Vox Feminae Finds Harmony in Community, Connection, and Care
On any given week in Grinnell, a group of women gathers for just one hour — lifting their voices together in song and creating something meaningful through music and connection.
It’s a small window of time that is carved out between work, family responsibilities, and the rhythms of everyday life. But in that hour, something meaningful happens. Voices blend. Music takes shape. And a community continues to grow.
For the members of Vox Feminae, that hour has become something much more than rehearsal. It’s connection, creativity, and care - all set to music.
Vox Feminae is a self-led, self-funded ensemble of women who share a love of singing and a commitment to making music together. Their repertoire spans a wide range of choral works, from three-part to eight-part harmonies, often performed a cappella and at times enriched by collaborations with fellow musicians from the community.
A simple idea, a lasting impact
Vox Feminae began in April 2018 with a simple question: What if a group of women in Grinnell came together to sing?
That idea came from Erin Bustin and Kelly Maynard, who recognized both the depth of musical talent in the community and the shared desire for connection. They reached out to a small group of women, unsure of what the response might be.
Every single person said yes.
What started as a handful of singers meeting informally has grown into a 17-member ensemble that performs multiple times a year, offering both formal concerts and spontaneous community performances.
“We’re a group of women who love to sing,” said Kelly Sandquist. “There’s something really special about making music together in that way.”
Music that reflects community
From the beginning, Vox Feminae has embraced a wide-ranging repertoire — from three-part harmonies to complex eight-part arrangements, performed both a cappella and with instrumental accompaniment.
Their programs are often thematic, shaped collaboratively and curated with care. Over time, the group has also built creative partnerships, including ongoing collaboration with musician and composer John Rommereim, who has composed, accompanied, directed, and even sung alongside the group.
But beyond the music itself, Vox Feminae has become known for what it represents: a space for expression, reflection, and shared experience.
“A lot of our music includes themes about women, friendship, and the connections that matter most to us,” Bustin said.
A space to belong
While music brought the group together, it’s the relationships that have sustained it.
Members describe Vox Feminae as a kind of anchor — a place where they can show up fully, regardless of what else is happening in their lives.
“It’s a golden hour in the middle of the week,” Maynard said. “No matter what else has happened in the world, we can stand together, wrestle with something challenging, and turn it into something beautiful and support each other.”
For many, that consistency — one hour, every week — is part of what makes the group so meaningful.
“It’s incredibly important to carve out time for singing, and for singing with other people,” said Carolyn Jacobson. “We’ve been committing to each other for a long time now. It’s an incredible gift.”
That sense of purpose extends beyond rehearsal rooms and performance spaces, reaching into the broader Grinnell community through concerts that are consistently free and open to the public.
Honoring voices, past and present
Over the years, Vox Feminae has also navigated moments of loss.
The group remembers two members, Jean Ketter and Jennifer Williams Brown — whose contributions continue to shape the ensemble. Their legacy lives on not only in memory, but in music, including pieces written in their honor and performances dedicated to their lives.
Maynard said, “we performed the world premiere of ‘Beauty by Beauty’, the piece John Rommereim wrote for our founding sister in song Jean Ketter in 2023.”
These moments have deepened the group’s sense of connection and purpose, reinforcing that Vox Feminae is not just an ensemble, but a community.
Sharing music with Grinnell
This spring, Vox Feminae will present a series of performances that reflect both its history and its spirit.
For the first time, the group has created a “favorites” program, featuring selections chosen by each member. The performances will take place:
April 16 at the Mayflower Community - (Lyceum Series)
April 18 at Sebring-Lewis Auditorium - As part of a memorial concert honoring Jennifer Williams Brown, featuring four pieces she personally selected before her passing.
April 19 at the Grinnell Area Arts Council
Each performance offers something slightly different, but all share the same foundation: music created together and offered freely to the community.
More than music
For members, the impact of Vox Feminae goes beyond performance. Singing together has become a source of joy, challenge, and even healing.
Elizabeth Prevost, shared, “Vox is a lifeline in the storms of our individual and collective lives. The weekly opportunity to make music together that's challenging, comforting, and restorative in equal measure is a rare gift, one I treasure more with every passing year.”
“There’s a lot of research showing that one of the best things you can do for your mental health is to sing with others,” Sandquist said. “That’s certainly been true for me.”
In a world that often feels fast-paced and fragmented, Vox Feminae offers something quieter, but no less powerful: a reminder of what can happen when people come together with intention, creativity, and care.
One hour at a time, they continue to build something lasting — not just in harmony, but in community.
The Current Voices of Vox Feminae
Erin Bustin, Charlotte Bowcutt, Jennifer Dobe, Emily Guenther, Rebecca Sallee Hanson, Carolyn Jacobson, Kirsten Koester, Jess Lease, Kelly Maynard, Sophia Nuñez, Diana Palmer, Elizabeth Prevost, Liz Rodrigues, Kelly Sandquist, Sarah Smith, Alicia Stanley, and Tisha Turk.
In memoriam: Jean Ketter, Jennifer Williams Brown