Blog
Good morning, Singers. A large group of us gathered last Saturday to rehearse at the Guthrie, and found that being together, singing together, laughing, and hugging felt very healing. It truly did make things better for 90 minutes and we are so grateful to all of you who were part of just being together.
We will be rehearsing on Saturday, January 31, 2:00-3:30 on the 8th floor of the Guthrie. It is a perfect day to sing with us and feel free to bring friends and neighbors who want to feel that comfort of sharing music together.
Rehearsal schedule for the remainder of the 2025-26 season:
-January 31
-February 7, 14, 21, 28
-March 7, 14, 21, 28
-April 11, 18, 25
-May 2, 9, 16, 30
-June 6, 13, 20
Remember to read your emails as there are always surprises along the way. You can also check us out at www.bethatneighbor.org on the blog and at https://www.facebook.com/BeThatNeighbor. Please like our Facebook page.
Hope to sing with all of you soon!
One of the great joys of doing the work we do is being able to witness how community works. A longtime singer in the Mill City Singers contacted me on Monday, asking if we could use some blankets. Penzeys Spices was giving some away. When I told her we could, she contacted them. The next day I got an email asking if we could use 288 blankets, and they would deliver them. On Wednesday, just in time for the cold snap, they delivered to our local food shelf. Within the first 20 minutes, 36 of them were claimed. THIS is a wonderful story of neighbor helping neighbor and doing the right thing . . .be THAT neighbor.
We are so grateful!
Baby, it's going to be cold outside!! The best antidote is to join us INSIDE on Saturday, January 24th, 2:00-3:30 on the 8th floor of the Guthrie. We will spend 90 minutes singing songs of joy and optimism. That means we will sing wrong notes and words, AND right notes and words along with plenty of laughter and community. It is guaranteed to leave you feeling better and empowered to face whatever comes our way. If ever there was a time for community, it is now. Together we are stronger!
Rehearsal schedule for the remainder of the 2025-26 season:
-January 24, 31
-February 7, 14, 21, 28
-March 7, 14, 21, 28
-April 11, 18, 25
-May 9, 16, 30
-June 6, 13, 20
Remember to read your emails as there are always surprises along the way. You can also check us out at www.bethatneighbor.org on the blog and at https://www.facebook.com/BeThatNeighbor. Please like our Facebook page.
Thank you for all you do.
Good morning, singers. Missing singing together? Me too! One week from today we are back from our winter hiatus and will be rehearsing on Saturday, January 24th, 2:00-3:30 on the 8th floor of the Guthrie. Missing the giggles and hugs? Me too! Music and giggles are guaranteed, hugs are optional!
Our rehearsals happen over 30 Saturdays/year, 2:00-3:30 on the 8th floor of the Guthrie. JD and Fred teach us songs of joy and optimism and you WILL leave feeling better than you did when you came. Oh, AND we may dance from time to time!!
There are no fees and no auditions, just music and joy.
Join us and bring your friends. You will be so glad you did.
Rehearsal Schedule
-January 24, 31
-February 7, 14, 21, 28
-March 7, 14, 21, 28
-April 11, 18, 25
-May 9, 16, 30
-June 6, 13, 20
See you all soon!
We are planning our new year of singing together and working together to build a stronger and healthier community. Can singing do that for you? It certainly can, and it can't be easier than it is.
We rehearse 30 Saturdays/year, 2:00-3:30 on the 8th floor of the Guthrie. JD and Fred will teach us songs of joy and optimism and you WILL leave feeling better than you did when you came. Oh, AND we may dance from time to time!!
There are no fees and no auditions, just music and joy.
Join us and bring your friends. You will be so glad you did.
Rehearsal Schedule
-January 24, 31
-February 7, 14, 21, 28
-March 7, 14, 21, 28
-April 11, 18, 25
-May 9, 16, 30
-June 6, 13, 20
See you all soon!
hat a wonderful celebration! Thank you to all of you for great fundraiser/party.
To each and every singer . . .you are the best! Together we make really beautiful and joyful music and we are so grateful. We will come back together on January 24th at 2:00-3:30 on the 8th floor of the Guthrie. Liked what you heard? Mark your calendars and join us.
To the Sallie Steele Birdsong Scholarship singers . . .WOW!!!! The future is bright and hopeful because you sing your music. Thank you for sharing it with all of us.
To James WIlliams (JW) and the cast of Hope 612 . . . . you moved us. We heard your words, we heard your names, and we felt the story you told us. Following this project over the next few years will be exciting.
To each and every donor . . . .thanks is too small. I meet with so many people who work in nonprofits and they are struggling to stay alive. We struggle too, BUT after 10 years, our 'secret sauce' is YOU. Be That Neighbor has become what we hoped it would, a community of people coming together to be THAT neighbor. You are and we are so grateful.
Happy holidays to all.
Chuck, JD, Jennifer, Jan, Susan, Mimi, and Claudia
Good morning! It's here. Tomorrow we will be hosting our first ever holiday celebration at MacPhail School for Music at 501 2nd St South. The concert is at 4:00-5:30 and will feature the Mill City Singers, the cast of Hope 612, and recipients of the Sallie Steele Birdsong scholarship. There will also be a surprise guest, Billy Steele (oops, I spoiled the surprise)! We will be singing songs of joy and optimism and you don't want to miss this.
Singers, please plan to be at MacPhail by 2:30 for a soundcheck. Meet in Antonello Hall.
Tis the Season is our annual fundraiser and we need your help selling tickets. Everything Be That Neighbor does is free to participants, and yet there are significant costs associated with each program. The more tickets we can sell, the more it helps us do what we love to do. Our board is an all volunteer board. We started all the programs, manage them, and fundraise to be able to hire the very best professionals we can find to lead every program. Tickets are on sale at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tis-the-season-with-be-that-neighbor-tickets-1848865389149?aff=oddtdtcreator. Spread the word. Tickets are still available!
Join us, we are anxious to 'show off' our programs and sing together as a community. Thank you for all you do!
Hello to all!! We are just a few days from our fundraiser, Tis the Season on December 20th at 4:00-5:30 at MacPhail. Tickets are available at
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tis-the-season-with-be-that-neighbor-tickets-1848865389149?aff=oddtdtcreator
There are 2 songs we will be singing that you can rehearse at home. Love Never Fails at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEXdpmnyPJM&list=RDBEXdpmnyPJM&start_radio=1
and
Joy at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MwKaVbfd5E&list=RD5MwKaVbfd5E&start_radio=1
It's going to be a fabulous evening and SO much fun!!! Choir members, see you at MacPhail at 2:30 on the 20th for the soundcheck.
Claudia
All the programs supported by Be That Neighbor are free to participants. That is part of our mission and we are proud of that mission. The all volunteer board of Be That Neighbor spends much of their energies to raise money to offer these 'free' programs.
Once a year we have a fundraiser to help with our mission. This year's is at Antonello Hall in MacPhail Center for Music on December 20 at 4:00. You can buy tickets at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tis-the-season-with-be-that-neighbor-tickets-1848865389149?aff=oddtdtcreator.
The concert will feature the Mill City Singers, recipients of the Sallie Steele Birdsong Scholarship, and a reading by the cast of Hope 612. Bring everyone. You won't be disappointed and you will be helping to sustain so many community programs.
Tis the Season!! We are having great fun rehearsing for our concert on December 20th. Join us on Saturday, December 6th and 13th, 2:00-3:30 on the 8th floor of the Guthrie. The songs we are singing are gorgeous and great fun. Don't worry if you don't know them well yet. You WILL with 2 more rehearsals.
Join us!
All the programs supported by Be That Neighbor are free to participants. That is part of our mission and we are proud of that mission. The all volunteer board of Be That Neighbor spends much of their energies to raise money to offer these 'free' programs.
Once a year we have a fundraiser to help with our mission. This year's is at Antonello Hall in MacPhail Center for Music on December 20 at 4:00. You can buy tickets at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tis-the-season-with-be-that-neighbor-tickets-1848865389149?aff=oddtdtcreator.
The concert will feature the Mill City Singers, recipients of the Sallie Steele Birdsong Scholarship, and a reading by the cast of Hope 612. Bring everyone. You won't be disappointed and you will be helping to sustain so many community programs.
Thank you for all you do!
#BeThatNeighbor
As we prepare to spend time with family and friends to remember how thankful we are, please know that everyone at Be That Neighbor is thankful to you. We are thankful for your support, for your participation, for your willingness to be part of this community.
It's a perfect week to remind your friends and family that we will be performing on December 20th at MacPhail Center for Music. This is our fundraiser for the season. The concert begins at 4:00 and will feature the Mill City Singers, recipients of the Sallie Steele Birdsong scholarship, and the cast of Hope 612. We will be singing songs of the season and songs of joy and optimism. You won't want to miss it!
Tickets are tax deductible and can be purchased at HTTPS://TINYURL.COM/2PJK6T53
Susan, Jan, Mimi, Chuck, JD, Jennifer, and Claudia
Good morning, Singers! Come rehearse with us on Saturday, November 22nd at 2:00 on the 8th floor of the Guthrie. We are learning new songs that will be featured at on our concert on December 20th. 'Love Never Fails' by Fred Hammond is an amazing song, and if you learn best by repetition as JD reminds us, you can rehearse by singing along at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgtXy7SIRrM...We hope to sing with all of you on Saturday. You will be glad you came!!The rehearsal schedule for the rest of 2025 is November 22December 6December 13December 20---concert at MacPhail (tickets on sale at https://www.eventbrite.com/.../tis-the-season-with-be...)It's going to be a wonderful end of an exciting year. 2026 will bring many new adventures.Thank you for all you do!
Good morning, Singers! I hope everyone is enjoying their week and planning to rehearse with us on Saturday, November 15th at 2:00 on the 8th floor of the Guthrie. We are learning new songs that will be featured at on our concert on December 20th. 'Love Never Fails' by Fred Hammond is an amazing song, and if you learn best by repetition as JD reminds us, you can rehearse by singing along at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgtXy7SIRrM&list=RDYgtXy7SIRrM&start_radio=1
We hope to sing with all of you on Saturday. You will be glad you came!!
Rehearsal Saturday, November 8th!!
Here we are, preparing for our 1st every holiday concert. We are learning classics, arranged by JD and Fred and having a wonderful time. Join us and make sure your friends and neighbors know about our concert on December 20th. Tickets can be purchased at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tis-the-season-with-be-that-neighbor-tickets-1848865389149?aff=oddtdtcreator.
The food drive for our neighbors in the Cedar Riverside community is off to an incredible start. We have donated almost 600 pounds of food and the need continues. Please bring your donation to choir rehearsal and it will be transported to the Brian Coyle food shelf. We all do better then we all do better!
The schedule for the rest of 2025 is:
November 8, 15
December 6, 13, 20 (Holiday concert and fundraiser for Be That Neighbor, 4:00)
Thank you for all you do!!
Good morning, Singers! It is a busy week and I hope all of you are ready for some fun, some singing, and some help for our neighbors.
BTN is asking you to bring donations of food on Saturday to help our neighbors in Cedar Riverside. SNAP benefits which helps feed 1 of every 8 Americans and provides on average $186 monthly for food resources will likely not arrive on Saturday. They need our help right now. Trips to the food shelf at Brian Coyle have doubled this week, anticipating not getting help from the SNAP program.
Please donate shelf stable items like flour, sugar, noodles, lentils, canned goods, vegetable oil, olive oil, cereal, canned tuna, canned chicken, etc. Please put them in the boxes in the front lobby. Claudia will transport them to the Brian Coyle Center. If you are a snow bird, and looking to clear out food while you are gone, this is perfect!
We will be rehearsing on Saturday, November 1st, 2:00-3:30 on the 8th floor of the Guthrie. The focus right now is preparing for our holiday concert on December 20th. JD and Fred are creating really gorgeous arrangements of some holiday classics. You won't want to miss a minute. Tickets are available at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tis-the-season-with-be-that-neighbor-tickets-1848865389149?aff=oddtdtcreator
You are also invited to Coffee with Claudia on November 3rd at 9:30 at Mother Dough on 2nd and Park. We at Be That Neighbor believe there is far more happening that is good, that is working, and that is building a better community. The relentless drumbeat of all types of media serve to distract us and convince us there is no hope. We disagree.
We believe we need more conversation, time to come together and share what is happening that builds our neighborhood and that brings joy. There is wisdom here. People are our best resource and we want to tap into that and present a venue where we can come together to talk with each other.
Claudia Kittock is co-founder and Executive Director of Be That Neighbor. She has connections throughout our amazing city and will lead a discussion about the good things happening in our city.
On the first Monday of each month, we will sponsor “Coffee with Claudia” meeting at different coffee shops throughout our community. There will be no discussion of politics, no discussion of the problems we face, rather we are asking people to come to talk about and listen to our neighbors tell us what is working. Why do this? It’s too easy to forget that neighbors still look out for each other, that small efforts matter, and that joy is part of community life.
See you on Saturday, and hopefully, Monday!
Mill City Singers
Ten years ago, on October 24th, the Mill City Singers had the first rehearsal. It was at First Covenant Church and 29 people came. We KNEW something special had happened, and even though we had only contracted for 8 rehearsals, it was clear we had to find a way to do more.
A group of friends decided to form a nonprofit that eventually was known as Be That Neighbor. Our first goal was to find a way to keep the singers singing, so we started fundraising. Led by Ken Searl, we found a way to pay the expenses so that people who wanted to sing with us were not charged and that remains true today. If you want to sing with us, there are no fees, no auditions, and no requirements. You just have to come.
Along the way, the Guthrie offered us a space to rehearse and we started singing at events at Westminster Presbyterian, the Ordway, Orchestra Hall, the Capri, Waterworks Park, Powderhorn Park, and many other places. We sing because we love singing and being part of this community is healing. Music matters and so does the community that comes from that.
We are so grateful to everyone who has reached a hand out to help us over the years. MacPhail, the Guthrie, Theater in the Round, and every single donor and there have been hundreds. Every donation touches our hearts and keeps us singing and that matters!
What will the next 10 years bring? Oh, we can't wait to find out. Come and rehearse with us at the Guthrie today, October 25th, 2:00-3:30 on the 8th floor of the Guthrie. Find out about the magic that happens. We promise you will leave feeling better than you did when you came!
A photographer from MacPhail will be at rehearsal today, taking photos to publicize us and our upcoming concerts. Please dress accordingly.
We will begin rehearsing for our concert on December 20th which is a fundraiser for Be That Neighbor. Tickets are available and can be purchased at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tis-the-season-with-be-that-neighbor-tickets-1848865389149?aff=oddtdtcreator
The schedule for the 2025-26 season is as follows;
October 25
November 1, 8, 15
December 6, 13, 20 (at Antonello Hall at MacPhail)
January 17, 24, 31
February 7, 14, 21, 28
March 7, 14, 21, 28
April 11, 18, 25
May 2, 9, 16, 30
June 6, 13, 20
Thank you!!!
Join us tomorrow, October 21st at the Capri Theater, 2027 West Broadway! We are the guests of the Capri for a concert featuring us, the MacPhail Community Youth Choir (MCYC), and the Capri Glee.
The concert begins with us, so JD is asking you be there by 5:30 for a sound check. Our set consists of;
What's Going On https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-kA3UtBj4M&list=RDH-kA3UtBj4M&start_radio=1
Together We Stand https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25MIXWMg_BI&list=RD25MIXWMg_BI&start_radio=1
Joy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25MIXWMg_BI&list=RD25MIXWMg_BI&start_radio=1
Come and join the fun! You won't want to miss a minute.
See you there.
Saturday will be a perfect day to sing together with our incredible community of singers. Join us on October 18th, 2:00-3:30 on the 8th floor of the Guthrie. We have begun learning holiday songs for our concert on December 20th, as well as the songs we will be singing at the Capri on Tuesday, the 21st. A photographer from MacPhail will be at rehearsal on Saturday, taking photos to publicize us and our upcoming concerts. Please dress accordingly.
As you remember, we will be performing at the Capri on October 21st at 7:00, as guests of Capri Glee. It's enormously fun. Please wear fall colors and be at the Capri by 5:30 for a sound check. I have also been asked to remind everyone that is a 'no fragrance' event. If you have not reserved tickets for friends and family for the concert at the Capri, do so now at https://www.simpletix.com/e/capri-glee-choir-in-concert-tickets-237574.
Please remind your friends and family that on December 20th, 4:00 at MacPhail, we will be the featured choir for the "Tis the Season' fundraiser for Be That Neighbor! Two great events to look forward to
The schedule for the 2025-26 season is as follows;
October 8, 21st at Capri Theater, and 25
November 1, 8, 15
December 6, 13, 20 (at Antonello Hall at MacPhail)
January 17, 24, 31
February 7, 14, 21, 28
March 7, 14, 21, 28
April 11, 18, 25
May 2, 9, 16, 30
June 6, 13, 20
Thank you!