Members of the community are invited to join the St. John Recovery Choir, which begins preparing for its spring concerts on Tuesday, Jan. 21. Rehearsals are held from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m., every Tuesday, at the Great Room, Lower School Campus of the Gifft Hill School.
Director Kristen Carmichael-Bowers is always looking to expand the choir’s repertoire. In its first year, the choir presented the music of Motown; in its second year, it featured songs of recovery and resilience.
This year, the focus will be on music from the Caribbean. During the concerts, the choir will collaborate with local quelbe and reggae bands.
“Being a Vermont transplant, I’m excited to learn about quelbe and reggae. We are so fortunate to perform with Haile, Aswad, Beeble, Jared, Marlon and Shikima.” said Carmichael-Bowers. “We’ll sing songs from Inner Visions, Bob Marley, Chronixx and Pressure, and of course, Stanley and the Ten Sleepless Nights. It’s going to be pure fun!”
The ability to read music is not required. Carmichael-Bowers, who has worked for decades with singers of all ages and levels of ability, makes every effort to accommodate different learning styles among choir members.
Membership in the Recovery Choir is open to anyone age 15 and above, and to children age 9-14 who attend with an adult. Thanks to support from the St. John Community Foundation, the V.I. Council for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, the V.I Lottery, the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands, Seven Seas Water, and generous individuals, there’s no membership fee. Those who can are asked to contribute $30 to cover the cost of materials for the year.
For further information, go to the choir’s website at https://www.singstjohn.org. Carmichael-Bowers can be reached by email at info@singstjohn.org or by phone at (802) 380-0761.