Stories indexed with the term ‘choir’

The idea crystallized for Susan Zielinski 16 years ago, when she was was riding her bike through traffic in Toronto, trying to keep Beethoven’s ninth symphony in her mind as the incessant traffic noises threatened to drive it out.

“What I need,” she thought, “is 20 people riding with me, singing in four-part harmony to drown out the sound of the traffic.”

To humor her, a handful of her friends planned what they thought would be a one-time bike chorale performance during Toronto’s bike week. They called themselves Song Cycles – the Choir on Bikes.

CBC radio called for an interview before they’d even had a rehearsal, and minor celebrity ensued.

Zielinski moved to Ann Arbor three years ago to work on a sustainable transportation project at the University of Michigan, and with the help of Michigan Peaceworks executive director Laura Russello, she’s once again at the hub of a burgeoning bike choir. [Full Story]

“Every time we walk through these doors, we think about how it used to be,” said Rose Marie Rimson-Brown on Sunday evening. “Amen!” came the response from several members of the Fountain Church of God in Christ.

Those doors now lead into the Fountain Street home of Tamara Real and Carl Rinne. The couple renovated the former church, which was originally built in 1907, and this is the fourth year they’ve held a holiday open house for neighbors and church members who used to worship there. [Full Story]