Aurora and Antheia, and Voices of the Revolution
Aurora and Antheia includes Carolyn Koebel, Cori Beth Somers and Lori Jarski, three fine musicians, who will be featured, and then play behind local spoken word ensemble, Voices of the Revolution. For this performance, poets Shelia Burks, Taru Muniz, Lisa Sarno and Ruelaine Stokes will offer pieces surrounding themes of community, oppression, racial justice and love.
Aurora & Antheia is a trio dedicated to cultivating the beauty of melody, rhythm, texture, and in-the-moment improvisation. Their work creates immersive soundscapes that invite peace, transcendence, self-reflection, and love.
Voices of the Revolution is an eclectic ensemble of feminist voices speaking truth and justice through spoken word. Established in 2018 and based in Lansing, Michigan, they perform in libraries, community centers, churches, art galleries, and music festivals, including the National Women’s Music Festival and the Women in the Arts Festival.
Known collectively as the “stunning sisterhood” by a dedicated following of friends and supporters, the members of Voices have individual chapbooks, lead writing workshops, produce poetry events and perform at open mics. Each brings their own unique perspective and history spanning age and background. Their alliance is based on love, respect, and power that goes back decades.
Aurora and Antheia
Cori Beth Somers received her MM in violin performance from Western Michigan University in 2002 and began exploring non-classical musical training in jazz and traditional Irish in 1998. From there she has gone on to become a seasoned electric violin player, focusing her improvisation energy in folk, rock, blues, and Americana genres. Cori Beth is currently the violinist for Grace Theisen, a member of the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra (since 1999), and former member of the Red Sea Pedestrians (2013-2025). Cori Beth performed with international singer-songwriter and professional dancer Dacia Bridges, in The Dacia Bridges Project from 2017-2019.
Laurie Jarski is a composer and multi-instrumentalist, and the owner/director of Broughton Music Center, Northville Center for Music & Art, and the WPI Festival On the Land Music Camp for Women & Girls. She performs as a cellist and multi-instrumentalist with the Blues Aside Project, C•O•R•E tet String Quartet, Octocelli Cello Ensemble, Presence of Three Trio, Red Willow Dream, and the Battle Creek Symphony. She also coaches the String Quartet Plus program for youth and adult musicians in both Northville and Kalamazoo.
Carolyn Koebel holds degrees of distinction in percussion and music therapy from Western Michigan University and Michigan State University. Since 2001, Carolyn has worked to establish long-term music therapy programs at the Kalamazoo County Juvenile Home and Hospice Care of Southwest Michigan, while serving as a music therapist in the Kalamazoo community for 20+ years. She has worked extensively in silent film and dance accompaniment with the art ensemble, Blue Dahlia; brought community drum and dance to life with her collaborators in Dunuya; is noted for her work with Celtic-world music ensembles Fonn Mor & An Dro; the Dacia Bridges Project; the MRC Drummers; and currently directs the international percussion program at Kalamazoo College where she teaches Japanese taiko drumming and performs with Michigan Hiryu Daiko. She serves as adjunct music therapy professor of global percussion and clinical guitar at Western Michigan University and St. Mary-of-the-Woods College. She currently works with Aurora & Antheia, Ugandan multi-instrumentalist Samuel Nalangira, the Arabic music-based Bahar Ensemble, Great Lakes Brass, the Nathan Moore Affair, Malcolm Dalglish, organist Rhonda Sider-Edgington, Grace Theisen, and numerous other collaborators. She has released more than 30 recordings to-date and is always up for new collaborations!! Koebel was named as a recipient of the Community Medal of Arts in December 2023 by the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo.
Voices of the Revolution
Shelia Burks is a passionate poet whose words are rooted in truth, healing, and empowerment. Her poetry gives voice to the unspoken and celebrates the beauty and resilience of lived experience. In addition to writing, Shelia brings her artistry to life through theater and singing—using the stage and her voice as vessels of connection and expression.
Tari Muniz is a Lesbian Latina Disabled poet, performer, and producer. She is a founding member of Two Broads and a Butch productions and Voices of the Revolution, a feminist spoken word collective. Her poetry and essays cover the span of topics from gardening to radical justice. Tari’s debut book of poetry is Pull Up A Chair. Her work has been published in Voices of the Revolution – Poems from the Resisterhood. Tari’s superhero name is Big Mama.
Lisa Sarno is a poet, musician, and performer based in Flint, Michigan. She is an avid networker and informal community organizer who believes in the expression and power of resistance. Lisa published her first book of poetry, Grasping at Stars (Dec.2024), and was named a finalist in the 2025 Golden Crown Literary Society Awards. Lisa discovered the perfect blend of art and expression through live spoken word and musical performances. She was the featured poet in Threading Moonbows, a performance that included The Happen Dance Group from Okemos and the Kalamazoo based musical trio, Aurora and Antheia. In May, Lisa co-produced and performed in Adrienne Torf’s the Awesome Difficult Work of Love, in Flint, Michigan. Moving forward, Lisa looks towards facilitating a week-long poetry immersive workshop at The Women Performing Instruments (WPI) using June Jordan’s framework: Poetry for the People: A Revolutionary Blueprint.
Ruelaine Stokes is a Greater Lansing Poet Laureate Emerita. A spoken word performer and arts organizer, she has worked for decades to establish a growing poetry community in the Greater Lansing Area. Her poetry can be found in Jar of Plenty (2021) and 4 Against the Wall(2005). In 2023, she and Lansing Poet Laureate Emerita Laura Apol edited a book entitled My Secret Lansing. During Ruelaine’s term as Lansing Poet Laureate, she envisioned and oversaw the creation of a poetry pathway within the Tollgate Wetlands in Lansing, in addition to forming a monthly performance series entitled “Pzazz, an afternoon of poetry and jazz.” For more information, see https://www.ruelainestokes.com
Aurora & Antheia is a trio dedicated to cultivating the beauty of melody, rhythm, texture, and in-the-moment improvisation. Their work creates immersive soundscapes that invite peace, transcendence, self-reflection, and love.
Voices of the Revolution is an eclectic ensemble of feminist voices speaking truth and justice through spoken word. Established in 2018 and based in Lansing, Michigan, they perform in libraries, community centers, churches, art galleries, and music festivals, including the National Women’s Music Festival and the Women in the Arts Festival.
Known collectively as the “stunning sisterhood” by a dedicated following of friends and supporters, the members of Voices have individual chapbooks, lead writing workshops, produce poetry events and perform at open mics. Each brings their own unique perspective and history spanning age and background. Their alliance is based on love, respect, and power that goes back decades.
Aurora and Antheia
Cori Beth Somers received her MM in violin performance from Western Michigan University in 2002 and began exploring non-classical musical training in jazz and traditional Irish in 1998. From there she has gone on to become a seasoned electric violin player, focusing her improvisation energy in folk, rock, blues, and Americana genres. Cori Beth is currently the violinist for Grace Theisen, a member of the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra (since 1999), and former member of the Red Sea Pedestrians (2013-2025). Cori Beth performed with international singer-songwriter and professional dancer Dacia Bridges, in The Dacia Bridges Project from 2017-2019.
Laurie Jarski is a composer and multi-instrumentalist, and the owner/director of Broughton Music Center, Northville Center for Music & Art, and the WPI Festival On the Land Music Camp for Women & Girls. She performs as a cellist and multi-instrumentalist with the Blues Aside Project, C•O•R•E tet String Quartet, Octocelli Cello Ensemble, Presence of Three Trio, Red Willow Dream, and the Battle Creek Symphony. She also coaches the String Quartet Plus program for youth and adult musicians in both Northville and Kalamazoo.
Carolyn Koebel holds degrees of distinction in percussion and music therapy from Western Michigan University and Michigan State University. Since 2001, Carolyn has worked to establish long-term music therapy programs at the Kalamazoo County Juvenile Home and Hospice Care of Southwest Michigan, while serving as a music therapist in the Kalamazoo community for 20+ years. She has worked extensively in silent film and dance accompaniment with the art ensemble, Blue Dahlia; brought community drum and dance to life with her collaborators in Dunuya; is noted for her work with Celtic-world music ensembles Fonn Mor & An Dro; the Dacia Bridges Project; the MRC Drummers; and currently directs the international percussion program at Kalamazoo College where she teaches Japanese taiko drumming and performs with Michigan Hiryu Daiko. She serves as adjunct music therapy professor of global percussion and clinical guitar at Western Michigan University and St. Mary-of-the-Woods College. She currently works with Aurora & Antheia, Ugandan multi-instrumentalist Samuel Nalangira, the Arabic music-based Bahar Ensemble, Great Lakes Brass, the Nathan Moore Affair, Malcolm Dalglish, organist Rhonda Sider-Edgington, Grace Theisen, and numerous other collaborators. She has released more than 30 recordings to-date and is always up for new collaborations!! Koebel was named as a recipient of the Community Medal of Arts in December 2023 by the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo.
Voices of the Revolution
Shelia Burks is a passionate poet whose words are rooted in truth, healing, and empowerment. Her poetry gives voice to the unspoken and celebrates the beauty and resilience of lived experience. In addition to writing, Shelia brings her artistry to life through theater and singing—using the stage and her voice as vessels of connection and expression.
Tari Muniz is a Lesbian Latina Disabled poet, performer, and producer. She is a founding member of Two Broads and a Butch productions and Voices of the Revolution, a feminist spoken word collective. Her poetry and essays cover the span of topics from gardening to radical justice. Tari’s debut book of poetry is Pull Up A Chair. Her work has been published in Voices of the Revolution – Poems from the Resisterhood. Tari’s superhero name is Big Mama.
Lisa Sarno is a poet, musician, and performer based in Flint, Michigan. She is an avid networker and informal community organizer who believes in the expression and power of resistance. Lisa published her first book of poetry, Grasping at Stars (Dec.2024), and was named a finalist in the 2025 Golden Crown Literary Society Awards. Lisa discovered the perfect blend of art and expression through live spoken word and musical performances. She was the featured poet in Threading Moonbows, a performance that included The Happen Dance Group from Okemos and the Kalamazoo based musical trio, Aurora and Antheia. In May, Lisa co-produced and performed in Adrienne Torf’s the Awesome Difficult Work of Love, in Flint, Michigan. Moving forward, Lisa looks towards facilitating a week-long poetry immersive workshop at The Women Performing Instruments (WPI) using June Jordan’s framework: Poetry for the People: A Revolutionary Blueprint.
Ruelaine Stokes is a Greater Lansing Poet Laureate Emerita. A spoken word performer and arts organizer, she has worked for decades to establish a growing poetry community in the Greater Lansing Area. Her poetry can be found in Jar of Plenty (2021) and 4 Against the Wall(2005). In 2023, she and Lansing Poet Laureate Emerita Laura Apol edited a book entitled My Secret Lansing. During Ruelaine’s term as Lansing Poet Laureate, she envisioned and oversaw the creation of a poetry pathway within the Tollgate Wetlands in Lansing, in addition to forming a monthly performance series entitled “Pzazz, an afternoon of poetry and jazz.” For more information, see https://www.ruelainestokes.com