Voices Rising ~ Spring Series

** REGISTRATION NOTE **

Open Sessions Registration: please read through event details on this page and then CLICK HERE to register. Make sure to scroll down to select the date you wish to register for.

Full Spring Series Registration: click the red "Reserve a spot" button to the right -->

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Voices Rising: A Community Choir Series

A 6-week series of connecting with voice and community through joyful and wholehearted singing, culminating with a Big Sing and potluck!

This is an invitation for you. Yes, YOU! Do you sing in the shower? Driving around town? Taking a walk? Doing the dishes? This is a choir for you.

This is a non-audition, experiential singing group, created by and for community. Try it out and be delighted by the beautiful sound we can make together - all voices welcome! No experience needed. We are a non-performing group; we are more oriented around experience, fun, depth, and connection. This committed series will give participants the opportunity to deepen into a repertoire of enriching songs and build community over the course of six weeks.

Try it for FREE! [Open Sessions]

Open Sessions happen during the first 2-weeks of the series (April 7, 10, 14, or 17), during which new singers are welcome to come try it out and attend ONE session for FREE without having to commit. CLICK HERE to register for an Open Session and reserve your spot to help with attendance planning. Make sure to scroll down to select the Open Session date you wish to register for. Please plan to arrive 10-15min early. Invite your friends and family to join you! The more the merrier!

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WHEN & WHERE:

Two sessions to choose from each week. Come to EITHER or BOTH, as you're able. This is a super deal!

SUNDAY AFTERNOONS

April 7, 14, 21, 28; May 5, 12

2:00-4:00 pm

Unity of Bend

63645 Scenic Dr

>AND/OR<

WEDNESDAY EVENINGS

April 10, 17, 24; May 1, 8, 15

6:00-8:00 pm

Central Oregon Collective

62070 SE 27th St

>PLUS!<

COMMUNITY BIG SING & POTLUCK

May 25 or 26

Details coming soon

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WHAT IS THIS?

Directed by Kira Seto, discover an experiential, inclusive, and supportive space for folks to come together to heal and connect with our voices, through joyful and wholehearted singing in community. We're singing for the simple pleasure of singing as a group, NO PERFORMING. We believe that singing is a birthright and welcome all levels of experience. Timid and new singers are held by the collective as they find their voices and belonging in the group tapestry of sound. Like a yoga class, you will leave feeling a mixture of upliftment, learning, and connection.

• Over the course of 6 weeks, participants will learn a repertoire of easy-to-learn, short-form, engaging songs that are mostly sourced from the modern community singing movement, including possible originals from Kira. This includes rounds, layered parts, and harmonies. There is NO SHEET MUSIC, all songs will be taught by ear, through call and repeat.

• Sessions will start with an opening song, orientation, and warm-ups; we'll then move into learning a bunch of dynamic and engaging songs; there will be a break midway; and we'll end with a winding-down intentional moment.

• When you register for the series, you are invited to attend EITHER, or BOTH sessions each week, as you're able. The songs we sing will be mostly the same, but may vary a little depending on the energy of the different locations.

• All registered participants will have access to teaching tracks to learn and practice the songs. These will be available after the first week.

Our series will culminate in a BIG SING and potluck, where all of the singers get to dress up festive, come together with family and friends and the greater community, and hear and feel all of our voices combined! This is NOT A PERFORMANCE, but a participatory celebration of singing together and building community! More on that later...

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REGISTRATION

Please pre-register ahead to help with attendance planning, preferably through Eventbrite. No registration fees will be added to your total.

$117-234 sliding scale*

• *SLIDING SCALE: is meant to welcome people of diverse backgrounds and economic access. I invite you to consider your positionality and choose the sweet spot that is both generous and affordable for you.

• TRY IT FOR FREE: New singers are welcome to come try it out and attend ONE Open Session for FREE in the first 2 weeks (April 7, 10, 14, or 17), without having to commit. Please CLICK HERE to register for an Open Session and reserve your spot to help with attendance planning.

• ATTENDANCE: Your payment is for the entire series, regardless of your attendance. If you make it to four or five of the sessions, it's still a great deal. If you make it to all twelve 2-hour sessions (both every week) it's a crazy deal!

• KIDDOS: Youths under 18 years old may attend for FREE with an accompanying adult. Please read more below on bringing kiddos and be sure to fill in any relevant info in the registration questions.

• ALT. REGISTRATION & PAYMENT OPTIONS: If you strongly prefer to not use Eventbrite, CLICK HERE for alternative registration and payment. If you need to work out a payment plan, please contact me directly ASAP at kira.is.singing@gmail.com. I can accept payments through cash, checks, Venmo, or PayPal.

• WORKTRADE: If you are unable to pay the suggested amount and can offer trade in lieu of financial contribution, reciprocity is greatly appreciated, thank you! Please contact me ASAP to make arrangements at kira.is.singing@gmail.com. I want to make it work for everyone to be able to join, while still feeling supported.

• Unless otherwise discussed with me, please pay in full by the first session you attend (excluding Open Session registrants).

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PARKING & VENUE ENTRANCES

>> SUNDAYS <<

Unity of Bend

63645 Scenic Dr (map)

Parking: [PLEASE NOTE] Cooley Road is closed indefinitely between Hwy 20 and Hwy 97. Access to Scenic Dr and Unity's parking lot is possible from Hwy 20 only. There is ample parking in the lot.

Entrance: From the main entrance, walk straight through the foyer, into the main hall.

>> WEDNESDAYS <<

Central Oregon Collective

62070 SE 27th St (map)

Parking: About a dozen spaces are available next to the building. Lots more in the surrounding area by Wilco.

Entrance: Please use the upper entrance.

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IMPORTANT SELF & CONTAINER CARE

• ACCESSIBILITY: Sessions are mainly standing events, AND if anyone needs to be seated to support their physical health, chairs are available. You are empowered and supported to take care of your body. Please share in your registration if you will need a chair or if you have any other accessibility needs that we can try to meet.

• ATTIRE: Wear comfortable clothing and shoes that you can move around in.

• BRING: A leak-proof water bottle - keep yourself hydrated!

• ARRIVAL: Arrive 10-15min early. We begin at the posted start time, and being present for the beginning is important.

• FOOD: Eat lightly before we meet. Singing requires space in your diaphragm and outward-facing expressive energy; digestion doesn't help with either. Small snacks to get you through are fine.

• SCENTS: Be fragrance/perfume-free.

• CLOSED CONTAINER: This is a closed container, not a drop-in group (with the exception of the first 2-weeks open to new singers to come try it out). Any other exceptions will need to be approved by me.

• KIDDOS: This is primarily an adult group. Children who are quiet and non-disruptive are welcome to be present and participate. I ask for parents' attention and support in meeting their children's needs. They are welcome to be part of the circle if they feel comfortable, or self-entertain nearby. You are welcome to bring your family to try it out and have a dialogue with me. Youth under 18 are included for FREE.

• PHONES/RECORDING: Please make sure to silence and put away your phone before our sessions start. I ask you to refrain from any recording (audio/video) during sessions. This is to allow us to be fully present.

• TRY ON PARTS: You are encouraged to try on different song parts and see how they feel in your body (sing them an octave up or down if that helps). You are welcome to switch parts and move across the room as you feel inspired.

• CONNECTION OVER PERFECTION: The goal is rich and meaningful experience as a group, not musical perfection. If someone sings a wrong note or is off, be kind, this is a "call-out free space". We're going to sing loud and oftentimes "badly", remember, you are always allowed to move. No shaming self or others for how we sound.

• HEALTH: This is an in-person, indoor, mask-optional class. Consider it to be full exposure. We will be close to one another, and breathing together deeply. Do not come if you are sick with anything, or might be.

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ABOUT THE FACILITATOR

Kira Seto (she/her) is a multiracial (Japanese and white) song catcher, songleader, artist, community leader, and ever-evolving human residing in the original homelands of the Paiute, Wasco, and Warm Springs people, also known as Bend, Oregon. Enlivened by the magic of many voices weaving together in sonorous alchemy, Kira blends heart and harmony, sharing potent, soulful, and enchanting songs, from simple pocket ones to layered polyphonic pieces. She believes in the transformative power of community singing - that it is an invaluable tool for empowerment, connection, and healing, both individually and collectively.

Kira has been leading group singing since 2017, ever since she experienced deep liberation with her own voice. In 2020 she joined as a co-songleader and organizer for Open Hub Singing, a drop-in community singing group in Bend. In 2023 she started Voices Rising, an all-voices community choir. She is a student of Lisa Littlebird’s Songleader Flight School (2020) and graduate of the Community Choir Leadership Training (2023). She has been a featured songleader at various festivals around the country, including Oregon Country Fair.

Learn more about Kira’s music and offerings by following her on Instagram: @kira.is.singing or visit her Linktree site: https://linktr.ee/kira.seto.

To sign up for Kira's mailing list visit: subscribepage.io/kira-mailing-list

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INCLUSION & SOLIDARITY STATEMENT

As a cis-gendered, white-passing, bi-racial (both white and Japanese), hetero, able-bodied woman, I am committed to undoing systems of societal oppression and supporting liberation from the inside out, personally and collectively. I welcome folks of all identities and backgrounds to join my offerings and will do my best to cultivate an inclusive and supportive community space for those demographics that have been historically marginalized. I also acknowledge the limitations of my perspective and capacity due to the conditioned lens through which I see the world. I am committed to listening, learning, and unlearning. May our collective learning serve towards the liberation of all beings.

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Please help me spread the word and share this with anyone who may benefit from deepening into their voice, and coming together with people for group harmony singing!

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BENEFITS OF GROUP SINGING