NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — There's one thing guaranteed to bring the community together in Nashville — and that's music.
Members in the Nashville Voices of Resilience Homeless Choir have either experienced homelessness or worked closely with those who have.
Founded by Daniel Holmes, who experienced homelessness for five years, the choir is made up of about 10 people united by a shared mission to use music as a bridge between communities.
"I said I'd like to have a homeless choir because I was homeless for five years," Holmes said, when looking back at his desire to create this group.
Conductor Nat Peterson Lopes joined after Holmes approached them with the idea.
"He told me one day, hey, so I kind of want to start a homeless choir, you want to help out? And I was like yeah I know about music, yeah absolutely," Peterson Lopes said.
"The people in your life that are the most giving and the most generous are those that have the least," they said.
Holmes describes the group as more than an ensemble — it is a family.
"We know each other because we call each other every night, we talk to each other," he said. "We speak with each other, this is a family, this is not just a company."
This Saturday, the choir will host a community gathering built around music, art and connection. The event is from 2-5 at 1502 Edgehill Avenue in Nashville. It's also a fundraiser to support low-income families in need of stable housing.
Holmes said the path to helping someone experiencing homelessness is simpler than many might think.
"If you're watching today and you ask yourself, what does it take to help a person who is homeless, it just takes love," he said. "That's all I would say – it just takes a little bit of understanding, and to say to someone I love you. Or, I care."
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