Reflections from Conductor MaryLynn Mennicke

The concert at MCF-Stillwater today was a huge accomplishment for our Voices of Hope singers. This was our first time singing for anyone besides ourselves – and our first time singing outside of the small, split-ceilinged chapel space we rehearse in every week. Many of our singers today started singing in Voices of Hope in January 2020. Most of the rest began when programming resumed in 2023. So this opportunity to perform was a long time coming!

Today, we sang during the lunchtime break of the annual Transitions Fair, an event for IPs, or incarcerated people, who will soon be released to connect with resources and organizations on the outside who can assist them in their transition back into society. The event takes place in the huge double-basketball-court-sized gym, which is set up with tables and booths throughout the space, and people attending can go around to check out the various offerings. In the middle of the day, the Fair pauses as most IPs have to report for a count and eat lunch. Our singers were “off-counted” so that they could be present to share a mid-day concert for the event attendees.

It's worth mentioning that this was a very different experience from concerts we’ve hosted at MCF-Shakopee, where our “inside singers” are able to sing for an engaged and cheering audience of their friends who sign up to attend the concert. Our audience today mostly consisted of strangers – outside vendors/organizational leaders who were supportive and polite, but also spread out through the huge room, and eating lunch while we sang.

Our singers arrived ahead of our performance time, and we had some time to prepare ourselves.

They were very nervous. In the last month or so, several of our strong singers were transferred to other lower-security facilities, so we were few in numbers for the event. (Their transfers were good things!) We also had received approval to sing for this event only one week prior (!!), so prepping our songs to become “performance ready” was a swift task! Many singers had also missed our last rehearsal as they were busy setting up for the Transitions Fair, too. So, many of our singers arrived to the gym as a jumble of nerves. But we knew these songs – we’ve been singing most of them for years.

We had some time to warm-up (quietly in the corner), talk through the concert, run through some solos, figure out how to arrange ourselves in a non-ideal set-up, do a soundcheck, finally have a couple stands provided to us, and then we just went for it.

One of my biggest encouragements for the singers was to LOOK UP! WATCH ME! SING OUT! (Easier said than done!)

Jeff introduced “The Impossible Dream” and spoke about the musical “Man of La Mancha” that presents the story as a play told by prisoners who had been captured in the Spanish Inquisition, and he spoke about striving for our dreams even when everything is against you.

Steve introduced “Loch Lomond” and spoke about missing loved ones and missing home.

Daryl introduced “Duke of Earl” and serenaded the audience as the soloist.

Shawn introduced “Let it Be” and spoke about his struggles and anger, living in incarceration, and how the words of the song spoke to him in keeping hopeful. We invited the audience to sing along with this Beatles classic.

Khris was going to introduce “Shenandoah,” but accidentally had left his glasses behind and couldn’t read the text. (“How will you read your music?” MaryLynn asked. “I know it well enough by now,” said Khris.) There’s a wide pause at the end of Shenandoah before a final sung “Oh Shenandoah…” – usually we get to enjoy total silence and a hushed moment of peace in the chapel, but we kept the peace even through the gym’s commotion.

Robert introduced “The Times They are a-Changin,” and spoke about how the one constant that we can all expect is change. The choir really sang out on the lyrics, “Don’t criticize what you can’t understand,” “Please get out of the new [road] if you can’t lend a hand,” and “The first one now will later be last.”

Panda introduced our sea shanty, “The Wellerman” and told the story of a boat crew fighting with a whale. Panda (who fancies himself our choir “class clown”) told the tail with a few cracks thrown in. In a great moment, we asked the audience to stomp and give us a steady beat, and they delivered. Our singers immediately grinned and GOT INTO IT. This song has several solos, and everyone coming in on the chorus in harmony. Folks, we rocked it. We passed a microphone around to each soloist. We shouted every “HUH!” and sang to raucous delight. Thunderous applause afterward.

I think this was the moment that our singers finally felt comfortable – they smiled as they sang.

Stan introduced “Lean on Me” (which got an immediate “woo-hoo!” from one audience member) and spoke about how, living for decades in incarceration, you know who your friends are – and you build true friendships with others who support you every moment of every day. Jeff, Moo, and Daryl all delivered beautiful solos, and the singers sang out when the chorus came in on “Lean on me… when you’re not strong…”

Tim (who is one of our shyest singers), introduced our last song – “Never Give Up!” by Rollo Dilworth. He described it as our “theme song” and spoke about how this song encouraged himself, and his fellow singers, that yes, they can achieve what they put their minds to. Before we began, I asked all of our singers to “give me their eyes.” We got eye contact, grinned at each other, and sang out!

Afterward, we had the unique experience of being able to enjoy a meal together. We shook hands, debriefed, shook off the nervousness, and enjoyed each others’ company. Through the meal, several singers were already dreaming about our next opportunity to share music with others. “Maybe they’d let us record some Christmas carols, and we could air them on the prison CCTV!” “Maybe we could sing for an upcoming graduation!” “Maybe next time we can sing for an audience of IPs!” “I hope they have us sing for the Transitions Fair next year!”

More than anything in the world, I wanted this experience to be affirming and joyful for our singers, and an opportunity for them to feel dignity, feel pride, and revel in our time making music together – and sharing that with others for the first time.

I think we succeeded – and we’re excited to keep singing.

Click here to view the program from VOH-Stillwater’s concert.