Hold Everyone Up! The Power of Song, Healing & Community

Space is limited and tickets will sell out. We recommend purchasing tickets on the early side.

Join Thrive & Oakland Center for Spiritual Living on Sunday, May 5th for a special concert and community gathering - Hold Everyone Up! The Power of Song, Healing & Community - with grammy-nominated singer, composer and vocal activist Melanie DeMore, and the heart-opening voices of the Wildchoir.

When the struggles of our world feel too heavy to bear, we are called to hold each other up and keep on marching to freedom's song. Music is one of the most powerful sources of healing and liberation, a force that grounds us and energizes us. It keeps our hearts open and our movements vital. We invite you to join us - in Oakland or virtually - for a lively, interactive, and song-filled gathering as we share in the power of music, love, healing, hope, joy and beloved community.

IN-PERSON & VIRTUAL: Oakland & Bay area folks...come out in person and bring a friend. For folks in other locations, experience the magic by joining us live on Zoom.

WHAT: THRIVE SUNDAYS are an opportunity to connect with a diverse and inspiring group of activists, healers, artists and caring souls; to be uplifted by music and song; and to experience the transformative power of community in service to a world of love & belonging.

WHEN: Sunday, May 5, 2024 from 4pm - 6pm PT / 7pm - 9pm ET (arrive on time!)

WHERE: Oakland Center for Spiritual Living - 5000 Clarewood Dr, Oakland, CA 94618

Or virtually on Zoom (link shared when you register)

COST & DONATIONS: Tickets are $25 - $45 for in-person attendance, $15 - $25 for virtual attendance, and we also welcome your generous donations to support our meaningful work. If you are in need of financial assistance, please contact us at: [email protected]

INVITE A FRIEND: Bring your family and friends, and invite folks on Facebook here.

VOLUNTEERS for In-Person: We are seeking volunteers to help with the set-up and break-down of this event. If you are available to arrive early or stay late, please let us know at: [email protected]

Children: Little ones are welcome to attend. We will not be offering childcare during this event but there will be a space with art supplies toward the back of the event room.

We look forward to gathering!

In partnership,

the Thrive team

(A video recording of this event will be shared with everyone that registers.)

Accessibility: This venue is wheel chair accessible. Closed captioning will be offered for our virtual participants. Please contact [email protected] with additional accessibility needs and questions. Thank you!

Health Practices for our In-Person Participants

To support the health & safety of our entire community, we will be engaging in the following practices:

• We invite folks to wear a mask if they feel called to and we provide masks at our Welcome Table.
• For anyone experiencing symptoms that could be associated with Covid or another sickness, please do not attend in person and join us virtually.

We continue to monitor the local, state and national health recommendations as we move forward. Masks and hand sanitizer will be available at our Welcome Table.

Thank you for your understanding and partnership. Clarifying questions can be sent to: [email protected]

Melanie DeMore is a 3 time Grammy nominated singer/composer, choral conductor, music director, and vocal activist who believes in the power of voices raised together. In her presentations, DeMore beautifully brings her participants together through her music and commentary. DeMore facilitates vocal and stick-pounding workshops for professional choirs, and community groups as well as directing numerous choral organizations across the U.S, Canada, and beyond. She is a featured presenter of SpeakOut!-The Institute for Social and Cultural Change, the Master Teaching Artist for Music at UC Berkeley/ CalPerformances; works with everyone from Baptists to Buddhists, and was a founding member of the Grammy-nominated ensemble Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heritage Choir. She is Music Director for Obeah Opera by Nicole Brooks and will be touring with the company to South Africa. She is a charter member of Threshold Choir founded by Kate Munger , a mentor to the Jerusalem Youth Chorus and conducts song circles with an emphasis on the voice as a vessel for healing. In her own words: “A song can hold you up when there seems to be no ground beneath you”.

Learn more at: https://melaniedemore.com

Wildchoir (formerly known as Thrive Choir) is a diverse group of vocalists, artists, activists, educators, healers, and community organizers who join together in big harmony. They celebrate the confluence of their many cultures & identities, including African-American, Latinx, Asian-American, Native American, Middle-Eastern, immigrant, Jewish, & queer. Their music illuminates the joy, pain, and beauty of what it means to be human in this time of systemic transformation.

They have performed with nationally-acclaimed artists for social change including Rising Appalachia, Climbing Poetree & MaMuse. They also frequently share the stage with progressive heroes of our time, such as Bernie Sanders, Ericka Huggins, Joanna Macy, and Fania Davis. Their music has inspired thousands at marches, conferences and festivals across California, most recently at Bioneers, Lightning in a Bottle, Institute for Noetic Sciences, the North America Permaculture Convergence, the Women's March, and the Rise for Climate March.

Learn more at: https://www.wildchoir.org

At the Oakland Center for Spiritual Living, we strive to be a safe, welcoming sanctuary for people to explore, expand and experience spirituality and beloved community. We study and practice spiritual principles based on the Science of Mind philosophy and other New Thought / Ancient Wisdom teachings. These teachings provide spiritual tools that help us to "change your thinking, change your life", as taught by our founder Ernest Holmes. We embrace the fullness of life through the divine qualities of love, joy, beauty, abundance, freedom and many others.
Our community vision is to joyfully reveal the Love and Oneness of the Divine. We are a welcoming and inclusive spiritual community dedicated to individual transformation and collective growth. Our purpose is to love, inspire and serve our community and the world through education, music, prayer and play. We welcome you to join us as we seek to live life out loud and be a healing force in the world.

Visit us at: https://oaklandcsl.org

THRIVE is a community, network and movement building Beloved Community for these times. We bring people together at the intersections of meaning, belonging, music, the arts and social change. Started in Oakland, CA as Thrive East Bay, we have also grown into the Thrive Network as we work to build a world of love and belonging where everyone thrives. Our guiding principles are Thriving Lives, Love in Action, Shared Learning & Practice, and Systemic Change.

Our Rooted in Love community of practice provides an opportunity to receive monthly curated resources to support your ongoing learning and practice life; wisdom and guidance from some of the leading elders, visionaries, activists & artists of our time; access to our seasonal in-person & virtual community gatherings; the option to join a small group for going deeper; and a steady stream of creative inspiration to keep you resilient and thriving.

Learn more at: https://www.thrivenetwork.org

Host or Publisher Thrive Network / Thrive East Bay