staying grounded through unraveling: A Community Song Circle with Shireen Amini

ABOUT THE EVENT

In a time when so much feels like it's coming undone personally, politically, and collectively, how do we stay rooted in truth, in each other, and in the medicine of the present moment?

Join musician and community song leader Shireen “Riyo” Amini (they/them) for a special band-supported community song circle centered on the theme of staying grounded through unraveling. This will be a participatory evening of original song medicine, songs taught by ear, offered as tools for regulation, remembrance, and resilience. All voices welcome; no prior experience needed.

Come to sing, come to feel, to be held and strengthened in community.

This gathering also raises awareness about The Lantern, a newly emerging venue in SE Portland being reimagined as a center for grief rituals, healing music, and community-rooted offerings. This event will take place outdoors, in front of the beautifully transforming former church that is becoming this sacred space.

WHAT TO EXPECT

• Songs taught call-and-echo style, mantra-like and embodied

• An invitation to bring your whole self grief, joy, stillness, movement

• A welcoming space for all identities, bodies, and levels of singing comfort

• A unique band-backed experience supporting the flow of the circle

• Connection to a new local venue grounded in community healing

WHAT TO BRING

• Water bottle or tea mug

• A cushion or chair for sitting outdoors

• Layers for comfort

• Your heart, your voice, your presence

WHAT WILL BE PROVIDED

• Tea, water

• Treats

• Restroom facilities

DETAILS

Arrival: 6-6:30pm 

Singing: 6:30-8pm

This is a no-alcohol event

All ages welcome

$10-40 sliding scale 

Pay what you can / No one turned away Ticket: $0-$9 >> enter Access Code: CARETICKET

Advance registration encouraged, but drop-ins welcome

We will absorb $1.29 fixed fee and split percentage fee (50/50) with you. Our ticketing platform Humanitix donates 100% of profit from your booking fee to children's charities.

10% of proceeds will be donated to the Lantern

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT & TITHING:

We acknowledge that the land upon which we will sing is the traditional territory of the Multnomah, Wasco, Cowlitz, Kathlamet, Clackamas, Bands of Chinook, Tualatin, Kalapuya, Molalla, Grande Ronde and many more tribes.

A portion of donations will go to the Native American Youth and Family Center (nayapdx.org) to support our local indigenous community.

ABOUT THE VENUE

The Lantern is a new nonprofit organization born from the belief that no one should have to grieve alone. We are on a mission to embrace and illuminate the full human experience by holding supportive space for life's joys and sorrows, nourishing deep connections, expanding access to grief and healing, advancing grief literacy across sectors, and reawakening our capacity to grieve and love. We are currently renovating a mid-century church in SE Portland into an inclusive, intergenerational gathering place for grief support and connection. A full calendar of programming will launch in Spring 2026.

ACCESSIBILITY & VENUE INFO

We will be outside in a fenced-in, tree-filled open space. There are accessible parking spaces in the parking lot with an accessible pathway to the open area where we will gather. The ground is flat, but similar to a forest floor and can be uneven in places. Please let us know if you need special accommodations.

We are under construction so we will have freshly cleaned porta potties available outside on site. An ADA porta potty will be provided as well.

PARKING

There is a large parking lot on site at The Lantern. If there are no spots available when you arrive, you will find ample street parking throughout the neighborhood. Please be mindful of neighbor driveways when choosing a spot. We also have on site bike parking.

COMMUNITY CARE

If you are not feeling well, please stay home. Masking is not required for this event. We encourage you to mask and distance to your own comfort level and will hold a culture of respect for the choices everyone makes to take care of themselves. In the case of having to stay home because of feeling ill, contact host before the event starts to receive a full refund minus booking fees. No refunds will be offered if contact is made after the event. 

Kids 12 and under are free and do not need to register (must be accompanied by an adult)

ABOUT THE SONGLEADER

Shireen “Riyo” Amini (they/them) is a queer, trans, Puerto Rican-Iranian American, earth-loving song creator, rhythm maker, and community facilitator based in Portland, Oregon. As a human, they carry a deep commitment to their own liberation path and vision of a more just world. As an artist, they believe strongly in music’s power to propel cultural revolution. Shireen blends pop, rock, hip hop, latin, and roots sensibilities with socially-conscious themes as a singer-songwriter and creates modern medicine music for community singing. In song circles, they hold transformational space, leading joyful, groove-based songs, evoking tenderness, and often engaging participants in the rhythm and ceremony of it all. Stay tuned for Shireen’s first community song album in-the-works, tentatively titled “Gather Your Resilience: Medicine Songs for Liberation."Shireen also teaches drumming, leads workshops, and facilitates grief ritual as part of her community-based music empowerment project Shireen Amini Music Medicine.