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AbZolutely Choir Peterborough-Kawartha artistic director and founder Abby Zolz (right) leads the choir in a performance with purpose during their 2024 year-end concert, which was a fundraiser for One City Peterborough. The group has chosen GreenUP to benefit from their 2025 year-end concert happening Monday, May 26 at Murray Street Baptist Church in Peterborough. (Photo: Ian MacCready)
By Yvonne Hollandy, communications specialist, GreenUP
When a vocal ensemble comes together, magical things happen. On May 26, AbZolutely Choir Peterborough-Kawartha will share their magic with the community — and GreenUP — in a year-end concert doubling as a fundraiser for GreenUP Ecology Park’s native plant propagation program.
Concertgoers can expect an uplifting and engaging evening featuring beloved hits by Gordon Lightfoot, Toto, and indie artists like The Lumineers, and The Strumbellas. New to the lineup are guest dancers, soundscapes, and even a little vocal improvisation.
Led by artistic director Abby Zotz, this inclusive, non-auditioned choir consists of women of from all over Peterborough city and county, coming from every walk of life and musical experience level.
“It’s such an exciting thing to watch our sound and confidence evolve as our singing year progresses and as we try new and different ways of exploring the music we perform,” says Abby. “There is such an atmosphere of support and kindness among these women.”
Since its inception in 2021, the group has sought to bring people together through music and purpose by performing at events, and with retirement, hospice, and arts communities. Previous year-end concerts benefitted local non-profits Kairos Homes and One City Peterborough.
Students at Keith Wightman Public School take part in the planting of a Little Forest in the fall of 2024. GreenUP supported the planting of over 1,600 trees throughout the Peterborough region in 2024 and, with the support of the community, aim to plant even more in 2025. (Photo: Laura Keresztesi / GreenUP)
As to why GreenUP was chosen this year, Abby shares, “I have always wanted to support this fantastic organization, and to include environmentally-focused groups in our fundraising efforts,” Abby says. “As the partner of an ecologically-inspired farmer, it’s also a personal passion of mine to see soil, habitat, and life restored to a devastated area.”
Climate events are becoming more intense, and the March ice storm on top of the 2022 derecho greatly altered the local canopy. Trees are habitat; they improve air and water, cool with their shade, support complex ecosystems, and are the original effective means of sequestering carbon.
In 2024 alone, GreenUP worked with community groups and residents to plant over 1,600 trees in the Peterborough region. Donations — such as the one from AbZolutely Choir —will enable the environmental non-profit to plant even more in 2025. Supporting GreenUP’s native plant propagation project increases local capacity to start native plants and trees from seed, including the American chestnut and black oak that the organization has already started this spring!
“Trees are needed now more than ever, and this gift will support our work locally to restore rare and significant native species devastated by recent storms,” says Tegan Moss, GreenUP executive director. “We are so grateful to AbZolutely Choir Peterborough-Kawartha for choosing GreenUP to benefit from their concert this year.”
GreenUP native plant propagation coordinator Hayley Goodchild on May 13, 2025 loading up the native plants she started from seed in the GreenUP offices over winter. The plants were transported to the Ecology Park native plant and tree nursery where many will be available for sale. (Photo: Yvonne Hollandy / GreenUP)
GreenUP Ecology Park will utilize the funds in the following ways:
- Build air pruning beds and plant cages to grow native species,
- Offer more volunteer opportunities by providing staff capacity and buying additional hand tools and safety equipment for planting and for invasive species removal,
- Replant rare and regionally significant native species to replace trees that were damaged by the ice storm.
When asked what the best long-term outcome could be from the fundraiser, Abby says, “Ultimately, we do a little bit to help make the air cleaner, the awareness deeper, and the passion greater to preserve and grow our precious earth.”
“GreenUP has been an excellent partner in this process and has inspired me to write and seek out more music celebrating and advocating for the environment. Look for that in future concerts!”
The AbZolutely Choir Peterborough-Kawartha Year-End Concert in support of GreenUP happens Monday, May 26, 2025 at 7 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 p.m.) at Murray Street Baptist Church, 175 Murray Street, Peterborough. Tickets are $15 from a choir member, $20 at the door, $5 for children 12 and under. To purchase tickets in advance, email ptbo@abzolutelychoir.ca.
Learn more about AbZolutely Choir here.
Donate to GreenUP here.