W A Y S O F S O N G
Bridge Choir
Cultivating Community, Resilience,
Connection, & Hope through Song
Bridge Choir (officially Bridge Song All Ages Community Choir) is a community choir whose mission is to cultivate resilience, hope and connection through song. We meet on the tallest covered bridge in the United Sates, in Felton, CA. This group was born out of the pandemic and the CZU wildfires, as a way to care for the local community and be a part of the collective healing that is so needed in these times on planet earth.
There are no auditions and no performances. All are welcome, so long as they are interested in Bridge Work ~ finding the pathways of connection between one side and another, within ourselves, each other, and the great world.
The choir meets in seasonal sessions as a closed container, with semi-regular open community drop-in days for new singers to give it a try.
Register for
BRIDGE SONGS
All Ages Community Choir (FALL Session)
on Eventbrite
Offering singing as a…
practice of mindfulness & inter-being
medicine for grieving hearts
tool to calm and regulate the nervous system
way to build resiliency, in ourselves and community
cultivation of hope and joy
As the ecological, political, and social systesm of our world breakdown, we have an opportunity to come together to dream and weave into being the new, sustainable, spiritually fulfilling and just world our hearts know is possible.
Now is the time to fortify our spirits, nurture community connection, tend to our hearts, and illuminate the way forward in hope, compassion and love. This choir is a time and place to connect with your inner space, and with others who care, filling your cup so you may feel rooted and fortified as you make the courageous choices being asked of us today.
LED BY AMANDA WEST
with support from Jaden Silva-Espinoza
Each gathering includes a ritual opening and closing of the space, vocal warm ups, brief group check in, and simple, inspiring songs for these times, taught by ear.
One week per session is dedicated to new and emerging songleaders to practice sharing their own songs in a safe and loving container.
This choir has no auditions and no performances. We sing to build our inner resilience and to strengthen our connection to each other and the greater family of life on planet earth.
All ages, races, genders, identities and abilities are welcome here. This is an intentionally decolonializing, anti-racist, LGBTQ+ inclusive, consent-based, anti-perfectionist space, and we welcome feedback to strengthen and assure as much as possible the experience of this as a safe space for everyone. As white, cis-gendered leaders we understand this holding to be messy, imperfect, insufficient, and an ongoing work in progress.
Babies and children are welcome & encouraged, and, we also ask that you be prepared to step away with them temporarily if they are strongly distracting from the focused energy of the group. There is a playground nearby, and if we have enough of a quota, on-site childcare is possible.
We meet at Felton Covered Bridge Park, on the bridge itself! This is a magical place of in-between, where the sunlight and air flow freely, our bodies are covered from the rain, and our voices are held in beautiful acoustic resonances among the old growth redwood rafters.
What people are saying
“I love the songs, how well Amanda teaches them, and how tenderly she holds us.”
“It’s so special being a part of the fold of bridge choir…I love what you've created and I love being part of the community.”
- TJ
“C’s joy in hearing those of us at Bridge Choir sing her song was one of the most beautiful things I’ve seen in a long time. Thank you for your critical role in the development of the song and the perfect environment for it to come to vibrating life!”
-T
“Each session deeply touched us and felt like medicine for both ourselves and the world.”
-S
“Truth be told, I sometimes feel like I don't belong in the world as it is, but time on the bridge yesterday reminded me there are still some places I do belong. Thank you for that”
-J
“The singing was so healing. Like breathing, where afterwards you feel like a new person… So glad I am connected to you and the Santa Cruz singing community!”
-L
“So much of the work that I have done to get to where I am today has been supported by the musical medicine and singing community. It's been a long journey with a lot of awakenings… I remember exactly where I was standing when you taught us the song lyrics "keep a little room in your heart for the unimaginable". I felt like something just hit me to think that something I never imagined could be in my future… I admire you so much and cannot tell you how much I appreciate your teachings, leadership, and willingness to share the songs that flow through you. I admire your courage to walk in your OWN life too!”
- G
Acknowledgements
Bridge Choir meets on the unceded territory of the Zayante tribe of the Awaswas speaking people, currently known as Felton, CA, a land now stewarded by the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, as well as its current residents. We acknowledge the complex histories of genocide, slavery and colonization within which we live and gather to sing, and do our best to continue asking, listening and learning, so we may support and uplift the collective healing from these legacies.
Bridge Choir pays Shumi (land tax) to the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band (the indigenous stewards of this land) and welcomes you to do the same HERE.
Bridge Choir sings songs from many beloved songleaders. Here are some of our favorites. We encourage you to follow these artists and their work, and make financial contributions their way if you love the music they share with us.
~ ~ ~
Aaron Johnson
Ahlay Blakely
Amanda West
Copperwoman
Debbie Nargi Brown
Grisha Stewart
Heather Houston
Jennifer Berezan
Kaitie Ty Warren
Laurence Cole
Lyndsey Scott
MaMuse
Max Ribner
Mo Washburn
Riomas
Te Martin
“It was a lovely event that brought our community of many generations together with love, peace, hopefulness and the joyful resonance of voice. Thank you for organizing this event. Love and blessings.”
Urmila Schmit-Cohen