BellaVoceSingers

I’ve never written a blog entry.  In fact, I don’t really read other  blogs, but sometimes thoughts run through my head so rapidly that I feel desperate to write them down in order to hold onto that moment that got my head churning in the first place.  Tonight, I had one of those moments. 

It occurred as I listened to Rachel singing “Light One Candle.”  Rachel’s voice makes for easy listening of just about any song, but this song in particular struck me.  I’ve heard it hundreds of times driving in the car with my husband and children.  [Peter, Paul, and Mary’s “Singing Around the Campfire” is just about the only CD we can agree on as a family].  But tonight, I focused on the text and then I watched all of you listening to her.  As I stood there watching you, I wondered “what are they all thinking?  Do they understand this song the way I do?”  I’m not Jewish, but the song speaks to me nonetheless, just as I suspect it speaks to each of you.    

Bella Voce’s mission statement describes us as a “diverse, multi-generational group of women” and that we are.  If we worship, we do so in different places; our families represent every combination possible; we are liberal and conservative (ok, not so many of those); we are in the spring, summer, and falls of our lives.  Yet we all know human suffering and injustice when we see it.  We also know that music offers hope and healing.  We know that music is a powerful tool for inspiring peace and yes, love. And so when we listen to Rachel, regardless of who we are, on some level we get it.  I was also struck tonight, as I am at so many rehearsals, by how talented you all are and what a privilege it is to sing with you.  All of us go about our weeks, living seemingly normal lives. We go to work, see our friends, care for our families, and our paths rarely, if ever, cross.  Yet every Monday evening, we come together from our separate corners of the city, and this little secret that we’ve kept hidden from the rest of the world emerges.  Regardless of the kind of office we just left, the family make-up we have at home, or the subway line we took to rehearsal, we all speak the same language.  The notes and the markings on the page mean the same thing to each of us and we don’t even really think about it.  So much of it is just in our nature – and yet, it awes me every time.  We are a team and everyone plays her part.  We trust each other and we rely on each other without really knowing the rest of the story. 

I am grateful to be a part of that. 

Wishing you all peace and love, Margaret S.