W A Y S O F S O N G

Bridge Choir

Cultivating Community, Resilience, Hope & Connection through Song

BRDIGE CHOIR is an all ages community choir whose mission is to cultivate resilience, hope and connection through song.

We meet on the tallest covered bridge in the United States, in Felton, CA and are a part of the mycelial network of community choirs across the country and around the planet, working to heal a broken world through the remembering of our beautiful interconnectedness.

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 response, so needed in these times on planet earth. We understand song to be a powerful and ancient technology of belonging. 

There are no auditions and no performances at Bridge Choir. 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 greater 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 HERE for

BRIDGE SONGS DROP-IN GRATITUDE CIRCLE

Sun Nov 15th @ 2:30pm

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Bridge Choir honors the land on which we gather and pays Shumi (land tax) to the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band (the indigenous stewards of this land). We welcome you to do the same HERE.

What People Are Saying

“Each session deeply touched us and felt like medicine for both ourselves and the world.”

— S & T

“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

“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

Bridge Songs community choir gathered in a singing circle at the Felton Covered Bridge.
Amanda West leading Bridge Songs community choir inside the Felton Covered Bridge.
Bridge Songs community choir members holding hands during a gathering.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • We view 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 systems 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-Espinoz

  • 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.

    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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • One week per session is dedicated to new and emerging songleaders to practice sharing their own songs in a safe and loving container.

  • 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