Flourish As You Age

Singing Our Way Into Flourishing: Encore Creativity + Pasadena Villages

Michael C. Patterson, Joshua Vickery, Holly Barber, Kick Myers, Dan Golden Season 6 Episode 11

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This month’s podcast episode tells the story of how two remarkable organizations—Encore Creativity, the nation’s largest choral program for older adults, and Pasadena Villages, a thriving part of the Village Movement—came together to launch a new singing ensemble in Southern California.

At first glance, it’s a story about a choir. But look closer and it becomes a story about aging well, intergenerational collaboration, and the power of music to lift health, joy, and well-being.

You’ll hear from the leaders who made this partnership possible:

  • Joshua Vickery, Encore’s CEO, on his vision for creative aging and the scaffolding that supports more than 50 ensembles nationwide.
  • Dick Myers, a Pasadena Villages leader, on how community and purpose can transform late life into a “call to adventure.”
  • Dan Golden, who helped forge the partnership and then challenged himself to join as a singer.
  • Holly Barber, the dynamic conductor who brings the ensemble to life with passion and skill.

The Encore/Village partnership shows what can happen when people respond to that call with moral ambition: directing their energy and creativity toward making communities kinder, wiser, and more harmonious.

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