%20A%20(1).jpg)
OUR STORY | HOW MUSIC CONNECTS PEOPLE WITH DEMENTIA & CARE PARTNERS
More than a chorus. We bring people together.
Inspired by the Giving Voice initiative in Minnesota, the Joyful Voices Chorus launched in 2018 as a place for people in the Central Virginia area living with memory loss and their caregivers to sing, connect, and experience making music together.
More than a chorus, through shared music-making, we're creating connection, celebrating ability, and helping people living with dementia remain visible and engaged with their community, while offering resources and support to their loved ones and caregivers to cope and assist.
People living with dementia still have abilities, interests, memories, and something meaningful to contribute. Music sticks around long after so many other things become harder.
The chorus continued creating music through the COVID-19 pandemic, including virtual performances, and has grown back into a thriving community of singers, caregivers, and dementia-aware volunteers.
We give people living with dementia a place where they're not defined by what they've lost, but what they can still do, together with the people who love them.
What We Do
SING
We sing familiar favorites and new music, with adapted materials including enlarged lyrics and music, personalized binders and practice recordings.
CONNECT
Thursday mornings include time to talk, laugh and build friendships. Caregivers connect with other caregivers who understand the realities of dementia, while singers remain active participants in a welcoming community.
SUPPORT
Joyful Voices is one part of a much larger journey. Our resource library connects caregivers and families with trusted information, support programs and local organizations.
.png)
Our Story
In 2017, Mark Patterson, the then musical director at Salisbury Presbyterian Church, saw a performance at a conference in Minneapolis by a choir composed of singers with memory disorders. As someone with close experience of a loved one with dementia, Patterson decided to start a similar choir at Salisbury. In 2018, Joyful Voices Chorus was born.
Our Team
Angel Stanton became enamored with the fine arts as a young child. Her mother enrolled her in dance at age two and a half, and she joined chorus in elementary school. Singing gave her an outlet to express herself, and it became her passion in school. In college, she discovered the world of acting and musical theater, which incorporated both of her loves, dancing and singing. Angel is a former music educator whose teaching career has spanned a variety of ages in both West Virginia and Virginia. Throughout her twelve years of teaching, she taught Pre-K through high school. In West Virginia, she taught chorus and music at several Mercer County public secondary schools. Previously, she was also the choir director at Concord United Methodist Church in Athens, West Virginia, for about eight years. Upon moving to Chesterfield County in 2007, she taught elementary music as an itinerant for two years before becoming the Music Specialist at Swift Creek Elementary School. Angel was there for a couple of years before she took a break to raise a family. She also taught preschool music at Woodlake United Methodist Preschool. Angel holds a degree in music education from Concord University in Athens, West Virginia. She believes in the power of music to uplift and inspire. Directing Joyful Voices and getting to know the members is the highlight of her week. Joyful Voices is supported by a Board of Directors committed to the chorus's mission, sustainability, and place in the Greater Richmond community.
Angel Stanton, Artistic Director
Marti Thompson
Marti was born in Columbus, Ohio and started piano lessons when she was 5 or 6. She sang in choirs and played the clarinet in junior high and high school. When her parents bought an electric organ, she started organ lessons in high school, and was the organist at a small church when she was a senior. At Denison University she was a Music Education major, and ended up teaching elementary general music for five years in the same school district where she did her student teaching. When she and her husband moved to Cleveland, she taught 6th grade general music, directed a large 6th grade chorus, and assisted with the middle school orchestra. She also later directed a freshman choir and taught class piano, then “retired” to raise her family. When her family moved to Richmond in 1995, they joined Salisbury Presbyterian Church, where she sings in the adult choir and directs the handbell choir. Being involved with Joyful Voices is a labor of love, as her father had Alzheimer’s and was able to continue singing in his church choir with the assistance of wonderful friends. Music is the language of love that pulls us all together!
Tabitha Buchanan
Tabitha holds a BFA in Photography and has a passion for working with mission-based organizations through creative media. She manages Joyful Voices social media & communications, newsletters, promotional graphic materials, and the organization’s website, while also photographing events and capturing meaningful moments. She especially enjoys connecting and assisting with individuals experiencing Alzheimer’s and memory loss every Thursday. Outside of Joyful Voices, Tabitha works as a freelance photographer and volunteers with nonprofit organizations focused on health and community initiatives.
2026 Joyful Voices Board
I learned about Joyful Voices in 2021 when I was Marketing Director of a senior community. I started volunteering for snacks and attending all the concerts. Several years later, and working at a home care agency, my boss and I nominated the Director, for a Hometown Hero award. At the time, the Director was Joanne Sherman and she won! My Mom had Alzheimers and she used to love to attend concerts by Henrico Pops which I'm a member of. In an effort to help this amazing group wherever I can, I became a board member.
I learned about Joyful Voices Chorus while my spouse Ellen and I were attending a bi-monthly Alzheimer’s Association Meeting. We attended a Thursday morning sing along and immediately joined in the Fall of 2022. I became a member of the Board in January, 2025. As a caregiver supporting my wife and now a volunteer it is an honor to be a member of the organization.
I’ve been involved with Joyful Voices since it was just an idea — well before my brother was diagnosed with early dementia. I’ve seen firsthand the profound difference Joyful Voices makes for people living with dementia and their caregivers. It’s a privilege to serve on the board and use my professional and personal talents to support an organization that brings hope, connection and joy to so many.
A retired IT Support Manager and lifelong choral singer, I first learned about what would become Joyful Voices Chorus when the idea was introduced to the Worship and Music Ministry team at SPC. Already having a close relationship with the founders, I volunteered from the beginning, primarily in technology, most notably getting a website up and running. In 2019, my sister-in-law, who had recently been diagnosed with Lewy body dementia, and my wife began singing with the chorus. I joined the chorus for the Fall 2020 season and joined the board in January 2026. Having the opportunity to support such a worthwhile program has been a great blessing in my life, and I hope to continue for many years.
Judy Shuman and I first learned about Joyful Voices at the Annual Alzheimer’s Association meeting in spring 2019. Joanne Sherman introduced the new chorus designed for people living with dementia and their caregivers. After the conference, we stopped by the Joyful Voices table to learn more and join the mailing list. Our first visit was the Sing-A-Long that summer. Within ten minutes of meeting the welcoming members, Judy told me to fill out the paperwork and sign us up. During the season-ending concert, Judy introduced our first song by saying, “I have Alzheimer’s,” something she had rarely said to anyone outside the family. Now in my second term as a board member, I am committed to keeping that same “Welcoming Atmosphere” alive.
Discovered Joyful Voices when my mother attended Circle Center in Richmond. Although both non-singers, we enthusiastically joined in the spring of 2023 as a tenor and soprano duet. I became a member of the Board in 2025 and recording secretary in 2026. As a caregiver supporting my mother and now as a volunteer, I'm honored to be part of this fine group.
Serving on the board of Joyful Voices combines my passion for music with years of Richmond-area nonprofit volunteering. Music brings comfort, joy, and connection to individuals with dementia by unlocking memories. Our weekly gatherings offer an uplifting space for participants and their families, and I am honored to volunteer with this community chorus.
My wife and I joined Joyful Voices the first rehearsal in 2018. Debbie had early stages of Alzheimer's and loved to sing. During the first rehearsal she was thrilled to be involved. It was evident this program would be therapeutic for her. Unfortunately, she died ten days later from an infection. I've stayed involved in Joyful Voices in memory of her, recognizing the incredible value of music for those with dementia.
I heard about the start of the Joyful Voices Chorus through Salisbury Presbyterian Church when it began in 2017. With a history of dementia, our family could appreciate the value of the group and immediately began our support and attendance at the concerts. With my education and background in accounting and finance, I was happy to volunteer as the group treasurer in July 2025. I am so glad to be part of this large, vibrant group!
I grew up in a singing household, but hadn’t been in a chorus since high school. A friend who was in Joyful Voices invited me in 2019 to come visit and experience it. I went and was overcome by the joy, the fellowship, the support and the love shown to those living with dementia and their caregivers. I joined the chorus then and have served as a volunteer singer ever since. I also serve on the Board of Directors. Why do I serve? “To defy dementia one song at a time.
I became involved with Joyful Voices because of my father’s battle with Alzheimer’s disease. I lost my father in 2017, and music was an integral part of his life. It brought him joy, connection, and meaning throughout his journey.
Because of the important role music played in my father’s life, serving on the Board of Joyful Voices is especially meaningful to me. I dedicate my volunteer service and support to his memory, by bringing the same joy, comfort, and connection to others affected by dementia.
