Article: May 12, 2006 in Asheville Citizen-Times
I am woman, hear me sing
Independent, all-female chorus gives concert this weekend
by Jess Clarke, jclarke@CITIZEN-TIMES.com
No uniforms for their concerts, though they follow a color theme.
“Some people wouldn’t be caught dead in a dress. Others want to wear something that really makes them look hot,” artistic director Debbie Nordeen says.
And makeup? Not everyone wears it for performances. One woman uses beet juice instead of lipstick, “a pure vegetarian type,” Nordeen notes.
The harmonic mix of styles, ages, skills and backgrounds makes Womansong “a village of women,” she says. “That’s what I love about it. You can feel comfortable coming to this village and having that freedom to express yourself.”
You can check them out today and Saturday during Womansong’s concerts at Unity Center in Fletcher. Linda Metzner of Weaverville, who founded the group but isn’t a member now, will direct and accompany several pieces.
“They bring a lot of heart and soul to their music and to the presentation of their music,” says Jana Weed, administrator of Unity Center. Womansong flavors performances with percussion, props and passion. “They all are so joyous doing it,” she says.
The amateur group, open to new people, has grown from about 12 members to 50. The repertoire has grown, too, and Womansong uses more pieces written by its members and other local women who are songwriters. Instrumentation has broadened over the years and includes piano, flute, guitar, fiddle, string bass and African drums.
Womansong, whose members sing from memory at shows, has released three compact discs and does a few concerts a year. And the group will present a 20th anniversary concert at Diana Wortham Theatre at Pack Place in November. But the most sustaining aspect for most members is the weekly rehearsals.
“It remains a group for women to gather together and find strength through singing with each other. It’s not about the product,” Nordeen says.
Their songs generally are about unity, diversity, and women’s issues with world music, African chants, and drumming in most concerts. The shows in Fletcher will include big-band pieces.
A portion of the money from Womansong’s concerts and CD sales benefits the New Start Fund, a charity Metzner founded that helps women improve their lives. Some proceeds from the Fletcher concerts also will benefit a similar Unity Center fund.
Metzner, trained as a music educator and composer, started Womansong with the aim of “creating a community that would empower women,” she says. She focused on songs about equality. Their first piece was about Harriet Tubman.
“A thrill would run up and down my spine when I knew a song was going to be right for Womansong,” Metzner recalls.
Group members still feel thrills.
“Coming together feeds our souls,” Nordeen notes. “Some people say, ‘I don’t go to church. This is my religion.’ ’’
ASHEVILLE — Asheville’s Womansong, an independent, all-female community chorus, has been in tune for 19 years, at least with voices. But while they sing the same music, they enjoy individuality.