Coro de Cámara members at Ashley Pond Pavilion. Courtesy photo

BY THOMAS GRAVES
Coro de Cámara

With the goal of creating connections, raising mental health awareness, and fostering mental well-being, the Coro de Cámara chamber chorus offers three unique performances of “Connections: Sharing Our Mental Health Stories” on October 16, 18, and 19 in Los Alamos and Santa Fe. The program includes inspiring pop, Broadway, and choral music; dance, drama, and real-life stories; a Q&A with mental health professionals; and free resources. 

Coro Artistic Director, Nylea Butler-Moore, who has long considered creating a program about mental health, felt the time is right for this program given the pressures many of us are experiencing. Having a special concern for teens and their mental well-being, Butler-Moore invited youth choirs from Los Alamos High School and Pojoaque to join Coro in the October 16 benefit performance for LAUNCH (Los Alamos Uniting for Community Health). See below for a link to LAUNCH info. Coro and guest musicians also present 4:00 p.m. performances of the program at the Unitarian Church of Los Alamos on October 18 and at UU Santa Fe on October 19. 

One of the inspirations for the program comes from the guidance and encouragement of the National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI): to talk about our mental health issues with someone we trust. NAMI states, “It’s important for people living with mental health conditions to know that they are not alone. Sharing a story about your mental health challenges can help in your own recovery as well as offer encouragement and support to others with similar experiences. Sharing your story also helps promote understanding and empathy to those without mental illness.” Coro musicians and others do just that in the “Connections” program, sharing their personal stories to bring awareness, hope, and healing, and to remind all of us that we are not alone in our struggles.

Other strategies that can improve mental health include therapy/counseling, medications, exercise, and even singing in choirs! To quote lyrics from some of the music Coro and guests will share: “Hope is real. Help is real.” “You are strong. You are worthy. You are loved.”  And perhaps most importantly, “You are not alone.”

For 37 seasons, Coro de Cámara has presented captivating music to audiences in Northern New Mexico. The group’s unique, thematic programs present music in numerous styles, often with narration, instruments, and special guests.  

All three programs in Coro’s 2025-26 “Connections” season aim to develop connections within our communities and with area arts groups and musicians. Please join Coro and guests in the first “Connections” program, “Sharing Our Mental Health Stories.”

For concert info and tickets, visit https://corodecamara-nm.org

Thursday, October 16 at 7:00 p.m., Duane Smith Auditorium, Los Alamos
Free, Donations to Benefit LAUNCH. For info about LAUNCH: https://losalamoscf.org/launch/

Saturday, October 18, 4:00 p.m. at the Unitarian Church of Los Alamos, tickets at the
door/online

Sunday, October 19, 4:00 p.m. at UU Santa Fe, tickets at the door/online