Homeless find ‘sanctuary’ in choir
Group in S.A. makes comeback after pandemic
SAN ANTONIO—In the sanctuary of Travis Park Church, Joe Solis practiced his trumpet solo for Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World.”
He played the notes softly, evoking a melancholy tone to the classic song. While playing, he disappears, he said.
“I’m not here,” Solis, 43, said with a smile.
Solis has been in music for 20 years and homeless for nine. During that time, he’s had six trumpets stolen.
The Alamo City Street Choir recently made its comeback after a 16-month hiatus due to the pandemic. The choir started practicing again in June and performed at the grand opening of the Corazón Day Center, which feeds the homeless and connects them to resources.
Solis joined the choir when it first formed in the fall of 2019. Now he practices with the church’s trumpet, tucking it away safely in the room before leaving to find somewhere to sleep.
“This is where I find sanctuary,” he said.
Just before rehearsal, choir director Tracy Bjella Powers woke him up outside.
More than a dozen people — homeless, formerly homeless, church volunteers and community members — started practice with new binders and freshly printed music. Each song was hopeful, whether religious or a classic.
Bjella Powers told the choir to warm up with Carole King’s “You’ve Got a Friend.”
At one point, she stopped the group, emphasizing the higher pitch in one of the verses.
“And I’ll be there,” they sang, the pitch now higher on the “be.”
James Brown, one of the choir singers, moved his hands, raising them higher and lower to mimic the song’s pitch.
“Yeah, there you go,” Bjella Powers said, smiling as she moved her hands with him.
Samuel Pitamber, a tenor with the San Antonio Chamber Choir, was a guest singer for Wednesday’s rehearsal.
The choir itself has both people with and without housing. “It’s a really beautiful mix,” Bjella Powers said.
Many people in the homeless community are reticent about joining the choir, Bjella Powers said. There is no need for an audition or prior singing knowledge, though. They just need a good attitude.
“Let’s learn how to sing together,” she said.
Bjella Powers strives to have the choir perform every two months.
Participants not only sing, they have the opportunity to harness their musical talents with other instruments, such as trumpets, bongos or the piano.
The choir members help each other find their songs, clean up after rehearsal and encourage everyone to try their best.
“Music is a means to connect with people,” Pitamber said.
It can inspire anyone. For the homeless, the choir provides a safe refuge from the streets both physically and mentally. Each rehearsal, about an hour long, provides an outlet for stress and a constructive goal.
But Bjella Powers thinks the homeless community does more for the housed population.
“The homeless population gives the rest of us a glimpse into true humility,” she said. “It’s just what we all can learn from.”
The Alamo City Street Choir rehearses every Wednesday from 5 to 6 p.m. in the sanctuary at Travis Park Church, 230 E. Travis St., San Antonio, 78205. Masks currently are required.