Before the written word, stories were told with the voice. The Ojibwe Singers told stories of life, death, love and resurrection during a special pre-Easter concert at St. Ann Center’s Stein Campus. The all-ages choir is typically seen and heard on Sundays at the Congregation of the Great Spirit, a Native American Catholic Church in Milwaukee.
“They sing at Masses, funerals and special celebrations,” said St. Ann Center CNA Rosemarie Alloway, whose mother Loralaine Skowronski, our Respite Supervisor, daughter and godparents are part of the spirited choir.
Accompanied by guitars and drums, the choir sang a number of songs in both English and Ojibwe. Their repertoire ranged from gospel tunes like “Shall We Gather at the River?” and “I’ll Fly Away” to ’60s folk favorite, “I’ll Never Find Another You.” The performance ended with thundering Native drums, inspiring the audience of child care children and adult clients to clap and dance to the moving music.