"I, who had been silent for over 50 years, began to see how important voice is."

-BARBARA REESE, VOICES Founder, February26, 1952-September 17, 2023

A Tribute & Thank You to Our Founder, Barbara Reese

It is with deep void in our heart to share the news with you that Barbara Reese, our founder of VOICES, has departed from the mortal world, surrounded by her loved ones till the end of her dynamic, inspiring, and illuminating life. 

Barbara is not just the founder of VOICES. She has been the biggest cheerleader, the most committed supporter, the giver, the explorer, the godmother for VOICES. It is with her belief that the arts are the voice of the soul, her urgency to give access and platform to the often silenced voices, and her unparalleled generosity, that VOICES was given life.

Seven years ago, at the kitchen table, theater director Renee Prince and poet Barbara Reese spoke about amplifying VOICES in our community through the arts. This became the unwavering mission that was realized through a wide spectrum of projects for youth, Latin Americans, women, the LGBTQ+ community and beyond. For seven years, we continue to discover our commonalities and celebrate our differences. We continue to be in awe of our capacity to hold and heal, to expand and embrace, and to be vulnerable and strong at the same time. 

September is VOICES’ birth month. Today we honor Barbara Reese with our passion and commitment to the work she began, and towards the world she envisioned, where all voices are equal, heard, and celebrated. 

Thank you, Barbara. 

MinTze Wu | Executive/ Artistic Director, VOICES

VOICES co-founder Barbara Reese brought ‘joy’ to life and the performing arts

Aspen Public Radio, Kaya Williams, October 23, 2023

VOICES Radio Hour | Episode 10. Unsung Hero, a tribute to our founder

In the wake of her passing, we honor VOICES’ Founder and original visionary in the Episode 10 of VOICES Radio Hour, Unsung Hero. It was Barbara’s belief that everyone had a voice to share. Barbara, along with Founding Executive/Artistic Director, Renee Prince, set out to create an organization in which all voices - particularly unheard or often silenced voices - would have a stage, a page, a canvas, a microphone to be witnessed and celebrated! From this seed of an idea along with Barbara’s unparalleled generosity, VOICES was born in the fall of 2016.

Barbara’s fingerprints and joyful, imaginative soul are all over VOICES, but she was never one to take the spotlight. In this episode, we hear from the voices of dear friends, supporters, board members, and past project participants - some who knew Barbara well, others whose life paths may not have crossed with hers, but whose lives were forever changed through VOICES’ work. We hope to illuminate the lasting impact and honor the legacy that Barbara Reese leaves through VOICES. This episode features the voices of: Angélica Breña, Kristin Carlson, Alya Howe, Julián Nihill, Flor Paz Pastrana, Renee Prince, Vanessa Porras, Natalie Spears, Travis Dean Wilson, and Chip Winn Wells. Musicians featured are MinTze Wu (violin), Chih-Long Hu (piano), Michael Graham (cello), Chieh-Fan-Fan Yiu (viola), Delaney Meyers (violin), Sarah Graf (cello). Original poetry written and read by Barbara Reese, recorded in 2022.

A Love Letter To Barbara

On Barbara’s birthday she brought cake. Walking into the Community Hall, where we were rehearsing our 3rd annual Youth VOICES Theater Project, Barbara’s beautiful smile was lit up by a handful of flickering candles on a homemade buttercream carrot cake. The cake was to celebrate a youth participant who shared a birthday near her own.

Someone quickly put on the Beatles’ birthday song. Never one to miss an opportunity to dance, Barbara set down the cake and began to twirl and swing with her birthday buddy in the middle of our group of teaching artists, high school students, and designers. The joy was contagious and soon several others joined. When the Beatles ended, a few youth began to sing and clap in Spanish, “Cumpleaños Feliz, te deseamos a tí…” We cheered and the two celebrants blew out their candles.

After opening night of that show, Void of Darkness: Eat the Light, Barbara held my hands with bright tears in her eyes, “This is exactly what I imagined when we started VOICES. Thank you."

Her passion for supporting youth in finding their voice through the arts was alive in everything she did. I remember a day, early in the 2020 lockdown when Barbara texted me to see if I was home. Yes, I chuckled, everyone everywhere was home. She stopped by, fully masked, and started unloading a giant cardboard box from the back of her Subaru. I couldn’t see her smile, but I could see her eyes as they sparkled with delight, “You can make a castle!” She handed my then two-and-a-half year old a square piece of sturdy packing foam, “All knights need a shield.” He nodded eagerly.

Once, on a winter walk with Barbara, she stopped and asked me if I would build a snowman with her. We decorated the sweet, stout snowman with dried grass and a few pinecones. She took off her scarf and mittens and placed them around our creation. We laughed. I took a picture of her next to the little buddy. “For my grandson,” she said as she looked at the picture and smiled. 

Barbara’s youthful curiosity and celebratory nature were guiding lights for VOICES programming and all the lucky participants who got to meet her. She helped me and so many others believe in ourselves as artists and creators. I feel honored to call her a dear friend. I will miss her deeply and look forward to continuing her work and vision. 

Thank you, Barbara. I love you.

Cassidy Willey | Director of Education & Community Outreach, VOICES