Singing through Grief: The Power of Poetry and Song

About the event

Research has shown that singing has tremendous health benefits, lowering stress, boosting immunity and connecting us with others. But are there specific ways that singing can help us when we are grieving? And what role do lyrics and poetry play?

This Good Grief Festival panel will explore these questions and offer practical advice about ways we can use poetry and song to and improve wellbeing and support us when we are grieving. It will feature singer and St George’s Bristol CEO Samir Savant, who has spearheaded several mass singing events in Bristol and led the Fitzhardinge Consort in Requiem: Exploring Grief through Music and Spoken Word. Samir will be joined by Kat Branch (the lead researcher on ‘The Happiness Choir’ project, who has a wealth of expertise in the relationship between the arts and health) and Dr Carrie Etter, poet and author whose startlingly beautiful new collection, Grief’s Alphabet, was published this year to huge acclaim. The panel will be facilitated by Good Grief’s Art and Culture Lead, Dr Lesel Dawson.