CMU choir brings community together to raise voices for peace

Decades have passed since We Shall Overcome was deemed the unofficial anthem of the American civil rights and anti-war movements, but the folk song — originally a gospel spiritual — remains as relevant today, and as frequently sung, as it was back in the 1960s. In the last few months alone, the song’s lyrics have loudly echoed through the crowds at non-violent rallies, protests and sit-ins around the world, and been performed onstage by renowned artists, social activists and community choirs.

One of those community choirs is the Canadian Mennonite University’s (CMU) Voices for Peace. Voices for Peace was launched in March 2026 as an extension of the Anabaptist university’s Singing Resistance program. That program had brought like-minded voices together earlier in the winter to sing in solidarity with those being affected by the ICE raids in Minneapolis.

“We started getting questions about how this work might extend to community protests,” says Anneli Loepp Thiessen, an assistant professor of music at the university and one of the choir co-ordinators. “So we began Voices for Peace as a mobile, rapid-response group that can share music for peace at protests or other community events.”

The mobile, rapid-response nature of the group means that it is not a traditional or typical choir.

“It’s not really a choir per se,” points out Sandra Koop Harder, vice-president external at CMU. “We never rehearse formally and the music is not at all about performance. It’s more like an informal gathering of people who love singing and want to take action together.”

That means that there are no auditions for the choir and no requirement, even, to be able to carry a tune.

“Voices for Peace is open to anyone,” emphasizes Loepp Thiessen. “Being involved in the choir simply means that you have your name on an email list and will be notified when events emerge for us to sing at. It is a very low commitment for participants.”

That low time commitment, however, is not the reason that so many local folk have expressed an interest in joining the choir. It is, rather, clearly a shared desire to take some sort of positive action at a time when the world in general and Winnipeg in particular are experiencing deep polarization, disenfranchisement and violence, that has inspired so many to add their voices to the group.

“The response has been incredible,” says Koop Harder. “We have over 200 people from across a huge demographic range signed up to receive invitations to Voices for Peace engagements. It has been incredible to see this kind of response. Clearly, there are many, many people in Winnipeg who want to get involved and use their voices to help bring about peace and justice in our world.”

Significantly, those 200 people represent diverse political leanings, cultures and faiths.

“These initiatives are created to be broadly ecumenical and interfaith in their expression, recognizing that they grow out of a deep conviction that people of faith have a responsibility to seek peace, justice and the well-being of their neighbours,” Koop Harder elaborates. “Participants do not need to share the same political or religious views. What brings people together is a common desire to explore how communities can respond to conflict and injustice without resorting to violence or hatred.”

“Singing next to someone who may not agree with you politically or religiously – but with whom you have shared humanity — is really powerful,” adds Loepp Thiessen.

To date, the group has performed at a prayer walk for peace and at an anti-war protest, and is in the process of planning other public appearances at various non-partisan engagements that align with its guiding principles, including, foremost, a commitment to non-violence.

Those appearances might feature the choir’s rendition of the 19th century African American spiritual There is More Love Somewhere, the 2026 Minneapolis Singing Resistance song Hold On, or, of course, 1959’s We Shall Overcome — three carefully curated songs that reinforce the choir and CMU’s commitment to justice, peace, dignity and humanity for all Winnipeggers and those with whom they stand.

“Making music together, especially using our voices, can be a formidable act of solidarity,” says Koop Harder. “It has a unique power to bring the people into community and mobilize hearts and minds towards change.”

swchisvin@gmail.com

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