Spiritsong, Boundless to perform 'Draw the Circle Wide'

September 18, 2023

An international choral festival in Cuba in November and a performance at Carnegie Hall in April make this a banner year for the "Spiritsong" and "Boundless" choral ensembles under the direction of Vicki Blake Thompson. Come celebrate with them at their performances of “Draw the Circle Wide” at 7 p.m. Friday October 20 and 3 p.m. Saturday, October 21 at the Historic Pearl Theater, 7160 Ash Street, Bonners Ferry, or at 3 p.m. Sunday, October 22, at the Kootenay River Secondary School Auditorium, 223 18 Avenue South, Creston.

“Draw the Circle Wide” celebrates the sacred hoop of all life and all peoples on our planet Earth with songs promoting unity and community, as well as poetry and photography which tie it all together. The eight voices of the Boundless men’s ensemble and the nine strong Boundless women’s ensemble are joined by 20 additional singers in the Spiritsong choir for this rousing choral theater event calling us to love one another and be the change in our world today.

The texts of Black Elk, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Mahatma Gandhi, Rob Bell, Kahlil Gibran and Chief Seattle are featured, among others. Music includes a huge variety of styles but is performed mostly a cappella with percussion.

Tickets are $15 US at the door or $12 for online purchases for the Bonners Ferry performances at www.thehistoricpearltheater.org. Donations will also be welcomed for the purpose of restoring the projection screen at the Pearl Theater and to donate musical instruments to students in need in Cuba.

Spiritsong is traveling to Santiago, Cuba, for the international choral festival from October 29 through November 11. Under the direction of conductor Vicki Blake Thompson, 17 singers from Bonners Ferry, Creston and Sandpoint will be performing, joined by supporters and a dancer/ sign language interpreter from Reno, Nevada. Songs from “Draw the Circle Wide” will be performed there.

Boundless vocal ensembles and friends will be joining other choirs from around the world to sing the works of Ola Gjeilo on April 22 in Carnegie Hall, New York. Sixteen performers will be participating in this event, which will be the second time Boundless has performed in Carnegie Hall. The previous concert was the 50th anniversary celebration concert for The King’s Singers.