One World Community Choir in Santa Ynez (10-week session starting November 2 with first meeting free)

Live class with Betsy Sansby & Al Dworsky

If you love to sing in the shower and are looking for a place to sing with your clothes on, there's a spot for you in the One World Community Choir. You'll learn a crazy mix of beautiful multi-part songs from all over the world: Scottish ballads, funky songs from Africa, hypnotic chants from India, and the best of American roots and popular music. Our motto is: If we love it, we'll sing it.

The choir is led by us--Betsy Sansby and Al Dworsky--and we conduct it with the same dramatic imperfection that we bring to our marriage. We led the choir in Minnesota for 10 years (the video clips here are of the Minnesota choir) and in Atwater Village in Los Angeles for 3 years. Now we're moving to Santa Ynez and starting a new incarnation of the choir in the place that will be our new home.

The atmosphere in class is welcoming and relaxed, but we work hard, so you'll never be bored. Everybody cares about the music, but nobody cares if you mess up. Mistakes--including our own--lighten the rehearsals with laughter. And in both previous versions of the choir, we became a community, with relationships that extended into our daily lives. Hanging out and having snacks or a glass of wine after each singing session helped make that happen:

Unlike most choirs, who spend most of their time preparing for performances, we sing mainly for our own pleasure. Occasionally we'll sing at a community event or benefit, but these are rare, and we always invite our audience to sing along. The clips of us singing on this page are from our "friends and family" concert in October 2016.

Betsy was trained at the Community Choir Leadership Program in Victoria, Canada. She is the producer and primary performer on the Teaching CDs for Community Choir Leaders series. Al is a classically trained piano player and former rock musician who accompanies the choir on piano or drum.

The time we'll be meeting is every Saturday from 3 to 4:30, with a light potluck afterward where we can hang out together for another half hour to an hour.

The place we'll be meeting is Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church at 3550 Baseline Ave. in Santa Ynez.

The cost for a 10-week session is $150. The first meeting on November 2 is free so you can check us out risk free. After the first free meeting, the regular session will start on November 9, with breaks for holidays. After the session starts, you can still come check us out any time, and your first time is free. If you decide to join in the middle of a session, we'll prorate the cost.

If you sign up, be sure to get on the email list by emailing Betsy at betsy@betsysansby.com.

"If you only knew how much the choir feeds my soul...I've been waiting for you guys for so long! It’s the best ‘church’ I know!” Nancy, choir member