May 20: PoLiMu recommends Grief + Gratitude Community Ritual

Grief + Gratitude: A Ritual Evening for These Here Times
With songs by Liz Digitale Anderson

Tuesday May 20th
Arrival + settling in 6 pm
Singing 6:30-8:30 pm

IN-PERSON**:  

New City Center for Healing Justice

3104 16th Ave S, Minneapolis

LIVESTREAM OPTION:  

*Friends in other places, the event link will livestreamed on Zoom - it's not going to be a true interactive hybrid, but more a way for folx elsewhere to sing along with us and add to their toolkit of grounding and resilience in these times. It's a bit of a trial run for some equipment we're testing out and we'd love your feedback on how this goes!

Register in advance for this event & reminders:

https://us02web.zoom.us/.../register/xEuBLonlRLO9e3As55nSbw

Free and open to all; suggested donation $0-$25

**Masks up for singing indoors please, thank you <3**

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"What are we gonna do with all this grief?"-- Prentis Hemphill
"We're gonna sing our way, sing our way through."-- Liz

How can singing meet this moment to usher in personal, cultural, and structural change?
How can singing serve our collective liberation?
How can our community bring this vision to life?

These are the questions I’ve been asking over the past few years, and the songs I've been catching and writing to sing together to try and answer them. I'd love you to join me for an evening of teaching some old and new songs and weaving them together in ritual. We'll use the space, somatics, and song to help us process these here times we're living in together.

More info here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1213267597158685/

Mar 6: Visiting Songleader Lu Aya

 

What:  Come Sing + Learn with Lu Aya

When:  Thursday, March 6, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Where:  CTUL/IX, 3715 Chicago Ave, Minneapolis

Suggested Donation: $10-20, no one turned away for lack of funds

Come sing and learn with Lu Aya of The Peace Poets!

Lu is a legendary movement songleader and hip-hop/spoken word artist, and one of the co-founders of The Peace Poets. The short, singable, memorable songs that The Peace Poets have been seeding throughout movement organizing work have supported Black Lives Matter, the climate crisis, Stop Line 3, Palestinian liberation, and more. Lu is the author of the HARMONIZING ORGANIZING manifesto our local movement songleaders have been learning from - we are so grateful he is coming to Minneapolis! Come sing with him and learn from him (we will probably wind up writing a song on the spot together!)

Masks strongly encouraged

***Childcare available!***

Oct 8: Registration opens for The Blessing Way Aramaic retreat (Apr 25-27, 2025)

 

Click here for more details on this retreat and to register.

Setlist for Sept 1: Heretics Sing

 

On Sunday, Sept 1, 2024, Conie filled in for Liz at The Sunday Morning Heretics Sing!  Here's the list of songs they sang: 

• I am free in my body (Shireen Amini) - teaching parts at The Bird Sings
• Sing a Song (from Sesame Street) - led by Heidi
• The Way Knows the Way (Lyndsey Scott) - Bandcamp
• Sorry, Not Sorry (Galen Smith of Mpls)
• Lead with Love (Melanie DeMore)

Aug 21: PoLiMu recommends: Karly Loveling!

 

What:  Minneapolis SING! with Karly Loveling!
When:  Wednesday, August 21, 7-8:30 p.m.
Where:  Powderhorn Park, Minneapolis

More details on Facebook!

PoLiMu recommends: Samara Jade + Mica Sun (Jul 6)

 

Samara Jade, the song catcher of "Endless, Boundless Gratitude," "The journey to the center," "Carrying water," and so many more songs in our aural tradition canon will be travelling through Minneapolis this weekend with creative and life partner, Mica Sun.  

Catch them in the western suburbs on Saturday night, July 6.  More details here!

PoLiMu Recommends: Ahlay (Jul 22-23) + Lawrence (Aug 8)

AHLAY BLAKELY

DETAILS FOR AHLAY BLAKELY:  

- MONDAY, JULY 22:  Facebook + Registration

- TUESDAY, JULY 23:  Facebook + Registration

 

Lawrence Cole

DETAILS FOR LAWRENCE COLE:

- THURSDAY, AUGUST 8: Facebook + Registration

Upcoming Visiting Songleaders: Shireen *May 9-10* + Ahlay

We are so excited that two fantastic song leaders are traveling through the Twin Cities soon! Check out the details below and make plans to join us in singing with them.

Shireen Amini is in Minneapolis, May 9 & 10!  A fantastic musician, healer, song leader and incredible non-binary (pronouns: she/her/elle) human of Puerto Rican-Iranian heritage, Shireen Amini will be holding a Drum Song workshop on Thursday night and a Community Song Circle on Friday night.  Come for both if you can!  I had the opportunity to participate in her virtual Drum Song series and it was sooooo good online; this will be amazing! 

Drum Song Workshop with Shireen Amini

Thursday, May 9, 5:30-8 p.m.

Center for Performing Arts, 

38th & Pleasant, Mpls

Register here.

Community Song Circle with Shireen Amini

Friday, May 10, 6:30-9 p.m.
New City/Walker Church, 3104 16th Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55407, USA
Register here.

Ahlay Blakely is back in town in July!  

Mark your calendar for July 22 & 23 and check back for more details as it gets closer!

Sept 13 & 14: Ian Carrick in the Twin Cities!

We are so excited that Ian Carrick will be in the Twin Cities for TWO events this week!  Please check your calendar for both and join us!  

#1 - Community Singing With Ian

When:  Wednesday, Sept 13, 6:30-8p. 

Where:  Wolff Park, St. Louis Park.  We will be singing at the WEST shelter (by the playground). 

Please bring a blanket or chair for sitting.

Suggested donation $5-20
33% of donations will go to the Division of Indian Work
No one turned away for lack of funds
https://www.diw-mn.org/

Ian Carrick is a Celtic & Nordic heritage musician & song-leader from Bend, OR, the land of the Paiute. As a founding member of Central Oregon’s Open Hub Singing, he loves helping adults and children sing together well. His community-style songs are fresh and crunchy, wild and witty and his circles tend to invoke tears and laughter. Watch and listen by clicking these links.

• https://www.iancarrick.net/songleading
• https://iancarrick.bandcamp.com/album/holding-song

At his best, Ian uses an awareness of his privileges as a white cis-man to instill hope, belonging and embodiment into a deeply troubled culture. Ian’s music is inspired by his recovery journey and his ongoing work with children, whose voices are featured on his first family-oriented album, Earthlings, available on all streaming services.

#2 - Earthlings: Music With Kids! Backyard Family Concert with Ian Carrick

When:  Thursday, Sept 14, 5-6:30p

Where:  So. Mpls backyard.  Reach out for address.

Join us in our backyard for an afternoon of family music with Ian Carrick! 

Ian Carrick (he/him) is a songleader, music teacher, and bard from Bend, OR, the land of the Paiute. He loves seeing groups of kids realize they are enjoying singing. Using goofiness, instrumental chops, and a conviction that singing matters, Ian brings music out of youngsters. Ultimately, his dream is to inspire kids to be contributors to a thriving, responsive, in-person musical culture.

Ian created a folksy family-oriented album, Earthlings, to build deeper relationships with ourselves, each other and the earth. The sing-alongable tunes are streaming on Spotify, Apple Music and everywhere else.

This evening will be co-created! Depending on the ages in the room and the flavor of the evening, we may go in a handful of different directions, so please bring curiosity, creativity, and courage! We’ll all hopefully leave a little lighter on our feet and more settled into ourselves.

Suggested donation $5-20 || No one turned away for lack of funds
Learn more at iancarrick.net

Jul 6 & 7: Ahlay Blakely in Mpls

We are so delighted that song and grief tender Ahlay Blakely will be visiting Minneapolis next week!  You may recognize their name from songs we have shared.  Their One Body song ("I don't know if we're meant to carry ...") is definitely the top song we learned and shared last year. 

So if you're in the Minnesota/Twin Cities metro area, come on out!  If you're elsewhere, check out their website and sign up for their newsletter to see if they're coming to a locale near you.

What:  Song Circle with song + grief tender Alexandra "ahlay" Blakely

When:  Thursday, July 6 & Friday, July 7, 6-8:30 p.m.

Where:  Anam Cara House backyard, 3612 Bloomington Ave, Minneapolis

Sliding Scale:  $22-66, no one turned away

Register here for Thursday, 7/6 and for Friday, 7/7

Facebook event here:  https://fb.me/e/etG6rskzH

More about Ahlay:  https://www.healingattheroots.com/

p.s. As you look at Ahlay's website, you'll notice information about the Wails: Songs for Grief Project, a community singing recording project in Washington state at the end of July.  Good Trouble, Liz and Conie, will be there!  We are looking forward to the experience and bringing it back and sharing it with others.

Dec 4: Longing for Justice: Song Circle + Potluck @ UTS

You're invited to Longing For Justice, a hybrid song circle & in-person potluck!

Tapestry Community of Song and United Family Dinners present an evening of community song and meal. Led by UTS students and song leaders Doe Hoyer and Bridgette Weber with special guest song leaders Liz Digitale Anderson and Conie Borchardt. We gather to sing songs for Justice, transformation, and liberation, taught through the practice of aural tradition, call and response community singing. This is a queer friendly and all voices friendly space.

Date:  Sunday, December 4, 2022

Oct 27: Freeing Stuck Refrains - Open Zoom Rehearsal

You're invited to an Open Zoom Rehearsal!  

Rie Gilsdorf and I will be presenting Freeing Stuck Refrains: A Reflective Storytelling Space for "What binds us? What liberates us?" at the Overcoming Racism Conference, November 11-12, 2022 in St. Paul, MN.  

We know that not everyone can attend that, so we're inviting friends and colleagues to join us for an Open Zoom Rehearsal.  

When:  Thursday, October 27, 2022, 7-8:30 p.m. CT

Where:  Zoom (Meeting ID: 810 1908 8042 // Passcode: 344304) -- if you'd like a link sent to you, sign up for the Freeing Refrains newsletter here.  

This is a 90-minute reprise of the Freeing Refrains gathering we had in May.  

Meet Rie and her work at Embody Equity here.  

Nov 11-12: Offerings at the Overcoming Racism Conference

 

We're excited to offer two breakout workshops at the Overcoming Racism Conference* at Metro State this year.  

1.  Freeing Stuck Refrains: A Reflective Storytelling Space for “What Binds Us? What Liberates Us?” with Rie Gilsdorf on Friday, November 11, 1:10-2:40 p.m. 

* We're having an Open Virtual Rehearsal on Thursday, October 27, 7-8:30 p.m. on Zoom.  Use the Contact Us form to reach out and ask for the link, if you're not able to attend the conference!

2.  Songs for Truth Telling, New Narratives, and Cultural Composting with Liz Digitale Anderson (as song leading duo, Good Trouble) on Saturday, November 12, 12:10-1:40 p.m.

* Check out some of the other community singing gatherings we're having here!

Checkout the program (in-person & livestreamed) and register before midnight on Friday, November 4 (EXTENDED!) October 28.  

* The Overcoming Racism Conference is organized by the Facilitating Racial Equity Collaborative (FREC).  

Meet Anne!

Points of Light Music is excited to introduce you to the new folks on the Biracial & Rural (BnR) leadership team! Here's our second interview with Anne Gerber.

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Points of Light Music (polimu):  Tell us about your relationship to Biracial & Rural. How did it begin and when? 

Anne Gerber (ag):  In February of 2022, in my search for other BIPOC healers to collaborate

Meet Kali!

Points of Light Music is excited to introduce you to the new folks on the Biracial & Rural (BnR) leadership team!  Here's our first interview with Kali Higgins.  

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Points of Light Music (polimu):  Tell us about your relationship to Biracial & Rural. How did it begin and when? 

Kali Higgins (kh): I first learned of Biracial & Rural when I met Conie in August of 2021. We found each other on a local BIPOC facebook group

Setlist from Sounding Into Our Bodies, June 8, 2022

Greetings!

If you're reading this you probably attended the Wednesday evening, June 8, 2022, Sounding Into Our Bodies gathering for Missoula, MT area folks

Setlist for Breakout: Embodying Our Life Among God's Faithful People

Greetings!

If you're reading this you probably attended the 40-minute Embodying Our Life Among God's Faithful People workshop session at the East Central Wisconsin

Meet Rie

Points of Light Music (PLM) is inviting each Freeing Refrains storyteller into an public pre-conversation to help us get to know them before the event. 

Meet Rie, the storyteller for our May 19th event.

May 19: Freeing Refrains with Rie Gilsdorf: More Stories, Convos, & Song

We are delighted to welcome Rie Gilsdorf to share some of their story with Freeing Refrains.  RSVP below and then watch for our interview with them to drop.

Day:  Thursday, May 19, 2022
Time:  6:30-8:30 p.m. CT
RSVP free:  Eventbrite 

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Bio:  Rie Algeo Gilsdorf, MS, MA, has broad experience as a principal, arts administrator, facilitator, coach, teacher of science and dance, and parent in innovative public, private, magnet and charter schools. She spent her early career delivering, designing and guiding arts-integrated, student-centered learning, and most recently spent five years at Courageous Conversation learning how to engage productively in equity work as a white woman.

Throughout her career Rie has also facilitated adult learning that develops capacity to achieve equity across race, gender, sexuality and ability in redesigned schools and progressive faith communities.

Setlist from "In the Church & in the Streets: Music that Shapes the Soul & Rocks the World" (HNRS 4990)

Greetings!

If you're reading this you probably attended the Wednesday morning class of HNRS 4990 - In the Church & in the Streets: Music that Shapes the Soul & Rocks the World at St. Catherine University, St. Paul, MN.  

Here's the setlist of what we sang (with links to online recordings!) and a few other resources we referred to during our time together.