On Saturday, December 5, from 3:00–5:00 p.m., a diverse group of musicians, dancers and poets/spoken word artists will combine their talents to support the work of the Boston Immigration Justice Accompaniment Network (BIJAN). The performance will feature musical contributions from Harmony Grove and Carolyn Waters, improvisational dance from Jody Leader and Karen Bray, and poetry/spoken word from Reason Being and Lisa Breger. A highlight of the performance will be interaction between artists performing in different genres.
The performance will take place in Gordon Chapel at Old South Church in Boston, 645 Boylston Street, Boston. Admission is free and a free will offering will be taken to support BIJAN. This event is sponsored by the participating artists, with co-sponsorship from the Old South Christian Service and Outreach Committee and the Immigration Justice Committee of First Parish in Brookline.
The Boston Immigration Justice Accompaniment Network (BIJAN) is a community network of individuals, faith communities, and other activist groups working to reduce the escalating harm of our immigration system in the current political context. They provide accompaniment at court and ICE check-ins, legal referrals, fundraising for bond or legal fees, letters of support from the community, rides for families to visit loved ones in detention, logistical assistance with paperwork or bond payments, and help with housing, transportation, and other immediate needs of people released on bond who have no other resources in the community.
For more information about BIJAN, visit https://www.beyondbondboston.org/.
Harmony Grove is a musical project co-led by Willie Sordillo and Zoë Krohne. Krohne’s stunning vocals and Sordillo’s alto sax playing are augmented by pianist Consuelo Candelaria-Barry and bassist Doug Rich. Harmony Grove offers a diverse repertoire of original compositions and personal interpretations of both known and obscure songs from jazz, folk, Latin and pop origins. Their mission is to entertain while presenting a vision which offers hope, joy, and possibility in an often troubled world.
Lisa Breger is a poet and teaches writing as a spiritual practice at Open Spirit in Framingham, Massachusetts. She is the author of the poetry collection “Ways I’ve Known Water.”
Brooklyn-born, Florida-raised, Boston-based lyricist Reason Being’s pieces are flush with descriptions of the colorful feeling and sometimes dark events that regularly take place in urban centers around the world. Reason is possessed with a sense of duty to create art that empowers the disenfranchised and dismantles the corruption and injustice in American institutions.
Carolyn Waters is a singer-songwriter who fuses blues, jazz, roots, and other musical genres as she performs from her catalog of beautifully crafted original songs and selected covers to create a unique experience. Her music has been described as “socially conscious soul,” reflecting her deep connection and love for all things music as well as her commitment to promoting healing and positive social change.
Jody Leader is a dancer and social justice activist. She currently studies contemporary dance with Angie Benitez, Joanie Block, Lynn Modell, Jenny Oliver, Andy Taylor-Blenis, and Dancing Outside the Lines dance improv group. Credits include the title role in the short, upcoming dance-theater film “Mrs. Lakos” by Brookline-based filmmaker John Rich.
Since 1978 to the present, in addition to performing in San Francisco and the greater Boston area, Karen Bray has also performed dance and theatre in the Netherlands, France, Germany. Bray has collaborated with artists, dancers, non-dancers and musicians to produce evening length concerts as well as outdoor dance/theatre performances and has co-taught “Creativity Lab” at the New Art Center since 2009, "Site Specific Dance” on Zoom since 2020 and co-teaches “The Art of Improvisation” at the Arlington Center in Arlington.