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This was the second-to-last show in the Pre-Pandemic era. Ironically, it was all about Belonging and it explored the importance of, and difficulties of, belonging in families, schools, communities, cultures, and even churches. What is ironic is that Voices on The Green was designed from the outset to optimize a sense of belonging, to bring people together – live and up close – where the sense of belonging is palpable and more intimate than anything digital. We miss it. Stay tuned.
Nate Ramsayer
Singer
From Minnesota, Nate is a professional singer in the Boston area. Nate performs regularly with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Boston Pops. He has sung backup for classical and Broadway greats such as Andrea Bocelli and Audra McDonald, performed in multiple international tours, and is an avid lover of musical theater. He performs widely in starring roles in Les Miserables. He is the professional leader of the tenor section of the First Parish choir.
Simon Andrews
Storyteller
Born in England, Simon is a composer and conductor, and proudly married to First Parish’s minister, Anne Mason. More used to the search for the right notes than a well-turned phrase, he recently polished his wordsmithing by writing the libretto for his opera Po’pay, about the legendary Pueblo freedom fighter.
Akshay Jha
Storyteller
Akshay is a fifteen-year-old high school sophomore, attending Lexington High School. He is captain of the High School Ethical Reasoning Team. He enjoys playing ultimate frisbee, listening to music, and skiing with his family. He decided to tell this story because he wanted to find some way to share a truth that was all his, and he wanted to hear other people share truths that were all theirs.
Deborah Jacoby-Twigg
Storyteller
Deb has worked in affordable housing, information technology, non-profit leadership and teaching in New York City and the Hudson Valley. Two years ago Deb moved to Lexington with her wife Mia, their two sons, and their miniature longhair dachshund. Most recently, with members of First Parish and Redeemer Churches, Deb has been co-writing a curriculum entitled “Dismantling Racism in Our Town.” Tonight marks her storytelling debut.
David Rose
Storyteller
David is in the early stages of failing to retire. For the previous 35 years he balanced two roles— one as a faculty member at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education and the other as an Executive Director at the Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST), a not-for-profit R & D organization devoted to improving education for disabled children. He is married to the lovely Ruth Rose.
Neeti Mishra Jha
Storyteller
Neeti is a busy mom, wife, and physician. She earned her medical degree in India and completed her Internal Medicine residency at Weill Cornell’s Lincoln Medical Center in New York City. After her residency, she worked there for a few years as an Attending Physician. She moved with her husband and three children to Lexington in 2013 to work with Winchester Hospital. She enjoys music, meditation, and outdoor family adventures.
Liz Hartmann
Storyteller
Liz is an Associate Professor of Education at Lasell University and an instructor at Harvard. Liz started her career as a teacher of students with deafblindness and visual impairments. She received her PhD in Special Education from UC Berkeley and San Francisco State. She is happily settled in Lexington with her family and loves being a member of First Parish.
Jawad Abo-Tabik
Storyteller
Jawad was born in Baghdad, Iraq. He left Iraq to go medical school in Cairo, Egypt. While in medical school, he met his wife Jamila, who is from Syria. He sought and received asylum in the United States. He, his wife, their baby daughter, and his grandmother now live in Lexington, through his connection to LexRAP. He is currently studying hard for the exams needed to become licensed to practice medicine in the U.S.
