Santa Barbara Threshold Singers

12/13/2025

The Guardian has published another article on the work of the Threshold Choir, this time focusing on the chapter in Devon, England. It includes a link to a 20-minute documentary. "Rest Easy" -- one of the songs featured in the video -- was composed by Marilyn Power Scott, who co-founded the Santa Barbara chapter of the choir.

https://www.theguardian.com/.../threshold-the-choir-who...

Many thanks to The Guardian!

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/dec/12/he-was-struggling-with-his-breath-i-sat-beside-him-and-sang-the-choir-who-sing-to-people-on-their-deathbeds?fbclid=IwY2xjawOqh9pleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETFBcmxPenRqOWtmQjl2YVNWc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHpMw9eTJGQy-BjrmwWlrY9TmHMPRhzKQ0hahYAYfHZq-F-d9LIpbDYW6GceA_aem_sOdkibEv16qw2vwfmC54UA

Just as lullabies send babies to sleep, so songs can help those at the other end of life on their way. The leader of a Threshold Choir reveals what they do – and the personal tragedies that convinced her we need to get better at dealing with death

11/27/2025

Annie Garretson has given us permission to post the video from last night's singing for the Interfaith service. We sang her song "May Peace Be With You" in English, Spanish, Hebrew, and Arabic.

Each year since 2022, the Santa Barbara Threshold Singers have participated in the Interfaith Thanksgiving service that takes place on the Tuesday before Tha...

11/26/2025

Nine of us from the Santa Barbara Threshold Singers participated in the Interfaith Thanksgiving service this evening. Spiritual leaders from many different traditions -- Christian, Jewish, Islam, Chumash, Baha'i, Hindu, Sufi, Buddhist -- spoke and sang and offered prayers and blessings.

As we have done each year for the last 4 years, we sang Annie Garretson's lovely song "May Peace Be With You" in English, Spanish, Hebrew, and Arabic. One of our members also translated into American Sign Language.

It's a wonderful way to start the Thanksgiving holiday!

11/21/2025

November 20th is the Transgender Day of Remembrance. In Santa Barbara, the event takes place in the archway of the Courthouse. The main portion of the ceremony consists of the reading of the names of transgendered people who have been killed or died by su***de in the past year. This year there were 57 names from the United States and 250 from other countries. Even more heartbreakingly, for some, the name and/or age of the person are unknown.

The Santa Barbara Threshold Singers participate by singing a song before the reading of the names and at the conclusion of the ceremony. We feel so grateful that we have songs to offer for this ceremony of remembrance.

11/19/2025

The Guardian just published a piece on the work of the Threshold Choir!

I'm not sure why they featured a choir in Australia, rather than the U.K., but the information may inspire people to find choirs in their own area.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/nov/17/it-was-the-last-time-mum-smiled-at-me-the-choirs-singing-to-the-dying-in-three-part-harmony?CMP=fb_gu&utm_medium=Social_img&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwY2xjawOKD31leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETEyVGtjQXlqbzlrdGppeGF0c3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHuu4Gnz1EUh_-BMlDuKH8gq7oZYwEMg6fNpDprj0aiABvq7fDFJ8VqiBY1tB_aem_tOJBEMHhUzsKc9yO4yqeJg =1763308163

A worldwide movement to sing gentle songs to the dying provides comfort, peace and release to both the suffering and the singers

11/09/2025

As part of the Silver Jubilee celebrations, chapters were invited to create either a page or a video as a tribute the Threshold Choir's founder, Kate Munger. Our chapter chose to create a video, using Kate's song "Your Place at the Table" as the music.

Kate's inspiration for the song was the title of a cookbook written by our beloved Teresa Fanucchi. Our chapter used to host the Southern CA Regional Gathering, and Teresa, who served as the chef for the Center for Spiritual Renewal at La Casa de Maria, would create a delicious lunch that satisfied all of the dietary restrictions participants had noted on their registration forms. At the end of one of the Regional Gatherings, Teresa presented Kate with the cookbook she'd compiled of many of the recipes she'd created for the retreat center.

At our "Singing in the Park" afternoon in August, members of the San Luis Obispo chapter joined us in singing "Your Place at the Table" so we could create a soundtrack for the video.

This tribute to Kate Munger was created to celebrate the 25th anniversary (Silver Jubilee) of the Threshold Choir, which she founded on the spring equinox of...

11/09/2025

Today was the Threshold Choir's final Silver Jubilee Zoom celebration. One of our members hosted a watch party, and it was really fun to be able to share the excitement with other singers.

The program featured a number of tributes to our founder, Kate Munger, along with recognition of the strong support that Melanie DeMore has given over the years.

One particularly moving segment was the honoring of choir members who have died. From our chapter that included Tara Cloud (2017), Gloria Liggett (2023), Teresa Fanucchi (2023), Carol Sharpe (2023), and Marti Glenn (2025).

Here's the link to the video for the song "Listening to the Call," which Laura Fannon composed as a tribute to Kate Munger.

Laura Fannon wrote "Listening to the Call" as a tribute to Kate Munger, founder of the (now international) Threshold Choir, whose calling is to sing at the b...

10/16/2025

The Santa Barbara Threshold Singers had a table at the Senior Expo today. We gave out copies of the book "A Mother's Final Gift" by Barry and Joyce Vissell, along with bookmarks with our contact information, showed videos of us singing, held a number of profound conversations with attendees, reconnected with several women who used to sing with us, and generally did our best to let the community know that we are here to sing for their loved ones.

10/13/2025

The Santa Barbara Threshold Singers will have a table at the Senior Expo on Wednesday to let people know that we are available to sing for their loved ones who are in the end stage of life.

Barry and Joyce Vissell have generously donated copies of their book "A Mother's Final Gift" for us to give out. It describes the family's experience of caring for Joyce's mother Louise in the last year of her life. Louise viewed dying as a great adventure and considered the process of dying consciously as her gift to the world.

Please stop by and see us (and pick up a copy of the book)!

Santa Barbara's Senior Expo & Active Aging Fair is the premier health fair and services exposition for older adults and caretakers.

09/21/2025

What an afternoon!

In the second of our series of get-togethers with the nearest Threshold Choir chapters, we invited members of the Westside (Los Angeles) and the newly-formed San Fernando Valley groups to join us for an afternoon of singing under the live oaks at Tuckers Grove Park. A woman from the Brisbane, Australia, chapter also happened to be in Santa Barbara, so she was able to participate, too!

Good food, good singing, good camaraderie -- it was such a healing balm for the spirit.

03/06/2025

"THE HEALING WATER"

I can't really claim to have "written" this song. I found myself singing it in the shower the morning after I finished reading a book called "River Boy." As I listened to myself sing, I realized that the song was new and had come through me during the night. (This took place at the All-Choir Gathering at Bishops Ranch in April of 2012.) I went to the dining hall for breakfast and sang it to the people at my table. When it was time for announcements, they encouraged me to take the microphone and sing it to the assembled participants. Soon people were singing along and adding harmonies. It has been in the repertoire of the Threshold Choir ever since.

In preparation for the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Threshold Choir, chapters were asked to send in the 10 songs they sing most often at the bedside. "The Healing Water" (along with my song "Dear One" and Marilyn Power Scott's song "Rest Easy") turned up on the list of the top 25. In celebration of the choir's Silver Jubilee celebration, the organization has put together a collection of recordings of these songs, entitled "Rest Easy: Songs of Comfort," which will be available for purchase by the public.

The organization is also establishing a YouTube channel to let people know more about the bedside singing we do. For this purpose, twelve members of our chapter recently went to the Palm Loft Gallery to record the three songs that our chapter contributed to the "Top 25." Here is the link to "The Healing Water."

For the Threshold Choir's SilverJubilee celebration, the international organization identified the 25 songs most often sung at the bedside. This list include...