She is a spirit, a feeling, an idea. She is an ever-evolving group of fabulous, singing women and an eclectic, varied repertoire of exciting, women-centered music. From 2011-2018, she performed off and on, as a tight ensemble, around the Des Moines area at concerts, festivals, and events for an enthusiastic fan base. Now she’s reborning herself to be inclusive to more singers and to fill the needs we now have as women in a changing society. When we first formed, we quickly discovered that many of us liked to do a little side-project for the concerts. Solos, duets, and small groups worked on their own songs which were then highlighted in our unique and well-attended concerts.  This tradition helped define the spirit of Roslyn Stone - everyone gets a voice, and a say in what we perform. This opportunity will be available to anyone who would like to do a featured number in our evening concert after the retreat.  The concept and culture of Roslyn Stone is about great voices, great music, inclusivity, community support and body-positivity. Women of all ages, shapes, and ethnicities are welcome, as long as you can sing!

It’s two events in one! Our day together, on Saturday, will be spent learning, rehearsing, and getting ready for the second part of the event, the private concert. There will also be gourmet-ish meals and snacks, and to break up the singing and give us a rest, there will be several related activities throughout the day. ​ We will be learning 2 to 5 group numbers which will be familiar to many of you, and easy to learn. There will be notated music, as well as rote teaching. If there’s time, we’ll also learn harmonies and backup parts for some of the solos and small ensembles. You will receive rehearsal tracks, notes and sheet music for every song at least a month in advance of the event. We hope you’ll get as familiar with the materials as possible to help our rehearsals go smoothly, but there is no “requirement” for prep. The concert will not be open to the public so that we can focus on a supportive, creative environment for each other. The performances will be recorded and available afterward, and you are welcome to film yourself and others who give their permission.

As our political world has shifted so mercilessly lately, I hear an emerging message coming from the leaders I respect. It says: Build Community. Work to change your own neck of the woods, or corner of the sky. Connect, support, improve. Love. And that’s what I’m going to do, the way I best know how. Through music and connecting with women. To offer a place that strives to be free of judgement and inclusive of all women, in all our infinite variety. A place for women of all sizes (and other definers) to be seen as the gorgeous, talented, and accomplished goddesses we are. I hope some, if not all of you will come and help build community with me. No matter what you believe, and who you are in life, you are welcome and wanted. Let’s change this part of the world a little. This event is for women singers who, we know, exist all over the political and cultural spectrum.

I Know this Rose will Open… Roslyn is blooming into a community ensemble. Our former members may tackle a “Legacy number”, but the concert will feature the new Roslyn Stone with as many of you that want to join in! We ask that you are a woman and that you are fairly confident singing in a group. Experience in any choir or vocal ensemble qualifies you, as does solo/small group performing, harmonizing with recordings, and whatever way you’ve learned and strengthened as a singer. No one has to sing alone if you don’t want to, and there will be no auditions. This event is LGBTQIA welcoming and inclusive of all women. In addition, Roslyn Stone has always included a few Support Gentlemen who help to round out arrangements and provide us with amplification and illumination. We may well have some of those fellows in attendance for all or part of the weekend. The spirit of the event, however, will be focused on uplifting and empowering women in music and all walks of life. Please invite others you know would enjoy a day of music in a positive, supportive environment. Including women of all singing abilities. People who are new to choral singing will have a great, safe opportunity to get started learning, and those of us who were humming in the cradle will have all sorts of opportunities to lead and polish our own performance.

They can be any song or spoken word that vibes with our concert by one, two or more people. If you would like to do one, we'll contact you to talk about how you'd like to be supported. We can help you figure out accompaniments and ways to include the other participants with harmonies, etc. During the event there will be opportunities to rehearse and play with your piece (for feedback or not) and incorporate other folks in your performance. During the evening performance, you will have the opportunity to perform the piece as part of our concert, and have it recorded and videoed (if you want) for you to share as you'd like.

How much the full group will sing on the concert will depend on our preparation and how far we’re able to get in rehearsals. We want a low-stress day, so we’ll err on the side of fewer numbers if we need to. That being said, these are some of the songs currently in consideration: Two choral numbers with sheet music: Let the River Run by Carly Simon Turn the World Around by Harry Belefonte Roslyn Stone favorites, with notes, harmony notations, and rote learning: Ma Muse’s Hallelujah by Longaker & Nutting Black Horse & a Cherry Tree by K.T. Tunstall, arr by Neu and RS Red Red Rose by Robert Burns & Laura Sparks

Well, I’m the royal we, Sarah Neu. I founded this group over a decade ago, and was honored to serve as her director and chief musical arranger. I have a long and sometimes impressive list of musical, educational, theatrical, and gardening accomplishments, but Roslyn Stone has always been my crowning achievement and pride. You can read more about my life here. I am a serial collector of music and musicians and I am so thrilled that this idea has finally emerged from the nebulous pool of possibilities for bringing the group back to life in a different form. I've invited women from all walks of life because singing is universal. It is our birthright. Please invite other women you know would enjoy it. I will be joined by several enthusiastic leaders, including Linda Foster, drum leader extraordinaire and other special guests TBA.

Yep! Roslyn Stone has always been a little ambitious. That being said, it is very important to me that this is a fun, low-stress event and that you all go home with your voices intact. The day will be scheduled and paced in a way that allows time for vocal rest, fun, and relaxation and I’ll be ready to cut songs if it seems like it will be stressful to do everything on the agenda. We’ll also discuss ways to support and preserve our voices throughout the day. And don’t forget, you’ll have all the materials well in advance, so we won’t have to spend much time learning - just polishing and awesomizing.

There are no real requirements for time/participation. If you're comfortable learning your parts on your own, feel free to skip the first couple of hours and join us a little later in the process. The group numbers we're doing together will be finished before 8pm - after that we may have a few solos to appreciate, but we may also just hang out and have fun and maybe sing karaoke. I'd say bare minimum to make it worth your while to come would be 2p-8p. You are also welcome to take a break any time you need, either at Unity (there are places to chill upstairs and down) or to go home for a while and rest. Please feel free to reach out if you'd like more confirmation that you won't be overwhelmed by the schedule.

If you'd like a lesson or a few, or to rehearse/arrange a solo piece with me, I will available between now and the retreat for in-person or online for one-on-one or small group sessions, at an additional cost. Please let me know if you'd like to schedule a time.

Once registered, you will be put on an email list for official notifications, and a private Facebook group for daily conversation with other participants. We'll also send out an email weekly with a summation of the FB group activities for the week. In the future I'd love to have a discord or other way for us to communicate, but for right now, this is what we can handle.

Please bring a big bottle of water, any instruments you may be contributing to arrangements, and anything you need to be comfortable throughout the day. Unity has very comfortable chairs, as well as places to lounge and relax if needed.

Roslyn Stone has had a wonderful working relationship with Unity Center of Des Moines from the very beginning and that’s where we’ll be gathering this time as well! They have a big, beautiful, light-filled sanctuary and comfy seats. What more could we ask for? https://www.unitydesmoines.com/

YES! I am so thrilled to be able to offer professional childcare, for anyone who needs it, for the duration of the event. Please contact me or indicate childcare in the registration form and we'll be in touch to identify how we can cover your requirements.

Unity Center of Des Moines is located just west of downtown, which has many hotels, restaurants, and curiosities including the Sculpture Park. Any lodging in that area would be less than a 10 minute drive to Unity. Other fairly close locations are the airport, and Valley Junction. If you would prefer to stay with another attendee, please feel free to post that on the Facebook group, and I can put the word out as well. https://www.unitydesmoines.com/

I have been there sister! I’m still there fairly often. You will come. You will fill out the registration form and mark an x next to “financial aid”. We’ll get you covered. We have both work exchanges and scholarships available, depending on your needs.

Maybe! I sure hope so! I hope to offer similar events in the future, as well as retreats for less experienced singers, and all-inclusive groups. I’m also available to do a similar workshop or concert for your groups, organizations and venues. Please contact me for more information.