october 14, 2017

posted in: photography | 3

“What was true yesterday may not be true today. Be. Here. Now. Grow, change, evolve.”
~ Timber Hawkeye

 

Jump!

 

I had the most inspiring day with the soulful voices of the Sara Holroyd Singers (SHS). You might recall meeting Sara back in August. I said then that she had been a beloved choral prof at UK, and here’s a little proof of that. SHS was started by the stunningly gracious Reneé Collins, and features other alumni like her who studied under Sara. I highly recommend checking out their website because Reneé and her partner, Warren Cobb; an equally awesome dude, have done a fantastic job pulling together interview and performance videos of Sara and the group.

 

for real this time

 

Today, as part of a Gathering of Songfarmer’s at Shakertown, SHS sang a selection of Shaker Worship songs that they first sang with Sara many years ago. I’m told they also danced the Shaker dances back then, but they declined to do so today. Don’t let that “many years ago” fool you, however. As you can see above, they’ve still got a lot of get up and go even without the dance routine. Vocally, I can’t imagine that they were any better then than they were today. It was as if the angels sang.

 

performance

 

I can’t say enough great things about Reneé (below). Not only has she put together the Sara Holroyd Singers (A Room 17 Production), she also spearheads the Sara Holroyd Oral History Project. Her day job is consulting for The Office of Institutional Diversity at UK. I’ve taken her Unconscious Bias workshop, and I can honestly say it was the most informative workshop I’ve ever attended. But that’s not at all surprising given how gifted, outgoing, and warm-hearted she is. Reneé embodies the hopeful, joyous spirit Sara imparted to all her students, and it shines bright as the sun.

 

Reneé

 

I got to make a few new friends today as well, like fellow photog Randy (who’s last name I can’t remember to save my life). His wife played the part of Mother Ann, and he does photography mostly as a hobby. Randy and I had a great talk about gear in between sets, and he really came to the rescue when the group decided they wanted a photo on the famous Shaker staircase after flash mobbing dining guests with a song. Naturally, I didn’t have my flash (because I rarely do). Thankfully Randy had his. So this super sweet guy saved the day, or at least that shot. I met many kind hearts like Randy’s today. They gave me a wonderful few hours filled with exquisite singing that the Shakers themselves would have adored. I couldn’t ask for a better day in better company.

 

room full of friends

Related Images:

3 Responses

  1. Warren Cobb

    Thank you SO much for this. It was our thrill to be part of an event at Shaker Village again. We so appreciate your great photography and this story!

  2. Carol West

    Thank you so much for this beautiful piece! I can tell that you GET IT! Shaker Village, and this music, hold so much meaning for us and what a delight to have your lovely photos to preserve such a meaningful day. Big thanks!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *