Syracuse Community Choir

Audrey Shenandoah’s Death Mourned

steve — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 13:05:28 +0000

Audrey Shenandoah at the Summer Solstice Concert, Onondaga Nation School, June 2010

Karen Mihalyi, Choir Director, wrote:

It is with a sad heart that I announce the death of Audrey Shenandoah, Clan Mother and Member of the Eel Clan, Onondaga Nation and mother of Bob Shenandoah, tenor.

Audrey has been a constant at our concerts for over 20 years, often sharing wisdom, poetry, ideas. From the front row ( often along side Marjory Wilkins) she would smile, eyes twinkling, always quick to appreciate us.

I am deeply saddened. Our Grandmother Moon…, a bridge and guide, fierce and tender, wise, beautiful, brilliant. This is a great loss.

Summer Solstice Concert – June 3 – 3pm Ice Cream Social, 4pm Concert

steve — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 20:55:55 +0000

Syracuse Community Choir Summer Solstice Ice Cream Social and Concert:

“ Change”

Sunday Afternoon, June 3 at Plymouth Congregational Church, 232 E. Onondaga Street

Join us for a lovely summer afternoon of sweet singing, inspiration and cool desserts!

The Details

$12-25 (less if you need to) at the door or on the web.

3pm: Ice Cream/Fruit

4-6pm: Concert

Dedicated to the memory of Audrey Shenandoah, Clan Mother, Onondaga Nation.

Audrey Shenandoah

Freedom Revival

Special Guests: Dream Freedom Revival. ASL Interpreted for the Deaf.

Family Friendly! Directed by Karen Mihalyi 315.428.8151

Rehearsal – 7 – 9PM

steve — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 20:53:27 +0000

See Rehearsal Information Page for more details.

Leaders’ Meeting – 7-9PM – all welcome

steve — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 20:47:29 +0000

See Rehearsal Information Page for more details.

Newcomer’s Party – 7-9PM

steve — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 20:45:47 +0000

See our Rehearsal Information Page for details.

Karen Mihalyi at WCC Lecture Series – Singers please come to sing. ONLY $5

steve — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 04:06:00 +0000

The Westcott Community Center and The University Neighbors Lecture Series Committee presents

Karen Mihalyi

April 1st, 3PM at the Westcott Community Center (corner of Euclid and Westcott Streets)

Karen Mihalyi

In 1985 Karen Mihalyi traveled to Nicaragua and witnessed people creating a revolution that was framed and inspired by the arts. Motivated by this vision, and prompted by a Peace Day Concert at Thornden Park, she put out a call for singers. Eighty people, young and old, with different abilities, showed up for the first rehearsal, and the Syracuse Community Choir was born. For 25 years, she has led the choir, sharing the core values of peace and justice, and putting into practice the ideas that everyone matters and every- one can sing! It has been a sacred and moving journey.

This series is a fund raiser for the Westcott Community Center.  Choir Members: $5 General admission: $10. Student tickets (with ID) $5

Call 478-8634 or go to our web site at www.westcottcc.org for more information.

Grand Sponsors for this series are Mayor Stephanie Miner and Jack Mannion

Dinner and Vaudeville Show (and Silent Auction)

steve — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 01:46:05 +0000

For all the details, please see our home page.

Annual Meeting

steve — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 17:41:16 +0000

Please Join Us for the Syracuse Community Choir’s Annual Meeting on Wednesday February 8th, 7-9 pm at the Westcott Community Center.

Evaluate last year, Continue with our planning. Welcome new board members, Refreshments, Tea, and Song. Everyone is welcome.

Cheryl Spear Memorial – Choir parking and rehearsal information (including food)

steve — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 17:20:30 +0000

The memorial service for Cheryl Spear is 6pm Friday 1.20.11 at Hendricks Chapel, on the SU campus. Cheryl sang alto for a number of years—you might remember her lovely voice singing in the Documentary about the choir, Giving Voice, by Miso Suchy—.

” What You Gonna Name That Pretty Little Baby”. Her obituary can be found here. Her life was an amazing example of a person working for justice; most recently she was involved in Disability Rights. It is a good thing for us to be singing for her!!

We will sing “Lullaby” ( I’ll Keep Watch For A While) “Something About The Women” and maybe “Nothing about us without us is for us” from the Winter Concert) Everything is very easy, but we will also but them on the website, under “Rehearsal”….and will have only meet once to practice, right before the event.

Meet at 4:30 at the chapel. Parking free. Wheelchair entrance on the NE east ( to the right of the big steps, right off the parking lot). Elevator inside, go up! (Enter SU at the North West entrance, South Crouse —it is called Crouse Drive, up past the Music School on the right—) Free parking is available right there, give your name and say you are from the choir.

Let Karen know if you can sing. There will be a reception after.

Note: The MLK dinner ( and Choir) is the next night at SU also. They will be giving an award posthumously to Cheryl, which is why the service is the same weekend. Out of town family will be attending.

For Singer’s in Cheryl’s service

Parking

If you need close access: Come up to the kiosk by Hendricks Chapel and tell the attendant you are with Syracuse Community Choir. They will tell you where to park. Let them know if mobility is an issue for you – there are a few spaces very close by. The elevator is on the north east side of the chapel (can be seen from the parking kiosk) under the large steps.

If you do not need to drop anyone off and you are able to walk: You can park in lot Q4 or the Irving Garage (see map, below). Q4 is off College Place where it comes into Euclid; Irving Garage is down the hill below the dome. Please allow extra time for walking.

For a map, go to map.syr.edu. On the left is a box that says “Parking Lots” and “select a building”. You can find the lots above in the drop down list.

Food to bring

If you are able to bring simple snacks (carrots, nuts & raisins, simple, neat finger food) we will have a space for food in the lobby for before our rehearsal. You may also wish to bring water. (Please don’t bring food into the chapel). There IS a reception afterward, but the service may last until 7:30, so we thought snacks were in order!

Cheryl Spear’s Obituary

steve — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 17:19:23 +0000

Cheryl L. Spear December 11, 2011 The Syracuse community, and friends, family and colleagues around the country just lost a beloved and passionate advocate for human rights and disability rights. Cheryl L. Spear died December 11 after a six-month battle with cancer. She is survived by her mother, Betty Robinson of Atlanta, GA; her father, Onus Clark of Spartanburg, SC; nine siblings; and many close friends and extended family members. She was known for humor, generosity, intellectual rigor, deep-rooted spirituality, dignity, loyalty and willingness to speak truth to power. Born in Harlem, Cheryl lived as a young adult in the Bay Area of California and maintained a wide circle of friends there. Her service to the board of W.O.M.A.N inc. (Women Organized to Make Abuse Nonexistent) is one example of her commitments. Although she lost much of her physical vision at that time, her inner vision inspired all she touched, as did the competence and independence with which she navigated the world with the minuscule amount of sight she retained. In 1998, she obtained a BA in clinical psychology from Brooklyn College, where she led a student advocacy organization in compelling the college to address the standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act. She obtained a master’s degree at Syracuse University in cultural foundations of education and a Certificate of Advanced Study in disability studies in 2003. In her early studies at SU, she received an African American Studies Fellowship and served as a graduate assistant at the Center on Human Policy. She was completing her Ph.D. at the time of her death. Both in her employment and in student organizations, she advocated for people with disabilities. She was a founding member of the Beyond Compliance Coordinating Committee, a student disability advocacy organization, and of Students for Visual Access Today, which provides support and accessible course materials for those with low vision. She participated in the first audio description at Syracuse Stage last April. Cheryl’s Syracuse involvements outside the university included singing with the Syracuse Community Choir and serving on several boards of directors, always bringing people together across differences. A memorial service will be held in Hendricks Chapel on the SU campus at 6 p.m. on Friday, January 20, 2012.