 8) Green Shadows, by Malvina Reynolds -- https://youtu.be/Kh9xIGfchM4
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