Ana Hernández

HeartSong: Building Communities of Practice

Whether you’re in a small church with limited resources, or in a larger place looking for a way to help your community find and/or build its collective voice, learn to play and pray together, say yes to the Spirit, HeartSong is the workshop that will enable you to deepen (or create!) your community of practice through increasing your capacity to stay present in the shared creation of sound and silence.  We will listen deeply to the spirit within, share what we notice, reclaim the joy of group learning by rote, utilize repetition, and engage our oft ignored ability to harmonize on the spot. With simple chants and global songs, our time together will be transformative and deeply fun. Sing your way to your sweetest identity, individually and collectively, each person open to sharing more of who they are becoming and confident that the spiritual work they do to become their best selves will be honored and be integrated into the larger community.  There will be singing, drumming, movement, and group improvisation – all of which will leave your community with more tools to invite, encourage, and include absolutely everybody to participate in the growth of the Beloved Community. Teams welcome!

To register, Contact Trinity Retreat Center: retreat@trinitywallstreet.org or 917.594.5800

Ana Hernandez teaches chanting as a spiritual practice for individuals and groups. She is the author of The Sacred Art of Chant: Preparing to Practice, (SkylightPaths Turner Publications), a recording artist, composer, retreat facilitator, and song leader. Her workshops use sound to revitalize prayer and build openhearted, engaged, and playful communities. She loves collaboration, mischief, being here now, diving deep, and a good laugh.

Location: 79 Lower River Rd, West Cornwall

Marble Collegiate Church Women’s Retreat

Navigating the Waters of Change –  A  retreat to be held at Wisdom House in CT. How do we engage the women in our community through more physical work? How can we be present and listen to what is being said beneath what is being said? We’ll use sound tools to increase our capacity to show up for one another without burning out. There will be so much singing!

This is my second Marble Women’s Retreat and I’m grateful to Karla Hendrick and Rev. Elise Brown for the invite. Lovely people!

Location: Wisdom House Retreat and Conference Center, 229 E Litchfield Rd, Litchfield, CT 06759

Music That Makes Community in Atlanta!

“Music that Makes Community practices communal song-sharing that inspires deep spiritual connection, brave shared leadership, and sparks the possibility of transformation in our world.”

Join me and MMCs new Executive Director Conie Borchardt at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church from 9:30-4:30 for an experiential day of paperless singing! It’s the day before the Hymn Society’s Annual Conference begins so spend an extra night in Atlanta and come sing with us!

I’ll post more details asap.

Association of Lutheran Church Musicians – Valpo!

From Generation to Generation:
Ponder Anew
Serving and Leading the Church’s Song

 Annual Conference at Valparaiso University. They’ve invited me to join them in July and I’m so excited to be going to Valpo!

For details: https://alcm.org/2024-valparaiso/

Location: Valparaiso University, Valparaiso IN 46383

LQBTQIA2S+ Retreat at Trinity Retreat Center!

Come celebrate our identity as members of the gender-queer community and know we are each beloved! This is an invitation for us to come together as Creator has made us!  We’ll pray/meditate, laugh, celebrate, give and receive support. Tell your story in a safe space, and listen to others tell theirs. There will be rest, silence, singing, and dancing (possibly by the fire)! Join the Rev. Michelle Meech and Ana Hernández for a time of mindfulness, friendship, and healing.

Michelle and I are so excited to facilitate this retreat together! Young, old, BIPOC (like me!), however you’ve managed to make it this far, join us in this beautiful space.

Registration info ASAP

About the facilitators:
Michelle has been teaching the Enneagram for over 20 years and is dedicated to helping people develop more compassion and peace in their lives through this transformational spiritual tool. She was trained by Don Riso and Russ Hudson of the Enneagram Institute and, several years later, discerned her call to priesthood in the Episcopal Church. Currently, Michelle works as the rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Kingston, NY. She lives in the rectory with her wife Ana where they grow things together.

Ana Hernández
Ana teaches chanting as a spiritual practice for individuals and groups. She is the author of The Sacred Art of Chant: Preparing to Practice, (SkylightPaths/Turner Publications), is a recording artist, composer, retreat facilitator, and song leader for the NYS Poor People’s Campaign. Her workshops use sound to revitalize prayer and build openhearted, engaged, and playful communities. She loves Michelle, collaboration, diving deep, and a good laugh.

Location: 79 Lower River Rd, West Cornwall

Routley Lecturer

I’ve been invited to be the Routley Lecturer for 2025! Who and what is that, you wonder?

Presbyterian Association of Musicians
Worship and Music Conferences in Montreat

Two identical inter-generational and interdenominational conferences with different attendees each week, the PAM Conferences have been around since 1956. The position of “Routley Lecturer” was founded in honor of Erik Routley, a famous hymnologist and includes five daily 50-minute lectures addressing congregational song plus planning and carrying out a mid-week hymn festival. The lectures are delivered twice daily, then, the next week I do it all over again!*

It’s a huge honor to be invited and I can’t wait to meet the planning team! Come if you can!

*Should I watch Groundhog Day on my day off?