Voices of Hope

“Our individual suffering paints every square of these walls 
but the power of our melodic voices singing together 
helps to strip the sadness and self-hate bare, leaving only… Hope.  
We are given many tools at Shakopee but none have healed me like music.”

Voices of Hope is an organization that builds choral singing communities in correctional facilities in the state of Minnesota.  The flagship ensemble, Voices of Hope-Shakopee, was founded in 2015; in early 2020, the organization expanded to include Voices of Hope-Stillwater.  Both choirs rehearse weekly and perform several times a year inside their respective facilities. 

Voices of Hope views singing as a powerful tool of restorative justice, seeking to provide accessible music-making opportunities within justice-involved populations that foster individual growth and bridge unlikely communities through song. Our organization recognizes that we have a dual calling to serve communities both inside and outside of Minnesota’s state prisons:

BRINGING HOPE INSIDE PRISON WALLS
Voices of Hope provides a safe and sober activity which empowers incarcerated individuals to find their voice, build connections in a diverse setting, and bring a positive message of hope and healing to the wider correctional facility.

BRINGING HOPE OUTSIDE PRISON WALLS
Voices of Hope views singing as a powerful tool of restorative justice, seeking to transform perspectives of incarceration and build bridges of healing within the wider community through collaboration and reflection.

Reflections from inside singers:

“I came into this experience and didn’t speak to anyone. I was of this mindset of I don’t see any potential for anything good… Now I’m in this community and there’s something I’m looking forward to doing here. And it doesn’t make me feel anxious or terrified or angry. The choir really allowed me to acknowledge that I could feel happiness while I was incarcerated. And connectivity. I feel less prone to negative emotional upheaval.”

"[Collaborating with outside singers] has forever impacted my life.  To have people who know nothing about us but who want to be a part of supporting us!  It has given me the ability myself to look past my label as a felon or prisoner."

Reflections from outside collaborators:

 “My experiences singing with the Voices of Hope have had an immeasurable impact on my perspective of the world and our nation’s system of incarceration…I got to know several of the women beyond their names and interests and found their desire for redemption and a fresh start both heartbreaking and inspiring.”

"I had many emotional conversations with people on the outside trying to describe my experience [collaborating with the Voices of Hope], and my empathetic response. How my heart broke for the women and how their paths had led them there, and how in some corner of myself I wished I could switch places with one of them. I could feel their sadness and the joy in their singing… It is difficult to talk about the complexity of the experience. How pain and joy live in the same room in such an open way."