All community members who enjoy singing are invited to join the St. John Recovery Choir.
Rehearsals are held on Tuesday evenings beginning Oct. 1 at 5:30 p.m. at the Gifft Hill School Upper Campus and Saturday mornings from 9:00 – 10:30 a.m. at Hawksnest Beach. New members – experienced or not – are welcome to join.
“It’s such a pleasure to work with a variety of singers and to welcome newbies,” said Director Kristen Carmichael-Bowers.
All singers receive guide recordings, sheet music and lyric sheets to accommodate different learning styles. There are also Zoom sectionals on Thursdays which focus on each voice part in isolation.
The Recovery Choir – named in the wake of hurricanes Irma and Maria – is non-denominational and performs songs from many holiday traditions – Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa, Solstice and in celebration of the New Year.
As always, the Recovery Choir will be joined by Ocama Children’s Choir, Love City Pan Dragons, and several St. John church choirs and musical organizations for the December 21st Holiday Celebration in Franklin Powell Park. The event also includes a community carol sing which will culminate with the “Hallelujah Chorus” from Handel’s Messiah.
For more information or to join the Recovery Choir, visit Sing St. John’s website and click on the box to register. If needed, the $50 registration fee can waived by checking the waiver box. “We don’t want the fee to deter anyone from joining,” Carmichael-Bowers said. “ALL are welcome – no exceptions!”
For further information, call 340-227-4920 or send an email to info@singstjohn.com.
The Recovery Choir is one of four programs presented by Sing St. John which is supported solely by community donations and grants.
Right now, Sing St. John is in its annual fall appeal to raise $200,000 to meet annual operating expenses for community singing programs for all ages.
They have been gifted a 2:1 matching grant generously offered by community members Martha and Dana Robes.
“It’s an incredible time to donate to Sing St. John,” said Carmichael-Bowers. “Every donation for the first $40K raised will be tripled!”
Donations can be made online with a credit or debit card or through PayPal by clicking here. Checks can be mailed to Sing St. John, Box 1173, St. John, VI 00831.
Sing St. John is jointly supported by community members and businesses, as well as a grant from V.I. Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts in Washington, DC, a federal agency; and the Virgin Islands Lottery.
