The Angel Band Project

Mission

The mission of Angel Band Project is to use the power of music to provide healing, raise awareness and promote positive social change for survivors of sexual violence and intimate partner violence.

Description

Angel Band Project was founded in 2009 after the tragic rape and murder of St. Louis native Teresa Butz. She and her partner, Jennifer Hopper, were brutally raped and stabbed in the home they shared in Seattle. Teresa died of her wounds. What started as a cathartic way of processing grief through music grew into a national nonprofit whose mission is to break the silence surrounding sexual violence while promoting healing for survivors through the power of music. In 2014, we piloted the nation's first Music Therapy program for survivors of rape and intimate partner violence in St. Louis. Since then, we have provided services to eight agencies in St. Louis, and have expanded services to Seattle, WA and New York City, NY. We provide eight or twelve week sessions of Music Therapy designed specifically for survivors and offer them free of charge. To date we have served over 350 survivors. In 2016, we produced our third benefit album, sponsored by Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids, which is comprised of songs written by survivors with the support of their music therapist. We also created the nation's first Virtual Choir of survivors in 2014, which expanded in 2015 to Seattle with a performance at Benaroya Hall. In 2018, we performed at the United Nations Headquarters in NYC. We have found that music indeed heals and helps survivors cope while being supported in a very holistic way.

Recognition

Angel Band Project is committed to serving survivors and advocating on their behalf in Seattle, WA. There are three individuals who serve on our Board of Directors who reside in the greater Seattle vicinity: Patti Catalano, Jennifer Hopper, and Jennifer Moran. We have established a partnership with Domestic Violence Services of Snohomish County, and will begin services in Lifewire in Bellevue this spring. Through special events, concerts, and speaking engagements, we have touched over 15,000 people with our mission, and we have a dedicated group of financial donors in the city. Collaborating artists include Brandi Carlile, and the Seattle Storm has sponsored music at their events to raise awareness of our organization. Journalist Eli Sanders has been a major contributor/donor to our cause, as has the Benaroya Family Foundation.