WATCH: Golden Voices Festival Showcases the Joy of Choir Singing for Older Adults
Recently highlighted on 6abc’s Art of Aging segment, PCA hosted its second annual Golden Voices Festival, celebrating the power of music and community connection among older adults. Held at KleinLife in Northeast Philadelphia, the event featured seven culturally diverse choirs from senior centers across the region, showcasing the talents and unique stories of older adults.
Wanda Mitchell, PCA’s Director of Community Engagement, described the festival as “uplifting performances, really representing their communities.” The event reflects PCA’s mission to help older adults live with independence and dignity while fostering social engagement.
Andrea Kimelheim, Active Adult Program Director at KleinLife, emphasized the importance of the festival in uniting the community, saying, “It’s a wonderful opportunity to get all of the seniors together to share their talents.” KleinLife’s own choir, Fargenign, opened the event with songs in English, Yiddish, Hebrew, and Russian, setting a multicultural tone for the day.
Other participating choirs included:
- Golden Age Choir from On Lok House
- Star Harbor Senior Community Center Choir
- Philadelphia Senior Center (PSC) on the Avenue of the Arts Choir
- PSC Coffee Cup Choir
- Northern Living Center’s Golden Voices Choir
- Southwest Senior Center Choir
The festival highlighted the transformative impact of music. For example, 94-year-old pianist Lois Kukcinovich from Northern Living Center found renewed purpose in performing. “Participating in the choir brings joy,” she said. “During the pandemic, I was home lonely, but now I’m there five days a week.”
Choirs like Southwest Senior Center’s also created an interactive experience, inviting the audience to sing along. Carolyn Sims-Nesmith, choir director at Southwest Senior Center, remarked, “So many different cultures, seniors getting together and singing—it was just a great experience.”
Mitchell expressed hopes that events like the Golden Voices Festival inspire more older adults to join their local senior centers, experience the joy of singing, and build lasting connections with their communities.
WATCH (via 6abc): PCA’s Golden Voices Festival Highlights Musical Talents of Older Adults
