Bracebridge, Ontario-based collaboration Chorus of Courage is many things. It is a space created to hold and honour the voices and stories of survivors of violence (their storytellers). “We came together as a group and became friends and allies – a supportive family. We created a home to explore some of the most difficult experiences one can imagine – a retreat – and we did it with love, music, silence, acceptance, guidance, connection, and movement, hand in hand. This project explores the entire spectrum of emotions that are felt through the unique experiences of the ones we are here to honour – our storytellers.”Artist and therapist Cindy Doire leads Chorus of Courage, connecting the project’s storytellers and their allies, professional musicians who have developed dialogues with the survivors and reflected on their experiences, crafting songs that seek to transmit complex lived experiences.Torontonian singer-songwriter Julian Taylor penned Chorus of Courage’s melodic and caring debut single, “Sweet Little Hummingbird,” as a response to survivor Denyse and her story. Its delicate piano melodies and acoustic guitar strumming compliment Taylor’s kind and open vocal delivery. 

Reflecting on the song’s writing, Taylor explains:

“It is a story of abuse and a struggle through pain that was shared with me through a letter she wrote to me and then through conversations we had with one another where she would go into more detail about the trauma that she faced as a young person and how she’s worked through it. The horrible and horrific things that happened to her scared me to the core and I vowed to keep her story close to my chest and use music and poetry as a way to heal, communicate and reveal the pure strength and pure resonance she illuminates.”