An Immersive Concert Exploring Global Traditions of Healing
Mount Hope World Singers, a Rochester-based community choir, will present “Bright Threads,” a one-hour immersive concert exploring global traditions of music as healing, on Wednesday, June 10, and Thursday, June 11, at 7 p.m. at the Monroe Community College Theatre, Building 4, Brighton Campus, 1000 East Henrietta Road, Rochester. Parking is available in Lot F.
The program is a collaboration between Mount Hope World Singers and Rochester-based instrumentalists and composers Ken Luk, Leah Ou, and Alyssa Rodriguez. The performance reinterprets historical and cultural examples of music used for healing and centers on themes of shared humanity and restorative connection.
“Bright Threads” features newly composed works by Annika Bentley, artistic director of Mount Hope World Singers, along with Luk, Ou, and Rodriguez. It also includes selected pieces from global song traditions and the instrumental lineages each artist brings to the project.
The performance features the Swedish nyckelharpa, the Zimbabwean mbira, the Chinese pipa, and choral music from around the world. Luk performs on mbira and guitar; Ou performs on pipa; and Rodriguez performs on nyckelharpa. Musical selections draw on chant, rhythmic traditions, and lyrical themes of illness, recovery, and resilience.
This program invites audiences into a space where sound becomes a form of care. Each tradition represented in this concert carries its own history of healing, and together they create a tapestry of renewal, connection, and hope.
Reference materials for the project include “Healing Songs” by Ted Gioia, “The Soul of Mbira” by Paul Berliner, and “I Heard There Was a Secret Chord” by Daniel Levitin. The performance explores healing across many dimensions, including body, mind, spirit, family, community, nature, intercultural connection, and the wider world.
Both performances will be ASL interpreted and will be followed by a reception. Latex-free balloons will be available so audience members can experience sonic vibrations through touch.
For more information and tickets, visit https://www.mounthopeworldsingers.org/events.
