Four Oregon choirs join in one voice for peace
Peace is not something we wait for.
It is something we practice — step by step, breath by breath.
—Venerable Bhikkhu Paññākāra, Lead Buddhist Monk for the 2026 2,300-mile Walk for Peace
By Lucie K. Scheuer for Ashland.news
There are four extremely dedicated and musically engaging Oregon choirs coming together for the first time since the pandemic to sing their hearts out for peace at 6 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 15, in the Southern Oregon University Recital Hall at 450 S. Mountain Ave. in Ashland.
The Portland Peace Choir, the Eugene Peace Choir, In Accord (a community a cappella choir from Eugene), and the Rogue Valley Peace Choir (RVPC), will blend approximately 150 voices in singing an eclectic mix of songs from Brandi Carlile to Bob Dylan.
Portland Peace Choir Director Ruth Reding Hoffart, who has a bachelor of music degree in vocal performance from Illinois Wesleyan University, became its interim director in 2022 and stayed. Hoffart comes from a family that loves to sing. “My grandfather, grandmother and mother are all in the choir,” she says proudly.
Hoffart sees this concert as a significant vehicle through which people can feel empowered. “People are feeling helpless,” she says. “This is a good way to involve ourselves in creating a more just, kinder world.”
David Eisenband, with a University of Oregon graduate degree in composition, has been director of the Eugene Peace Choir since 2015. This year the choir is celebrating its 40th anniversary. Like several of the choir directors, Eisenband was concerned that the choir might not bounce back after the COVID-19 pandemic. “It was hard … We lost half the membership,” he said. “We were rehearsing online … But we made it through and we’re growing!”
Eisenband, who views the joint concert as a reunion, said the Eugene choir will offer the southern Oregon premiere of “We Are One World,” a new song written by one of the choir’s members, Brad Allen.
In Accord Community Choir will also perform. Their website says they are a secular community choir: “We perform unaccompanied vocal music throughout our community to provide a choral voice supporting the many groups around us, in their efforts to better our community and the world.”
In her 17th year, Maureen Robeson, is the director of the In Accord choir. She holds a bachelor’s degree in music from San Diego State University and the University of West Florida. Robeson has also performed with the Oregon Bach Festival Choir, and as a professional soloist.
In a recent phone call, Robeson said, “A lot of people have mutual concerns about the world … music can shift things for people. This is a way to show support — to give each other strength to pull through troubled times.” Robeson says she believes they have a good line up of songs in store, including Bruno Mars’ heartfelt “Count on Me.”
This event is hosted by the Rogue Valley Peace Choir, which was started by four determined Ashland women in 2003: Su Rolle, Dawn Sinnott, LindaGail Campbell and Diane Garcia who added Dave Marston, its beloved original director. The choir has weathered several storms since then, but is coming back stronger than ever, at least according to its current, esteemed director since 2012, Rob Ginswell Lowry, who also directs music and plays piano for the Ashland Congregational United Church of Christ.
“Since the 2022 re-opening after the pandemic closure, the RVPC has been growing steadily,” Lowry says. “The 90-plus singers who show up each week come because people are seeking community, compassion, and purpose as a meaningful way to cope with the uncertainty of the political and social upheaval at work in our society. Our mission is to sing in support of Peace, Social Justice, and Responsible Environmental Stewardship … I believe these issues transcend politics. The majority of people on this planet are compassionate and caring folks who want to find comprehensive and lasting solutions to these very large issues affecting all of humanity.
“From what I can gather, community choirs focused on these issues have been popping up all over the world. This is a growing movement which reflects the growing concern worldwide that folks have for these problems.”
Each of the four choirs singing at this performance will present five or six songs, with all of the choirs joining together to sing the finale, “Hope Lingers On” by Lissa Schneckenburger. The RVPC is accompanied on piano by Dr. Mikko Petrucelli.
The concert is free with a $20 suggested donation.
Ashland resident Lucie K. Scheuer is a former copy editor and staff writer with the Los Angeles Times, where her work included features, reviews and a column on films in production. Email her at LucieScheuer19@gmail.com.
