O Sister | Kathleen Allan | MusicSpoke

Two-part women’s choir with piano, 4 minutes

O Sister (Keep Me Steady Through the Storm) Kathleen Allan

2016

Commissioned by Voices of Hope, Shakopee, MN and the University of Minnesota Women's Chorus, Minneapolis, MN Amanda Weber, Conductor

This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.

About the Voices of Hope

Words/Phrases from VOH

The Voices of Hope is a women’s prison choir at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Shakopee, MN. Founded in October 2015 by Dr. Amanda Weber, the choir has grown from 15 to nearly 50 singers. They rehearse every Sunday afternoon and perform several times a year at the prison for other incarcerated women. Additionally, whenever possible, the Voices of Hope collaborate with musicians from outside of the prison as a way to bridge communities and educate the public about the U.S. criminal justice system. In the last three years, Voices of Hope has served approximately 200 singers inside of the prison and has collaborated with approximately 200 musicians from the surrounding community.

strength listen just the beginning pride peace freedom we ARE voices of hope unconditional love healing eternal desire faith help one another sky’s the limit beauty time timeless where we’ve been creative sisterhood eyes wide open never looking back the ocean song in our soul/heart beautifully broken trials & tribulation courage journey perfectly imperfect flaws steadfast believe hope for the hopeless change sight for the blind the power of a woman forgiveness future for our children I won’t back down family united celebrate break every chain anything’s possible inspire galactic

Voices of Hope Mission The Voices of Hope is a women’s prison choir at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Shakopee, MN. The choir was founded in October 2015 by Amanda Weber and rehearses weekly at the prison.

MISSION: The Voices of Hope is a women’s prison choir that fosters individual growth and bridges unlikely communities through song.

HOPES: We recognize that the Voices of Hope has a dual calling to serve communities both inside and outside of the prison: 1. BRINGING HOPE TO MCF-SHAKOPEE The Voices of Hope provides a safe and sober activity which empowers women to find their voice, build connections in a diverse setting, and bring a positive message of hope and healing to the MCFShakopee community.

2. BRINGING HOPE OUTSIDE PRISON WALLS The Voices of Hope views singing as a powerful tool of restorative justice, seeking to transform perspectives of incarceration and build bridges of healing within the wider community through collaboration and reflection.

About O Sister During the 2016-2017 academic year, the Voices of Hope partnered with the University of Minnesota Women’s Chorus on a project entitled “Phenomenal Woman.” Inspired by a set of poems written by Maya Angelou, the two choirs prepared music written for women, by women.

Each choir worked separately, with occasional opportunities for small groups from UMN to come to the prison for a shared rehearsal. In February of 2017, the two choirs performed together at the prison, each choir singing a few pieces separately and then several together.

This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.

For this project, we commissioned University of Minnesota poet D Allen to write a text and Canadian composer Kathleen Allan to set it, as a sign of unity and partnership between the two choirs. The Voices of Hope helped brainstorm words or phrases they felt should be represented in the text (see column above), and from this, D created the poem, “O Sister.” I asked Kathleen to compose a piece that the Voices of Hope could perform again the future, without a partnering choir. Her composition fit our needs perfectly, and has continued to be a favorite for the Voices of Hope. When other choirs sing this piece, it is as if the voices of incarcerated women are finally able to be heard beyond the fence.

Websites: Sign up for occasional updates from the Voices of Hope at www.amandakateweber.com Consider supporting the Voices of Hope with a financial gift at www.givemn.org/story/VoicesofHope Watch Amanda’s TEDx talk about music and restorative justice at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2H4qyOG13fc&t=7s Watch the UMN Women’s Chorus perform “O Sister” without Voices of Hope on February 24, 2017 – just twelve days after their performance at the prison: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUOTQS8_b2s

About composer Kathleen Allan Canadian conductor, composer and soprano Kathleen Allan is rapidly becoming internationally respected for her performances and compositions. Her work has been commissioned and performed by ensembles throughout the Americas and Europe. She is the 2016 recipient of the Ernest MacMillan Prize in Choral Conducting and in 2015, she made her Asian debut conducting Handel’s Messiah and Bach’s Christmas Oratorio in Japan. She is the Director of Choral Studies at the Vancouver Academy of Music and is the Artistic Director of Canzona, Winnipeg’s professional Baroque choir. She is the founding co-artistic director of Arkora, a chamber music collective dedicated to interdisciplinary performance. As a soprano, she has premiered over two dozen solo vocal works and has sung with leading professional choirs including the Vancouver Chamber Choir, Skylark (Atlanta), and the Arnold Shoenberg Chor (Vienna). She holds a composition degree from the University of British Columbia and a master’s degree in conducting from Yale University.

About Voices of Hope conductor Amanda Weber Amanda Weber is a conductor, teacher, performer, artist, and activist who is passionate about uniting music, art, and community through her work. Weber’s interest in using music as a tool for social justice grew through her work at Luther Place Memorial Church in Washington, D.C., where she founded Bethany’s Women of Praise, a choir for homeless women. Her recent work with the Voices of Hope has been featured by the StarTribune and as a TEDx talk; additionally, she has presented at numerous conferences, often collaborating with other leaders in the field of choral music and incarceration.

Weber holds a DMA in Conducting from the University of Minnesota, an MM in Choral Conducting from the Yale School of Music and Institute of Sacred Music, and a BA in Music and Art from Luther College.

This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.

Commissioned by Voices of Hope, Shakopee, MN and the University of Minnesota Women's Chorus, Minneapolis, MN Amanda Weber, Conductor

O Sister (Keep Me Steady Through the Storm) For two-part women's choir and piano Text by D. Allen

Music by Kathleen Allan

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Music Copyright © 2016, Kathleen Allan This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.

Text Copyright © 2016, D. Allen

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This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.

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This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.

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This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.

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This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.

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