Women With Wings mark 9 years singing together

BANGOR – Women With Wings, the Bangor Women’s Singing Circle, celebrating nearly nine years of singing together, will present “Hand in Hand & Heart to Heart” at 7 p.m. Saturday, May 11, at the Unitarian-Universalist Church of Bangor, 120 Park St. Admission is by donation.

The songs, rounds and chants on the concert program have been created over the years by the 40 to 60 group members who travel weekly from their homes in several counties to sing together. “Hand in Hand & Heart to Heart” is the title of the CD Women With Wings will record in May. Proceeds from the concert will be used to help cover the costs of the CD production.

The concert will feature songs by Linda Koehler, Ana Moffet, Colleen Fitzgerald, Grace Walker, Lynn Flewelling, Kay Gardner, Rose Iuro-Damon, Debbie Christo, Sofia Patience Wilder, Deb Chapman, Maryann Ingalls, Janet Ciano and Dona Stover, who wrote “Hand in Hand & Heart to Heart.”

“I Am a Beautiful Woman,” written by 7-year-old Hila Shooter, will also be featured.

Since 1993 “Wings” has presented songs and other healing, affirmation and empowerment chants at the University of Maine’s The Beautiful Project, the Maine Festival, HerbFest, Common Ground Fair, the Hope Festival and at concerts benefiting local social service agencies.

In August 1993 Women With Wings took its singing circle workshop to the Michigan Women’s Music Festival of 5,000 women. The workshop, led by Kay Gardner and Colleen Fitzgerald, co-founders of Wings, has become an annual weeklong offering there.

Thus, the chants, rounds and songs created by Women With Wings have spread throughout the world, and similar singing circles have been founded.

Women With Wings holds no auditions. Women over 8 years old are welcome to sing with the circle, which meets 7-9 p.m. Thursdays in the vestry of the Unitarian-Universalist Church of Bangor.

On the first and third Thursdays, for the first hour, daughters under age 8 are also included.

After the May 11 concert, a reception will feature desserts, a raffle of bookshelves built by Women With Tools, and an auction of gift certificates from local businesses.

For information, call 990-0131.