Letter to the Editor

I would like to thank the Staples Area Women’s Chorus (SAWC) for hosting/sponsoring/presenting “Her Voice, Her Song” last Saturday evening in our high school gym. Especially as a father of two daughters, I’m proud to be part of a community with such strong women’s organizations, such as the Staples  ‘93 Lions , Women of Today and of course, the SAWC. 

Specific to Saturday night, it was so nice to attend with my daughters an event spotlighting multiple generations of women (participants ranged in age from 8th grade to senior citizens), collaborating to give audiences and participants a high quality musical experience. 

For those of you who were unable to attend, I cannot stress enough the level of quality of the musicianship, mentorship and citizenship that was displayed. How often does any community, for any reason, invite hundreds of outsiders in for a day of spiritual and educational growth?  And then, display the fruits of their labor for anyone to see?  The significance and beauty of this was not lost on this particular concertgoer. 

Obviously with my background, my views on the subjects of music education and community singing are quite subjective. But, I bet most people can acknowledge the value of an event that brings communities and generations together for a common goal. 

Thank you to the SAWC for recognizing a way to make the world better and accepting the challenge of making it happen and to SMHS for giving them a space to realize their goal. 

Steve Hoemberg, Jr. 

Staples, Minn.