I felt great pride as I joined Calliope on stage for our formal concerts in early January and at our presentation at the Minnesota Historical Society in late January. The singers were ready and eager to perform. You, our audiences, gave us a warm and welcoming reception. These were my first performances with Calliope and I'm looking forward to many more! Whether you're a first-time audience member or someone who's enjoyed Calliope throughout our 25 year history, we think our upcoming concert will once again "soothe your heart and stir your spirit" as we give voice to the strength and diversity of women.

The singers are now hard at work learning new music and thinking about the issues raised by this concert, Grounded in Song: A Tribute to Women and the Land. Our theme focuses on celebrating the land and especially women who tend the soil. We've included songs about the earth that recognize the nourishment it provides or that speak metaphorically about the land. We will sing some delightfully light-hearted tributes to farmers, soul searching, heart wrenching reflections on the struggles of the family farm and women farmers, songs that celebrate our common love for the sacred Earth and all of life. We will offer varied perspectives on land in the Middle East with two Israeli pioneer songs and a Palestinian song, and will explore the passion of human relationship with metaphorical language drawn from the land and its fertility. A song from the African American spiritual tradition draws on very different symbolism. The land and white landowners were a source of suffering for slaves and the impetus for perseverance. Yet, in the midst of their anguish, the song also sings of strength and the "Promised Land."

We will host a group of youthful performers from Patrick Henry High School, many of them Hmong, performing traditional songs about the land or farming. The Twin Cities metro area, especially the city of St. Paul, is now home to one of the largest populations of Hmong in the United States. The Hmong,whose name literally means "blooming fertile," were an agrarian people primarily from Laos. We also plan to hang a traveling exhibit entitled Getting Down to Earth: Images of Women Farmers, to be on display at Macalester from May 11-16. Funded by the Minnesota Institute of Sustainable Agriculture at the U of M, this exhibit was created by WISA (Women in Sustainable Agriculture) a collaborative, support network of women farmers in South Central Minnesota. It features photographs by Mary Ellen Frame and Julie Michael-Widmer, accompanied by quotes. The exhibition raises awareness of women's expanded roles in farming and celebrates the importance of their contributions. It is accompanied by a video with music by Paul Kraus which will be on sale at the concert with a percentage being contributed to Calliope. We hope that you will come celebrate, learn, and join with us in paying tribute to the special women we sing of and becoming "grounded in song."