Emilie Amrein and André de Quadros host the third of five conversations about choral and community arts programs in prisons featuring Amanda Weber and Natalie Pollard. Amanda Weber is passionate about uniting music, art and community through her work as a conductor, teacher, performer, artist and social activist. She completed her DMA in conducting from the University of Minnesota in 2018 and now serves as Minister of Music and Arts at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis. Natalie Pollard is a formerly incarcerated participant of Voices of Hope, a women’s prison choir at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Shakopee, MN. The choir was founded in October 2015 by Amanda Weber and rehearses weekly at the prison. You can learn more about the Voices of Hope here: <a href='https://amandakateweber.com/voices-of-hope/'>https://amandakateweber.com/voices-of-hope/</a>

"Do I Belong Here?" // Bex Bagnato

The Choral Commons is a media platform that provides a space for choirs and singing communities to realize the liberatory potential of the ensemble as a site of radical imagining. We promote equitable artistic and organizational practices that harness the positive social impacts of participatory music making for the common good and confront racism, poverty, ableism, LGBTQ+ discrimination, displacement, and much more. We produce podcasts and community events, offer educational resources on justice-centered praxis, and incubate creative, artistic, and compassionate projects that empower choirs and singing communities to work for a just and peaceful world.