Echoes of Peace - Directors

Co-Directors

Co-Director Sara Thomsen is the Founder/Director of the Echoes of Peace Choir program. Sara is a weaver of song and community singing. Increasing wonder and awareness, deepening spiritual connection, and widening social engagement through song is at the heart of her work. Sara's ability to get people singing magically transforms gatherings into communities empowered with possibility.

Sara is a graduate of the Community Choir Leadership Training (CCLT) led by Shivon Robinsong and fellow Gettin' Higher Choir co-director, Denis Donnelly. The training was transformative, and connected Thomsen to the Ubuntu Choirs Network, an ever-expanding community of fellow CCLT graduates who believe the joy of singing is a universal birthright.

In addition to co-directing Echoes of Peace, Sara Thomsen is a singer-songwriter, composer-arranger, and recording artist. She is the artistic director of Three Altos, comprised of Thomsen and her spouse Paula Pedersen, and Rabbi Amy Bernstein.

Co-Director Regina M. Laroche is the Founder/Director of the Planting Connections, Planting Hope program. Regina’s offerings rise from the intersection of art and the unifying stories of humanity and the earth.

Regina’s story, dance, creative guidance and work are shaped by her life of small scale farming, family, and community along the edge of Lake Superior on Madeline Island. Her life and art are influenced by her mother's rural South Carolina upbringing, her father's Haitian Afro-Caribbean culture, and her own varied travel and cultural experiences.

Regina is experienced in the creative dance and story work of InterPlay, is an alum of the Two-Year Academy for Spiritual Formation, and holds a theatre degree from St. Catherine University.

In addition to co-directing Echoes of Peace, Regina Laroche is the Founder and Director of Diaspora Arts and Diaspora Gardens on Madeline Island.

For thirty years Regina has brought performances, residencies, workshops and retreats to classrooms, congregations, and venues ranging from preschool to university.