If you are looking for an evening that will lift your spirits, inspire your heart and even have you singing along, look no further than Fiery Hope’s annual spring concert with special guest, Malgorzata Lach, on Saturday, April 11 at 7:30 p.m. at All Souls Church in Greenfield.
The concert will include new original choral pieces as well as fan favorites, performed in Spanish, French, Hebrew, Arabic, and Kalanga, a language from Zimbabwe. Lach from Erving will take on three roles at the concert: performing as a solo classical guitarist, collaborating with the chorus and playing as part of the new duo Deux Panie that also includes Fiery Hope founder and director Eveline MacDougall.
Fiery Hope, based in Greenfield, started in 1988 as the Amandla chorus. They chose the name because “Amandla” means “power” in Zulu, which fits their original focus on singing South African freedom songs as part of anti-apartheid efforts.
Over time, the group expanded to sing songs from many different cultures. MacDougall also started writing, so they added some of her original songs to their repertoire. Their goal is to celebrate life, speak to social concerns, and inspire others. The chorus changed its name to Fiery Hope in 2019 to better reflect their message and identity.
Fiery Hope has performed with artists like Pete Seeger, Dr. Horace Clarence Boyer, and civil rights activists Wally and Jaunita Nelson, among many others. They often bring their music to schools, prisons, libraries, and other community spaces.
Today, Fiery Hope remains an important part of our community, singing out for justice and peace. The chorus now has 35 members. At its largest, there were 50, and during the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, only four. The singers are of all ages and come from across the Valley.
For their 38th spring concert, the group is excited to welcome Lach as a special guest. MacDougall and Lach first met, not through music, but at the Greenfield Farmers Market.
“I am a visual artist in addition to music, and I have a booth at the farmers market in Greenfield on Saturday mornings, and whenever there is a new vendor, I go over and introduce myself,” said MacDougall. “And there was this new woman who had all these beautiful little woodworking things.”
That woman turned out to be Lach.
When MacDougall asked about her beautiful accent, Lach shared that she was from Krakow, Poland, and moved to the United States in 1986. She left in Soviet-controlled Poland after spending six months in an Austrian refugee camp. She said her status as a national pistol shooting champion helped her defect.
MacDougall was fascinated by Lach and wanted to share her story. As a freelance writer for this paper, she wrote a feature on Lach that appeared in the Oct. 31, 2025 issue of the Greenfield Recorder.
During the interview for the story, their music connection became clear. Among her many talents, Lach is also a skilled classical musician who studied at Mt. Holyoke College where she now teaches.
“She said, ‘I brought my guitar. Do you want to play a few tunes?’ and we just hit it off completely,” said MacDougall who plays viola, violin, accordion and guitar. “I mean, this gal has played blues, grunge, reggae, classical — all kinds of genres — and I’m kind of like that too, so we formed a duo.”
Drawing on their backgrounds, they chose the name “Deux Panie,” French for “two” and Panie, which is Polish for woman. They perform material by the Beatles, Indigo Girls, Brandi Carlile, Manuel de Falla and more.
They also play fiddle tunes composed by MacDougall as well as traditional tunes from her family’s native Quebec.
“She does this classical music stuff that is so cool, and I improvise on the viola,” said MacDougall about their upcoming performance, which will be their third show together.
This promises to be a special evening, but I wondered if there was a theme for the night.
“It’s kind of about staying sane in these times,” she said. “I’m painfully aware that it’s just a dumpster fire out there, and we are very fortunate to live in a place where we are safe and in a community, because a lot of people in the world do not have that luxury right now.”
MacDougall went on to say that this has been a tough concert season to prepare for. “Every time we hear the next headline, we kind of feel sucker punched,” she said. “Starting in 1988, we are accustomed to using our songs and our poetry and our community voice to respond to what’s happening, and that’s become an insane proposition now because every time we turn around, there is a new crisis.”
While it’s hard to know exactly what the audience needs right now, she put together a program with songs meant to both energize and comfort. To spread the inspiration even further, they’re holding two spring concerts this year. The second will be in Brattleboro at the Beloved Community Church building, 15 Town Crier Drive on Saturday, May 2 at 7:30 p.m., with special guest, jazz musician Kwartetto Mambo.
“People of all ages and from all walks of life are welcome to join us for a truly community-based evening,” said MacDougall of the All Souls Church show, also encouraging people to come to the Brattleboro event, noting that it will be a very different show.
Admission is pay-what-you-can, with no one turned away due to lack of funds. Partial proceeds from the concert will support the Stone Soup Cafe community meal program.
For more information, visit fieryhope.org.
The Green Sisters to perform at Wendell Full Moon Coffeehouse
There’s nothing quite like the harmonies siblings can create, and you’ll hear that and more when the Green Sisters perform at the Wendell Full Moon Coffeehouse on Saturday, April 4 at 7:30 p.m.
The four sisters from Hubbardston — Rebecca, Betsy, Brianna and Melody — are not just great singers, but also skilled multi-instrumentalists. Watching them swap instruments during their set is always impressive. Their funny on-stage banter and music, that blends blues, barbershop, bluegrass and more, make for a fantastic night.
The evening will kick off with an open mic.
All ages are welcome. Admission is by sliding-scale donation of $7-$20 cash-only at the door.
Sheryl Hunter is a freelance writer who resides in Easthampton. Her work has appeared in various regional and national publications. She can be reached at Soundslocal@yahoo.com.