$20.00 General Admission

Tickets available at the door and online at: Eventbrite

Singer-songwriter Melanie DeMore has a remarkable voice, weaving the fibers of African American folk music with soulful ballads, spirituals and her own original music. DeMore beautifully unifies her audience through her music and commentary. She has toured extensively, singing at festivals, universities, in coffee houses and concert halls. Her recordings “Share My Song” and “Come Follow Me”’ are both heartfelt collections of her music. In addition to her solo work, DeMore facilitates vocal workshops for professional and community-based choral groups and has taught her program called “Sound Awareness” in schools, prisons, and youth organizations in the US, Canada, Cuba and New Zealand. DeMore was a California Artist in Residence with the Oakland Youth Chorus for 10 years and has received an award from the Music Educators National Conference for her work with young singers and artists. She is on the music faculty at St. Paul’s School in Oakland, CA, and the East Bay School for Boys in Berkeley where she teaches a cappella singing. She is the artist director of the 275 voices of the Oakland Community Children’s Choir as well as adjunct faculty at CIIS in San Francisco. DeMore was a founding member of the Grammy-nominated, critically-acclaimed vocal ensemble “Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heritage Choir.” She currently works with Kate Munger’s Threshold Choirs, with an emphasis on the voice as a vessel for healing. Her belief in the power of the voice can be summed up in a line from her writings: “A song can keep you on your feet when there seems to be no ground beneath you.”

Kate Munger is the internationally recognized founder of the Threshold Choirs who honor the ancient tradition of singing at the bedsides of people who are struggling: some with living, some with dying. Munger believes that the voice, as the original human instrument, is a true and gracious vehicle for compassion and comfort. The choirs provide opportunities for women to share the sacred gifts of their voices at life’s thresholds. The inspiration for the original Threshold Choir originated in 1990, when Munger sang for a dear friend dying of HIV/AIDS. When the morning chores were done, she sang for him all afternoon and felt that she had given generously of her essence to her dear friend and comforted herself. She believes in the soothing, repetitive nature of simple songs, which she learned from hearing her mother singing lullabies. The first Threshold Choir gathering was held in El Cerrito on the Vernal Equinox on March 21, 2000. The East Bay and Marin Choirs started at that time, followed by the San Francisco and Sonoma County Choirs six months later. There are now over 100 Threshold Choirs across the country and overseas. Munger’s life currently includes serving as a troubadour, sharing new songs written by choir members to far-flung choirs. She is also deeply committed to creating financial security for the choir, allowing it to continue its service long past her lifetime.

Come prepared to participate in a numinous and transformative experience!