JoAnne Spies is a singer songwriter and poet who collaborates with her audience in rhythm and sound explorations. Recent works include “Karaoke Confession,” “Trust” and “Courage,” guided tour/community performances created at the Norman Rockwell Museum. Her song “Survivor Tree,” written in honor of the callery pear tree that survived the blast at Ground Zero, was sung by the tree with Jane Goodall officiating for International Day of Peace. She has written six songs for “Watershed Waltz,” an interactive environmental program for schools funded by the Westfield River Watershed Association and Marmalade Productions. "RiverMASS," a multi-cultural performance event she created in 2004, honored the Housatonic River and Mohican heritage. Since 2001 JoAnne has headed up the Art Cart program at Community Access to the Arts, co-creating songs with patients and people with Alzheimer’s in six Berkshire Healthcare settings. Her latest CD, “Ecstatic Dances,” is used for movement and meditation in Alzheimer’s units and dance studios. Honors include Massachusetts Cultural Council grants for “Me & Melville” and “Sounding Mohican Pathways,” and a composer and visual arts fellowship at the Millay Colony.
