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In Song
Singing is utterly human. For all of human history, across every culture and land, people have sung together; sung for joy, for creating and preserving culture, to tell important stories, to enliven social movements, to remember, to grieve, to celebrate, to share. Something inexplicable happens when we weave ourselves into a single basket of sound. Walls give way to bridges, song becomes a gateway for more understanding, trust, and solidarity between separate strands of selves. In a world so hungry for collective experiences of joy and belonging, we have never needed to revive this ancient community art more than today.
Based in the vibrant Driftless region of the Upper Midwest, Heartland Harmony is an experiment in polyphonic community creation. Our oral tradition-based choirs and roving workshops are a nesting ground for a whole new way of singing and being together. A continuing project of oral tradition song sharer Annie Zylstra, Heartland Harmony has worked in collaboration with the National Prison Doula Project, Joanna Macy's Work that Reconnects, the Possibility Alliance, and a variety of spiritual, educational, professional, community-based, and nature connection projects. Annie currently leads four community choirs in southwest Wisconsin and appears at singing camps around the country. You can hear some of Annie's original songs for groups in our song library, contact us to book a choir or workshop, or find an upcoming event here!