Dare to be Powerful

The Dare to Be Powerful choral series encourages women to stretch, to grow, to lead the way in speaking truth to power.* Girls and women deserve all the opportunities and respect afforded to boys and men, and yet the face of gender bias and misogyny persists in all areas of life: in the workplace, in arts, culture, politics, education, and most virulently-in social media. Dare to Be Powerful series pushes back with compelling, passionate settings of inspiring words of women poets, social justice advocates and brazen feminists. Programming Dare to Be Powerful titles will cultivate dialogue and foster understanding of the challenges facing women today. The women's choir rehearsal room, so often a nurturing oasis for many, can also become hotbed of resistance and a wellspring of hope for women of all ages.
* "Speaking truth to power," is a phrase coined by the Quaker community meaning: to stand up to all forms of totalitarianism and hatred.

Dare to be Powerful Workshops with Joan Szymko

Working under the guidance and insight of the composer is an incomparable experience for the choral singer. As a guest clinician, Joan will bring her personal daring, infectious energy and enthusiasm to refining the performance of her music while sharing the creative process behind the music.
 

Options :

Full Residency (2-4 days)

Joan will:

• direct rehearsals of repertoire selected from the DTBP series
• facilitate discussion on the risks and rewards of daring to be powerful
• lead a drumming circle
• guest conduct at your concert performance

Clinic (1 day)

Joan will:

• rehearse DTBP repertoire with your chorus as you prepare for a performance and guest conduct her compositions

Dare To Be Powerful Festival (2 days)

Host a women's DTBP festival! Contact Joan for ideas, details.