Our spring theme is “We Come From Women”! Through harmonies and melodies spanning generations, we honor the resilience and contributions of women worldwide.
PERFORMANCE DATES: May 17 at 7 PM and May 18 at 3 PM
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville One Edwin Place Asheville, NC 28801
June 1 at 3 PM
Fletcher United Methodist Church 50 Library Rd Fletcher, NC 28732
TICKETS:
$25 per person Kids 12 and under are free with a paying adult
Interested in performing with Womansong? Prospective members are asked tovisit two rehearsals to experience the variety of our music and style. After two visits, we will schedule you for an audition.
Reach out to us today to learn how you can join Womansong Spring 2024!
Applications must be submitted by a government or private non-profit social service agency. The applicant must have a case manager and currently be receiving services from the agency submitting the request.
Applications are not accepted from individuals.
The applicant must be on a path to self sufficiency.
The applicant must be a resident of Western North Carolina.
Individuals may receive only one New Start Grant.
Please Note:
Client names are needed for our records; however, names are kept in confidence.
Grant checks are made payable directly to the appropriate vendor, not to the individual.
Grants are NOT provided for medical expenses, childcare, Pell Grant repayment, or fines.
Grants may be requested for such things as security deposits, rent, utilities, recovery housing, laptop computers for school, vehicle related expenses, and transportation, if such requests are essential needs for a new start.
Grants may also be requested for education, training courses, and licenses that help an individual become more employable.
Vehicle repair applications must include an itemized estimate from a reputable automotive repair shop. The applicant must own the vehicle and provide a valid driver’s license, current registration, and proof of insurance.
The New Start Fund partners with Working Wheels for vehicle purchase.
Applications for vehicle repair or purchase are considered only when the vehicle is required for current employment or school.
Our spring theme is Love Your Mother (Earth)! The beginning of our program will highlight music that expresses love for the earth in our hearts – appreciation, reflection, connection, joy. The second half will feature music that expresses our love for the earth in action – doing, moving, making change.
The Asheville Only One Earth Coalition threw a party for Earth Day 2023! The evening featured music, food, and drink with some local activists and other beautiful earthlings.
Dr. Allison Thorp joined Womansong as Artistic Director in July 2022. She also serves as the Director of Choral Activities and Associate Professor of Music at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, NC, where she conducts the Concert Choir and University Chorus, teaches conducting and choral methods, and supervises student teachers in choral music education.
“I am excited to be a part of the Womansong community!” Allison shared. “I see women’s choruses as a place to be renewed, to meet kindred spirits, to be seen and to not be invisible. We put beautiful energy out into the world through our music but also take it home within ourselves.”
An advocate for “choral activism,” Allison enhances Womansong by encouraging voices of diverse communities through our repertoire. She seeks to spread joy through music and to support and empower the members of the Womansong Village. “I think it’s important to nurture that element of human connection—it’s good for our minds, our bodies, and our music.”
Dr. Thorp earned her doctorate from the prestigious Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY where her dissertation was a study of socially identified community choirs including the Akoma African American Women’s Gospel Chorus, Rochester Gay Men’s Chorus, and Rochester Jewish Chorale. Prior to her career in higher education, she taught choral, instrumental, and general music as a public school teacher in Kentucky and also served as Director of Music at Louisa United Methodist Church in Louisa, KY, and South Presbyterian Church in Rochester, NY. Since moving to WNC in 2016, she has worked with regional organizations including the Asheville Lyric Opera, the Asheville Defiant Requiem, and the Folkmoot Festival Choir, among others.
Dr. Thorp’s research interests include social justice in music education and community building through musical performance. She lives in Waynesville with her husband, Sean; toddler, Aidan; and cat, Ella Fitzgerald.
Claire Lemke joined Womansong as our Assistant Director in Spring 2023. She is always thrilled about any opportunity to gather and uplift other women, and adding joyful music-making and friendship to the mix is a perfect combination. She looks forward to continuing her work with the group and to experience the emotional and musical fulfillment to come.
With over 20 years of experience, Claire is a classically trained vocalist, seasoned performer, and music instructor. In 2019, she completed a Masters in Music Theory from Northwestern University in Chicago after earning a Bachelor’s degree in Music with a concentration in Vocal Performance from Western Carolina University. Claire has been teaching private voice lessons, piano lessons, and academic music classes through local community colleges including A-B Tech. She also performs locally as a singer-songwriter.
At the center of her teaching and music-making philosophy is the goal of cultivating and maintaining the childlike joy that music can bring. Overall, she has set her sights on sharing her love of music and learning with all generations with the hope that they can hone their unique creativity and performance abilities.
Claire is kind and enthusiastic and shares our choir’s commitment to advancing social justice!
In March, 2023 Womansong took part in a private performance exclusively for residents of Deerfield Retirement Community, we celebrated Mother Earth with our many friends and supporters
