Chorus of Courage is many things. It is a space created to hold and honour the voices and stories of survivors of violence (our storytellers). We came together as a group and became friends and allies - a supportive family. We created a home to explore some of the most difficult experiences one can imagine – a retreat - and we did it with love, music, silence, acceptance, guidance, connection, and movement, hand in hand. This project explores the entire spectrum of emotions that are felt through the unique experiences of the ones we are here to honour – our storytellers. The stories shared and held at our retreat were given a voice and expression through our songwriters. These songs were captured, recorded, and then sent to our allies. Our allies echoed these songs and stories with another song, written in solidarity, creating a powerful musical conversation – a call and response through music and emotion that we look forward to sharing with you all – Chorus of Courage is a fluid conversation that holds the beauty and the horrors of lived experiences– it is an attempt to find some words and meaning, together, as a collective. 

The evening at the National Arts Centre will showcase the songs our songwriters and allies created and provide a platform for the storyteller’s stories and experiences to be held and heard through song and music. 

The partnered organizations involved in this project are:  
Muskoka and Parry Sound Sexual Assault Center

Songwriters that worked with our storytellers: 

• Alysha Brilla 
• Joni NehRita 
• Marcia Chum 
• Lisa Iwanicki (mirror mirror) 
• Cindy Doire   

Our songwriting allies are: 

• Brad Barr (the Barr brothers) 
• Alex Millaire (Moonfruits) 
• Mike Celia 
• Julian Taylor 
• GR Gritt