Community
Do-Re-Midwest: Singing Together for Joy, Safety, and Collective Creation
Do Re Midwest: Singing Together for Joy, Safety, and Collective Creation. Originally published by Arts Midwest.
By Angela Zonunpari · 2026-09-24T17:20:34.376Z
There’s something special about this community choir in Madison, Wisconsin. It rehearses in an untraditional space, sure, and members range in age. But it’s also something a bit more . . . bubbly. “We do raise our glasses and say, ‘cheers,'” director Mary Brandenstein says. Fittingly named, the choir Cheers, Madison https://www.cheersmadisonchoir.com/ meets weekly at Madison’s historic feed mill—where purchasing libations are encouraged. Both keep the atmosphere relaxed and fun. Cheers, Madison choir rehearses before a show at the old feed mill which is not known for its stellar acoustics, Brandenstein jokes in Madison, Wisconsin. “Creating a musical space that is secular, where people are casual enough to have a beverage, I think immediately tears down some walls around the elitism that can be involved in music making,” Brandenstein says. The group, 230 singers strong, meets weekly for six week cycles plus a concert—with no stage, lights, or tickets—featuring music across genres. For $85 a season, choral newbies stand alongside music professors; college students clink glasses with those in their eighties. It’s a testament to the choir, but also to the Midwest. “I grew up in Illinois, but I don’t think I really understood how uniquely community oriented people in Wisconsin are and also how much people value the arts here in Madison,” she says. “I think that’s the charm of Madison is that people have such a strong desire to exist in community with others.” And when that community is paired with singing, magic happens. Well, health magic. Brandenstein says stimulating your vocal chords can calm the nervous system https://health.clevelandclinic.org/vagus nerve reset , which is especially important when people are tired and stressed. And when a group of people sing together, heart rates collectively slow and synchronize https://www.npr.org/sections/health shots/2013/07/09/200390454/when choirs sing many hearts beat as one , Brandenstein says. “There are just endless benefits that come from making music together,” she says. Rainbow Chorus of Sioux Falls rehearse together in South Dakota. ‘Courage to Live Authentically’ Del Hubers understands this well. He’s the artistic director of Rainbow Chorus of Sioux Falls https://www.facebook.com/p/Rainbow Chorus of Sioux Falls 100089211729984/ in South Dakota. Like Cheers, Madison, three generations rehearse together in Rainbow Chorus. Its LGBTQ+ singers pivot choral themes each cycle, ranging from Broadway tunes to LGBTQ+ anthems. As the COVID pandemic was winding down, Hubers and others noticed local community choirs weren’t restarting. “People liked to sing but didn’t have options . . . We felt there was a real need to have a safe space for the community to get together,” he says. “We decided over a coffee, ‘Let’s just throw this out there and see what kind of support we can get.'” Del Hubers, director of Rainbow Chorus of Sioux Falls. Thirty five people joined in Rainbow Chorus’ inaugural season in 2023. It’s more than doubled since. It rehearses out of local churches and hosts two major concerts every year with a varied, large patronage. “We are just amazed at the support that we have in our community,” Hubers says, noting the support carries inward. He says young people see their co singing elders in stable relationships, living beyond adversary. Those relationships—and shared messages—are extraordinary, whether on stage or in the crowd. “We’re reaching people we don’t know, but we’re giving them the courage to live authentically,” Hubers says. “We don’t know who needs to hear our message when we get up and perform.”