Four Winds is an all-volunteer cooperative choral group created for the purpose of performance and promotion of the sacred music of Pagan, Native American and Earth-Honoring peoples. We are dedicated to sacred sound and rhythm as a common ground between the many spiritual pathways on Mother Earth. We are completely not-for-profit. All funds raised in our activities have either been benefits for various organizations and causes or invested into our work.
Our singers, drummers, musicians and dancers represent many spiritual backgrounds, from Neopagan to Native American. Formed in March of 1994, we have provided participatory choral celebrations of the seasonal festivals of Earth spirituality, choral support of ritual and ceremony, concert appearances, workshops and teaching circles.
These pages contain a brief history of the Chorus and what we have been doing. It dates from 1993, where Choral Director Kurt Griffith/Talking Stone first gets the buzz, to our founding in march of 1994 through the present. We'll update this page periodicaly as we add verses to our saga. This is where you can check out what we do and where we've been.
These are our working Guidelines for operating the Chorus. Folks who sign on as Members have agreed to abide by them. However, please note that we choose the term Guidelines very consciously, as opposed to "regulations" or "by-laws". Even though they are mostly common sense, and somewhat derieved from elements of various organizational and spiritual traditions of the Members, we have not etched them in stone, or burdened ourselves with a cumbersome modification proceedure. Quite frankly, we would rather sing. They are intended to give us a framework to going about our mission.
The Four Winds Earth Chorus is a project initiated in an effort to help spread the awareness, practice and joy of sacred songs and chants. To combat the perception that music is the inaccessible province of professionals To provide an alternative to mainstream choral and gospel music as peoples' music. The chorus studies, teaches, performs, and supports spiritual events which are found to be in keeping with these goals.
The chorus draws upon material from Pagan, Native, Folk, World and some popular music. Members have also written original material in a number of traditional and contemporary styles. Concerts or other performances are structured within a multicultural, Life-affirming and Earth-Honoring spiritual context. The Chorus and its members are respectful of the authors, spiritual paths, traditions and sources of the material we use, teach and perform.
Most events are structured to be participatory for our guests. Typically, lyric sheets or programs are distributed at our events, particularly workshops and teaching circles. We try to keep arrangements and presentations engaging and accessible, as tools that spiritual people can use. Our intention is to inspire and create enjoyable, educational and spiritually uplifting experiences.
If anybody has a project or event that they think might be good for Four Winds, we're all ears! Just let us know. Bear in mind that the more lead time we have, the more likely we will be able to accomodate your event, performance, circle, ritual or teaching.
While performance events and the Five Year Project are interesting, that is only a portion of our mission. Our basic mandate is the study and promotion of this music of the spirit. Towards that goal, in addition to Concert Performances, we also provide Teaching Circles and Workshops. We create and manifest Choral Ritual, Ceremony and Earth Celebrations. We also support others' rituals and ceremonies through the Bardic Arts, and we have also performed two Handfastings.
Please contact us at khgriffith@verizon.net
if we can be of sonic service in any way.