Women of the Cross

Women of the Cross, a music group which originated at Hartford's Artists Collective in 1988, performed in a contemporary gospel style. The four women members (later three members including Leslie Bird and Leslie Manselle) would weave stories of their experiences and traditions as African-American women with song and movement. They presented both well-known songs and original compositions such as Stories of My Sisters, an interdisciplinary performance piece. The group has performed at Manchester Community College, Trinity College, Artists Collective, and at Charter Oak Cultural Center where they sang with the Second Baptist Male Chorus in a CCHAP-produced concert of traditional music in 1997. They performed with the Second Baptist Male Chorus at the opening of the CCHAP exhibition “Warmth and Creativity” and were interviewed for the WNPR radio broadcast “Where We Live” in 2014.