Meaningful friendships are essential for health and well-being, yet finding and nurturing these connections isn’t always easy. Surprisingly, a great way to form friendships can be through the power of song. For nearly 20 years, a thriving community of women seeking connection has been gathering weekly in Santa Cruz, united by the joy of group singing.
Organized by Heather Houston, a well-established musician from Santa Cruz, this weekly event has created a special form of sisterhood for the women involved. The small circle has expanded immensely, resulting in a women’s choir and even a training program for those interested in leading the circle.
Houston has been involved in the Santa Cruz music scene for a long time, beginning her journey as an elementary school music teacher and singing in an a capella trio which gained popularity in the early 2000s. This experience led her to begin teaching private voice lessons, until a friend eventually suggested she start a women’s singing group.
Her first circle, held in her parent’s basement, immediately filled with 20 women. It became clear that this type of community was something that many women had been waiting for, which encouraged her to expand this idea even further.
Titling the group Sisters in Harmony, she moved locations to eventually settle in a friend’s backyard, where she continues to host the circle today. Many of the same women have been attending the circle for as long as it has been held, and new women who are looking for a sense of connection and sisterhood continue to join.
“Women love to gather, they love to sing, and they love to have someone else hold the container,” Houston says. As she describes it, so many women are moms or working to support other people, and it’s important for them to have a space to connect with each other without having to worry about any outside stressors.
Her community grew even further, surprisingly, as a result of Covid-19. The lockdown encouraged her to take her services online, which opened up access to a global community of women with similar goals of mutual connection through singing. This switch to online was also an opportunity for Houston to begin training song leaders, which was part of her original vision. She has now trained over a hundred song leaders around the world to spread the positivity of connecting women through song.
Each singing circle consists of around 20 or so women from all age ranges, who gather to sing songs that are typically in the form of interactive chants. The songs are simple and easy to sing due to their call-and-repeat style, which helps women of all singing abilities feel welcomed. For Houston and all of the women involved, the singing circle allows them to feel more empowered and connected to each other, as well as with their spiritual side.
In addition to having her singing circle, Houston has led a women’s choir for almost 20 years, which is similarly a very tight-knit community of women. As Houston describes it, “They are such sweet friends and look forward to seeing each other every week. These women are like my family.”
Both the women’s singing circle and the choir have come a long way and want to share their love of song with the community through their performances. The choir is having their 19th annual spring concert and community sing on May 3 at 7pm and May 4 at 3pm, which will be held at the German Cultural Center.
To add to her services in helping women connect, Houston hosts an annual four-day women’s retreat at Green Mountain Retreat Center, which will be held June 26 through July 1. In addition, the women’s circle is hosting their 20th anniversary concert on Nov. 22 at the Rio Theater for those interested in celebrating this milestone and hearing local music.
To find out more about Heather Houston’s classes, performances and music visit heatherhoustonmusic.com.
