What do you get when you     mix music, artistic excellence, social activism, and feminist vision with our nation’s longest-running women’s choir? You get Philadelphia’s Anna Crusis Women’s Choir. Anna is beginning celebrations of her fast-approaching 35th year with a May 30 concert event titled, “All Our Children Can Fly.” It’s the launch of an exciting upcoming year, one with new artistic and musical partnerships — a springboard featuring new artists and organizations of excellence in the Philadelphia area.

What is Anna Crusis? It’s an a cappella women’s choral group committed to empowering and educating its audiences about social concerns through music and social service. Anna’s name originates from the Greek word “anacrusis” which is the upbeat entrance to a musical phrase that marks the precise instant of anticipation and exhilaration that happens as a singer takes a quick breath before vocalizing.

Anna believes in music’s power to change behavior positively and create a better society. The chorus was founded in 1975 by Cathy Roma, a longtime Mt. Airy resident; Jane Hulting, the following Choral Director of 20 years, also lived in Mt. Airy. Not only does Jacqueline Coren, the current Artistic Director, live there as well, but many of Anna’s current singers are also longtime residents of Chestnut Hill, Mt. Airy and Germantown.

Anna Crusis strives for musical excellence and sees herself as politically attuned. The choir is dedicated to peace, justice and equality with an emphasis on music by, for and about women. Anna has been honored for community service and has reached out to communities and disadvantaged populations with little access to the arts.

The choir performs a wide range of multicultural repertoire ranging from classical to pop, from jazz to reggae, from folk to gospel. Anna has commissioned and performed pieces that have been added to the lexicon of women’s choral music, and they have performed on stages from the United Nations to Lincoln Center to the Kimmel Center. They have a rich history in Northwest Philadelphia, having sung at Chestnut Hill United Methodist Church, First United Methodist Church of Germantown, Germantown’s Settlement Music School and the Unitarian Universalist Church of Germantown, to name only a few.

“All Our Children Can Fly” represents Anna looking to reach out and share the stage with like-minded artists and organizations. On May 30, artists, guests, and presenters have been chosen for their work in building community through social justice and artistic vision; each has shown leadership and shares common values with Anna Crusis. They’re a perfect fit with Anna.

Chicago singer-songwriter Amy Dixon-Kolar will join the choir for a set that includes “Rosa Sat; a song for Barack Obama.” Celebrating progress for civil rights, the song exclaims, “Rosa sat, so Martin could walk, so Barack could run, so that all our children could fly.” The concert takes its name from the lyrics. Ms. Dixon-Kolar, a Quaker, frequently sings about social justice, as does Anna Crusis. You can listen to “Rosa Sat” on YouTube and join the quarter of a million listeners who have shared the excitement.

During intermission, Gloria Casarez, Director of LGBT Affairs, of the Mayor’s Office, will be presenting the first annual Anna Crusis Themis Award. The Themis Award is named after the Greek goddess of visionary justice, and she represents the original organizer of community affairs.

The award honors a person dedicated to social justice, equality and peace for the greater Philadelphia area. Who could be a better presenter than Ms. Casarez, who has worked for social change and economic justice throughout her career! The recipient of the Themis Award will be Jane Golden, Executive Director of the City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program.

Ms. Golden is exactly the kind of leader who deserves this award. Since 1984, the Mural Arts Program has created over 3,000 inspiring murals and works of public art, which have become part of the city’s civic landscape and earned Philadelphia the international title, “The City of Murals.” The program, which is the nation’s largest of its kind, works with over 100 communities each year, transforming them through the mural-making process.

Its award-winning, free, city-wide education programs serve nearly 2,000 youth and at-risk teens annually. The program serves adult offenders in prisons and rehabilitation centers, using the restorative power of art to break the cycle of crime and violence.

Celebrate with Anna Crusis on Saturday, May 30, 7:30 p.m., at the Church of St. Luke and the Epiphany, 330 S. 13th St. The concert will be followed by a free reception, during which the audience is invited to meet Anna Crusis and Amy. The concert is handicapped-accessible and ASL signed.

Tickets: $20 in advance; $25 at the door. Sliding scale availability. You may purchase tickets at www.annacrusis.org or call the Anna Crusis Office at 215-864-5991.

Linda Slodki is a member of Anna Crusis Women’s Choir.