On Tuesday evening, community members gathered in close around Massachusetts based artists Rena Branson and Molly Bajgot. The pair had arrived in Ann Arbor the day before, the first stop on their Midwest tour.
Over the hour and a half of their performance, Molly and Rena created a sacred and healing space, in which all voices were celebrated and uplifted. The two went back and forth playing their original songs, Molly on guitar playing from her album Revelry and Rena strumming ukulele to tunes from their album Love is the Ground.
Before playing each song, the artists shared their kavanot. They then taught the audience the melody and niggun, allowing us to participate as the song and its harmonies unraveled. As each song came to a close, we were given space to sit and breathe in what we had just experienced.
By the end of the evening, I felt bonded with everyone in the room. The power of not only singing together, but facing one another and singing songs of hope, love, and peace, created a resounding closeness.
Many thanks to Rena and Molly for sharing their music and to Etta for bringing them to our community!
