Joyful noise

“Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything.” Plato

As I rest here on the couch, on the Saturday afternoon between the Friday night Animaterra concert in Peterborough and tonight's concert in Keene, my head and my heart are filled with the music of these wonderful women. Music is always on my mind- my daily soundtrack can shift from the songs of the season, to contra dance tunes I'm working on with, to whatever was playing at the grocery store as I checked out. But the best times are when I'm immersed in the creation of the music, and that's what pours through me, lulls me to sleep (or keeps me awake!).

As a child, growing up in the Episcopal church, some of my earliest memories are of the thrill of the music- listening to my mother's alto harmonizing with the hymn melody, delighting in the power of a well-played pipe organ, impatiently waiting to be old enough to sing in the junior choir. I remained in the church for years because of the music, and most of my "spiritual moments" inside churches have been with my voice raised in song. Later, when looking for a house of worship, I would often think, "the people are nice enough, but I can't attend this place- the music is awful!". It took years before I realized that music and my spiritual life are so intertwined that I can do without church, but I can't do without music and a community of people to share it with.



Animaterra Women's Chorus is such a community. I am blessed with the opportunity to spend one night a week, at least two weekends a year, and countless hours of preparation, creating season after season of song for and with these phenomenal women. Last night and tonight we are performing our spring concerts, and looking forward to a few future dates before the fall. The joy I feel working and singing with these women is indescribable- truly a spiritual experience

Hunt and I also make music together. I hadn't considered myself much of an instrumentalist before he came into my life, but the challenge of mastering contra dance piano and accordion, and speeding up my fingers on the concertina, has been exhilarating. Making music with one's soul mate is also an experience of incredible depth and richness- again, spiritually fulfilling.



As a younger adult I felt largely fragmented: my spiritual life over here, my family life over here, my job here and my artistic expression over there somewhere. What an amazing blessing it has been to gather the fragments and feel the integration of body, mind, and spirit into a creative whole. How fortunate I am to be able to live my perfect life, seeing the spiritual in every day life.