Choir Creates 'Ballads For Ballots,' A Voting Playlist For Women

Press release from Consonare Choral Community:

Nov. 1, 2020

At a time when choirs are unable to perform in person, our singers have been responding to the pandemic by creating a virtual option to empower women through song. Our women’s ensembles, Choir Matrix and Women of Concinnity, have been working to create Ballads for Ballots: Voting Playlist for Women by Women. The idea was to have a tuneful inspiration arrive in your inbox or social media feed each Tuesday leading up to the election. Each song, composed by women and sung by these two ensembles, was selected to motivate, energize, and inspire members of the community, especially women, to vote. We wanted to mark the centennial of the ratification of the 19th Amendment through music. The majority of these songs have been recorded over the last two months. As a result, our singers have been battling weather while singing outside, facing challenges of singing in face masks, and navigating technology hurdles to record this music in hopes to remind all women they have a voice that needs to be heard.

The ongoing playlist can be located here.

Wild Embers Composed by Melissa Dunphy / Text by Nikita Gill
This song was recorded last year by the Women of Concinnity and serves as a perfect introduction to this playlist as the text represents how we are the stories that we thought would never be taught and “it takes a single wild ember to bring a whole wildfire to life.” The accompanying video is an homage to some trailblazing women.

Voice on the Wind by Sarah Quartel
Choir Matrix sang this song for their first season in 2018 and was chosen as the text hints that the voice we hear on the wind is actually our own, empowering us to use it.
Bread and Roses based on the arrangement by Judy Collins

An iconic and historic song often associated with women’s suffrage and union strikes was based on a term coined by labor union leader Rose Schneiderman in 1912: "What the woman who labors wants is the right to live, not simply exist — the right to life as the rich woman has the right to life, and the sun and music and art… The worker must have bread, but she must have roses, too.” We adapted the lyrics to be inclusive to all who seek equality and justice. This recording is a combination of Women of Concinnity singing outside and Choir Matrix singing virtually.

All Together We Are Love by Katerina Gimon
We chose this song as a reminder that we are free and possess the capacity to promote change through love (and voting). Women of Concinnity recorded this song outside in an urban environment.

Song of Hope by Susanna Lindmark
The message of the text explores the dichotomy of experience of strife and an opportunity for growth: “In times of darkness, let there be light. In times of blindness, let there be sight.” Our goal was to instill hope that could encourage people to make a plan despite the challenges of voting during a pandemic. This song was recorded virtually by both ensembles.

We Grow Accustomed to the Dark Composed by Linda Kachelmeier / Text by Emily Dickinson
A stunning ode to resilience, this song is a quiet and beautiful representation of the way we learn to maneuver through darkness—whether we succumb to it or adjust our sight. The wind was a persistent presence in the outside recording by Women of Concinnity.

Keep Going by Andrea Ramsey
The title of this song is the message—to continue to endure in the midst of hardship and fear. We know these past months have been a significant struggle for most due to the pandemic, but we can make it through to the election. Choir Matrix recorded this song virtually and will be releasing it on October 27th.

What Happens When a Woman by Alexandra Olsavsky

This song was first championed by the trio, Artemisia, as a “song for the strong women of our world who seek to empower themselves by asking important questions.” We have invited the community to participate in this virtual choir recording as all are welcome. It will be released on Election Day, November 3rd.

Choir Matrix is a community women's vocal ensemble devoted to building community among all women and empowering women in Mansfield and eastern Connecticut communities through singing. Women of Concinnity represents the treble voices from our vocal chamber ensemble, Voices of Concinnity. Both ensembles are sponsored by Consonare Choral Community, a non-profit organization.

This press release was produced by Consonare Choral Community. The views expressed here are the author's own.