Keene State College Choir Concert Raises Funds for Hundred Nights Shelter

On Saturday, May 3, the Keene State College (KSC) Concert Choir and Chamber Singers present an evening of music at Redfern Arts Center to benefit Hundred Nights Inc. According to the website, the KSC Concert Choir is a non-auditioned, mixed-voice ensemble comprising students enrolled in over 15 disciplines across the college. They routinely participate in recruitment tours and choral exchanges with high school choirs. In March, the Concert Choir and Chamber Singers performed at the New Hampshire State House as part of the New Hampshire Music Educators Hill Day to celebrate Music in Our Schools Month. The KSC Chamber Singers is an auditioned treble voice ensemble. This year, they traveled to Montréal and recently participated in the Alice Parker Festival at Mount Holyoke College. The Sentinel spoke with Dr. Sandra A. Howard, Professor of Music and Coordinator of Choral Music Education at Keene State College, about this upcoming concert and her work at the college. "We partner with different nonprofits so our students on campus can see what is going on in the community and how they can contribute to other missions," Howard said. "In this concert there are a lot of themes that center on displacement. The first song talks about a weather event and we're seeing this more and more with climate change. People are becoming displaced and there are a lot of factors as to why people need help," Howard said. Other songs in the concert have themes of looking forward to a new day, taking you from your situation and making choices to better your life, having a new outlook and a sense of renewal. "We have 76 music majors this year, through the general education program and all of the ensembles KSC services. In fact, one in five students at KSC is involved in the music department in some way. It's a big part of our liberal arts college," said Howard. Howard, who grew up in Maine, lives in Westmoreland and has taught at KSC for 16 years. "This concert serves as a model for how we can take the work we do and benefit the community by raising awareness. We are showing that you don't have to only give money but by joining forces to try to spread information, there is an emotional musical side of it and an evening of enjoyment and reflection for the audience," Howard added. "Rose (Gadbois) came in and talked to us a few weeks ago about the work at Hundred Nights and my students wrote reflections about that," Howard said. What is she hoping the audience will come away with on May 3? "I am hoping they will be transported to different time periods and different situations. We are using a variety of music and genres of music. It may be an emotional journey for people. I'm hoping that the audience will allow themselves to have an emotional reflection." "At the end of the concert we will sing "Walk Together Children" and we will invite the audience to sing with us! Rose's request is a great way for our college singers and community to join together," Howard added. The Sentinel reached Rose Gadbois, development manager at Hundred Nights who said, "I've been in Keene for 20 years and worked at Hundred Nights for the last four. It is a real privilege to have been granted trust by the people who have the courage to walk in the doors who are in need of support. I love the community here. It's a special community." Gadbois continued, "We have a strong relationship with KSC. The sports teams show up for us, the volunteerism, the sororities show up for us. This connection through the healing power of music and the initiative that Dr. Sandra Howard spearheaded is so important. I want to convey our gratitude and our excitement to be part of this offering to the community." Hundred Nights is an emergency shelter and resource center which provides shelter and crisis-related services to individuals and families who are or are at risk of experiencing displacement. "The Keene Sentinel has done some excellent reporting around the issue of homelessness in the region. We are providing services to over 500 people in 2024 with shelter beds and resource center visits where they can access basic needs like showers, laundry, food, warmth and community. An additional population of folks utilized our warming center that was open from November until March," Gadbois said. "Hundred Nights is providing a safety net for our unhoused neighbors. Now more than ever there is a critical need and I hope that further inroads can be made for more permanent housing solutions," Gadbois said. If you go: What: Keene State College Concert Choir and Chamber Singers present an evening of music. When: Saturday, May 3, 2025, at 7:30 p.m. Where: Redfern Arts Center, 229 Main St., Keene. Tickets: Free but a suggested donation of $10 is appreciated at the door. All proceeds will go directly to Hundred Nights Inc. For more information: Call the box office at (603) 358-2168 or visit https://hundrednightsinc.org and www.keene.edu/news/events/detail/19399/.