The Chorus

This piece is an ode to voices lifted I song – expressing my reflections on life as a chorus mom. My daughter sang with the San Francisco Girls Chorus from age nine through most of high school. They sang with the opera and the symphony. They toured. They made recordings. They won Grammys. Every week I ferried carloads of vocal girls to and from rehearsals, concert halls, and recording studios – and occasionally the airport. I often waited. And when I waited, I heard. Sometimes I cried at the sheer beauty of the sounds they could make. One of the things I learned from my years as a chorus mom was that there is nothing more individual than a person’s voice but when singing in a group, it’s all about the blend.

In this quilt, each block is adorned with a singing silhouette; the uniqueness of their voices honored through variations in color and stitching. The repetition of the shape of the singer and the overall color palette aim at reflecting the unity of the whole.

Materials & TechniquesThermofax printing, raw edge appliqué with gold, copper, and silver leaf. Blocks fused and then anchored with machine embroidery. Pieced and then assembled by sections with a quilt-as-you-go method. DimensionsH:65” x W:52”Price$1,800.00Date2019CommentsOn tour with the exhibition Musica! through 2023. Can be purchased through Studio Art Quilt Associates. SAQA.com