www.montereycountynow.com JANUARY 8-14, 2026 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 5 831 “We’ve planned something for you,” says Susie Joyce, who in 2011 started a local chapter of Threshold Choir, a California nonprofit whose members sing a cappella at the bedsides of people at life’s thresholds to offer comfort. “We would like to put you in the practice chair and sing for you.” Four other women in the room— Jill Bernier, Tracy Ruhs, Charlotte Noyes and Lacey Raak—nod with big smiles. Perhaps this is the easiest way to understand the nature of the service the Threshold Choir offers: to experience it firsthand, from the perspective of a patient. After all, while most of the singing for the local chapter—now Monterey Bay Threshold Singers, formerly Threshold Singers of Pacific Grove—takes place at Central Coast Home Health and Hospice in Monterey, bedside singing is not only for dying patients; it can serve in moments of healing—physical, such as after a surgery, or emotionally, through grief. Lying in the chaise lounge-like practice chair, covered by a blanket and surrounded by five soft female voices— the organization is open to men, if they are ready to audibly blend in—transforms reality. Gone are the five elegant ladies who gathered in a cozy Monterey condo around a pot of coffee and holiday baked goods; they transformed into a choir of angels, whose quiet presence and energy of their soft lullaby voices affect the recipient of this unusual attention almost immediately. It’s not a coincidence that in order to become a fully qualified bedside singer, one has to be sung to while lounging in the practice chair. “It feels like magic,” says Ruhs, who joined the small Monterey Bay chapter after moving from Napa, where she sang with Threshold Choir since 2000. Celebrating its 25th anniversary, the organization, founded by Kate Munger of California, now has 200 chapters around the world. Threshold Singers sing only when invited (a request comes from the patient, the family or from the community), often on a weekly basis, in groups of two to four for up to 30 minutes. Most of their songs have been written by members for bedside singing. There are 10 “core songs,” but the songbook the organization uses contains more than 500 songs—all simple, gentle and universal (the choir is a secular organization). Some of those songs are “letting go” songs, designed to accompany people in their last steps. They are sung only when specifically requested. The magic is achieved through melody and also words. Many lyrics reference nature—shadows and sun, oceans, wind and trees, and convey oneness. The choir can join the patient at any moment of their journey. The singers share a story of an 86-year-old who got too spry and was “kicked out of the hospice.” These days, the choir sings to her at her own place each week, and she sings along. “It’s sacred,” Bernier says, explaining her sense of the mission. “It feeds us,” says Joyce, who a few years ago drove 33,000 miles around the country and sang with 60 different Threshold Choir chapters. She told her story in a book she wrote, titled The Songs We Sing. Because the job can be emotional also to the singers, they train to stay present and collected; in the toughest moments, they lean on their sisters in service for emotional support. They definitely don’t see themselves as performing. “Others call our service ‘kindness made audible,’” Joyce says. Many members seem to join a chapter of Threshold Choir after experiencing a loss in a family. Such is the case with Raak, who recently lost her grandmother and a mother-in-law. She is the newest member of the group, on the verge of becoming a bedside singer, after six months of practice. (She heard about the organization from a coworker who has since left the area.) “I’m honored to be with this group of women,” Raak says. “It feels like something my female ancestors would do—gather with other women to sing and help people passing a threshold. It’s a new thing, but it’s also a very old thing.” To learn more about the Threshold Choir, visit thresholdchoir.org. On the Threshold Bedside singers offer comfort to those nearing death or in moments of healing. By Agata Popęda “Others call our service ‘kindness made audible.’” TALES FROM THE AREA CODE MATILDA OELFKE The Monterey Bay Threshold Singers sing a cappella at the bedsides of those seeking comfort in the final stage of their lives. They also sing to people in healing or in grief. SAVE THE DATES Join us throughout the year as we celebrate and support the Monterey Peninsula business community. Thursday, January 22, 2026 Annual Membership Luncheon Saturday, March 14, 2026 Annual Awards Dinner Thursday, July 23, 2026 Business Excellence Awards See the full schedule of events at montereychamber.com See our full schedule of events at montereychamber.com
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