Mission Statement
"Being in the community of women, allowing our
spirits to soar, and discovering the sacredness of every
song we sing."
Women Spirit Song (WSS) is a chorus
of approximately 75 women, diverse in age, lifestyle
and spiritual persuasion, yet rich in this diversity.
Members are linked by the common bond of womanhood and
a desire to make music. Vocal expression has always
been the most intimate and yet the most universal of
human actions... from the joyous song at the birth of
a child, to the wails of grief at an elder's passing.
Music does more than entertain. It carries tradition,
expresses humanity and gives voice to the heart. Every
song is indeed sacred.
Formed in 1997, WSS performs songs
which reflect the universality of music. There are folk
songs, traditional rounds and contemporary pieces from
countries and cultures around the world, as well as
original compositions.
Accompanied on many pieces by the
Spirit Song Drummers and Percussionists, WSS is music
of the heart sung from the heart. The songs are often not familiar to most of the audience members who have filled the Palace Theatre in Manchester, NH and now the STOCKBRIDGE THEATRE on the campus of Pinkerton Academy for the spring performance each year. But the beauty and meaning come
through clearly so that it feels like you've always
known these songs, and are, as one audience member put
it, "hearing them again for the first time."
Any woman is eligible to join WSS.
There are no auditions or previous musical experience
required. If the maximum membership of 100 women has
been reached, anyone wishing to join is put on the waiting
list. At the end of the current semester, the number
of openings is determined, and new members are added
from the waiting list until there is a full complement
of women. Please do not pay for a membership fee online
or through snail mail until your membership in Women
Spirit Song has been confirmed by Vic Schneider, Director.
Then you may pay the tuition via snail mail or PayPal
on line through this website.
The yearly schedule is organized into
two semesters. The fall session begins the second week
of September and runs for 10 weeks. The spring session
begins the second week of January and runs for 12 weeks,
culminating in a performance at the Palace Theatre in
Manchester, NH.
Tuition for both the fall and spring semesters is $120.00. You can order a membership through our Virtual Store here.
WSS is directed by Meegan Gagnon who became the new director for 2009-2010 season. Meegan has appeared on stage as Papagena in The Magic Flute, Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance, Lily in The Secret Garden, Cinderella in Into the Woods, Johanna in Sweeny Todd, Hope in Anything Goes, Sister Robert Anne in Nunsense and Petra in A Little Night Music. She has also been the Music Director for Peter Pan with Actor’s Circle Theatre, Company, Really Rosie and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with the Acting Loft and Hello Again with Best Foot Forward. In May Meegan will be appearing as Anna in Riverside Theatre Works production of The King and I. She has appeared as the soprano soloist with The Hillyer Festival Orchestra and at Russell Sage College in Handel’s Messiah and Orff’s Carmina Burana. In addition to her music directing and performing duties, Meegan teaches voice in Manchester and is a soloist at various churches around New Hampshire.
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