What the World Needs Now: Interfaith Coalition Singers

Harmonizing for a Better World.

Spreading hope, love, and justice through music.

Welcome!

What the World Needs Now: Interfaith Coalition Singers harnesses the power of song to inspire hope, foster unity, and ignite action. Rooted in the Greater Boston area, we bring people together through harmonies that transcend differences, spreading messages of love, justice, and togetherness.

About

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Through performances, song-leading, and collaborations with social justice movements, faith communities, and advocacy groups, we strive to heal, uplift, and empower change—one song at a time!

A red heart outline intertwined with a blue musical staff and notes, symbolizing love and music.

What We Do

A group of four people singing outdoors, with one playing an acoustic guitar. They are standing in a line holding microphones, surrounded by greenery.

Our performances blend concert-style singing with interactive sing-alongs, creating a powerful and joyous experience. From RnB and Soul to Folk, we offer songs reflecting differing faith traditions including singing in Hebrew, and Arabic. We lend our voices to organizations like the Poor People's Campaign, Massachusetts Peace Action, houses of worship, senior centers, and community events in the greater Boston area.

Heart with musical notes swirling inside

Where Music Meets Purpose

People participating in the Poor People's Campaign in Massachusetts, gathered in front of a building with signs advocating for a living wage and social justice. Some individuals are speaking or singing into microphones, one holds a guitar, and another uses a megaphone. A large banner reads "A National Call for Moral Revival."

We are a diverse group of artists, each with our own unique musical journey.  There’s nothing more rewarding than seeing an audience light up, inspired to join in and sing with joy. While recognition and financial support are valuable, our deepest motivation is our mission—to spread love and hope in ways that create ripple effects both small and large. This passion drives us, allowing us to take on a wide range of performances and collaborations.

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Our Mission

Testimonial

Group of five people singing, one playing a guitar, smiling and standing indoors.
Illustration of musical notes with heart shapes on a red background

What the World Needs Now has truly shown up for our MetroWest community. They provide beautiful, stirring, participatory music at interfaith services and events that enrich and support the experience of gathering. Moving fluidly between different musical styles, languages, and spiritual traditions, WWNN has sown musical joy, got my congregation singing and clapping and feeling and thinking deeply. The group also models close interfaith relationships and shared pursuit of justice. It’s inspiring, and it’s energizing. What the World Needs Now is now an eagerly-anticipated musical cornerstone of both our Interfaith Thanksgiving and our Martin Luther King, Jr. Shabbat Rinah service. I am grateful for every opportunity to bring WWNN to my community!

- Cantor Vera Broekhuysen, Congregation Beth El, Sudbury MA

Group of musicians performing on stage, one with a guitar, others singing into microphones, with a blue curtain in the background.

Meet the Members

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  • Jenny Bonham-Carter moved to the US from Sweden in 2016. Classicly trained as a child, she has for the past 30 years mainly been singing gospel, blues and soul but enjoys many other styles too. Among other musical adventures, Jenny is the music teacher in the Swedish school in Boston, runs the Theomusicology for the Poor People's Campaign Massachusetts chapter and sings every week in Somerville Community Baptist Church where she's a member. Jenny plays guitar and piano and composes and sings with her soulful,sometimes funky, rhythm and groove band West of Willow, which performs regularly at Red Bones in Somerville.

Person with gray hair and sunglasses speaking into a microphone outdoors.

  • Singing together for over six decades, Walter and Stephen began their professional careers in 1962 as "The Montclairs," performing doo-wop, R&B, Soul, and Motown. Over the years, they evolved into "The Authentics" (1968) and later "Spunk and The Authentics" (1978), incorporating disco. In 1988, they shifted to gospel as "The Gospel Love Tones," a lay ministry of Hope and Comfort, releasing two CDs, Jubilee and Standing on the Rock. Today, they focus on supporting interfaith coalitions and preserving the rich musical traditions they’ve been blessed to experience.

Smiling man outside in front of a wooden fence with greenery.

  • Singing together for over six decades, Walter and Stephen began their professional careers in 1962 as "The Montclairs," performing doo-wop, R&B, Soul, and Motown. Over the years, they evolved into "The Authentics" (1968) and later "Spunk and The Authentics" (1978), incorporating disco. In 1988, they shifted to gospel as "The Gospel Love Tones," a lay ministry of Hope and Comfort, releasing two CDs, Jubilee and Standing on the Rock. Today, they focus on supporting interfaith coalitions and preserving the rich musical traditions they’ve been blessed to experience.

    Link

Woman with curly hair speaking into a microphone while wearing a turquoise floral shawl.

  • Belle Linda Halpern leads communities in song in the Jewish tradition and was influenced as a song leader by Martha Schlamme, Cantor Lorel Zar-Kessler and Shlomo Carlebach. She has sung in New York, Boston, San Francisco, Paris, Munich, Jerusalem and Mumbai, performing in five languages. Belle has been called “Boston’s premiere singing actor” by the Boston Herald; The Boston Globe has called her work “stunning, both as music and theatre.” Her latest One woman show is Songs of Love and Social Consciousness: Commemorating Martha Schlamme

    She also teaches singing in the hills of Italy for The Tuscany Project and she founded Inspiring Educators a non-profit where she helps school leaders inspire so students succeed in underserved environments. She uses theatrical techniques to help leaders with emotional intelligence and dramatic narratives.

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  • Merle feels blessed for every opportunity to share her voice in song and praise. She has performed for faith-based organizations like United Parish in Brookline, Old South Church, and Marsh Chapel, as well as the Massachusetts Governor’s Office, the Boston Mayor, and the Boston Red Sox. A founding actor/educator with Urban Improv–Rehearsal for Life, she has taught singing and theatre at Walnut Hill School, Boston University Theatre Institute, and other institutions. Her credits span TV, film, and theater, earning her an Independent Reviewers of New England award. Merle trained at Boston University and Walnut Hill School of Performing Arts.

Recent Performances

Date: May 1, 2025
Venue: Boston Mayday rally at the bandstand Boston common

Date: May 4, 2025
Venue: Wellesley UU

Date: May 4, 2025
Venue:The Embrace statue Boston Common "Sidewalk Art in the Park" in solidarity with The People's Peace Summit in Jerusalem.

VIDEOS

Visit and subscribe to our YouTube channel to explore more videos!

VENUES

  • Standing Together, peace gatherings at Brookline libraries

  • MBMM (Massachusetts Baptist Multicultural Ministries), International Refugee Day, Lowell, and other events

  • MLK Shabbat services Congregation Beth-El in Sudbury

  • Cambridge Police Department interfaith festival

  • CREW (Communities Responding to Extreme Weather) Interfaith Climate Summit, Tufts University

  • The Robbins House in Concord, Juneteenth celebration

    • Online concert out of Bethel Baptist Church in Framingham

    • Massachusetts Peace Action (MAPA) online event, gala in Cambridge, peace rally at Boston Common

    • Temple Emanuel Project Manna concert, Newton

    • Needham Race Amity Day outdoor event, Needham

    • Sudbury outdoor festival

    • Movement Voter Project (MVP) online fundraiser

    • Cambridge Residents Alliance Holiday Social and Sing

    • Musical expressions of hope concert and sing-along, Wellesley Hills Congregational

    • Sing-along during Swedish Lucia concert, Wellesley Hills Congregational

    • Participation at numerous Poor People's Campaign rallies

    • Temple Beth Am in Framingham MLK event

    • Wellesley Hills Congregational MLK breakfast

    • Town of Needham MLK celebration

    • Congregation Beth El in Sudbury MLK Shabbat Services

    • Needham Senior Center

    • Belmont Senior Center

    • North Hill Living Community in Needham, MLK programs

    • Sudbury Interfaith Thanksgiving services

    • International refugee day event, the yearly gala and international clergy conference

    • United Parish in Brookline morning service

    • West Medford Community Center Fresh Fridays Word and Music

Testimonials

  • It has been an incredible honor and privilege to have the Interfaith Coalition Singers grace several Massachusetts Baptist Multicultural Ministries events with their uplifting music. In a world too often filled with despair, division, and hatred, your voices shine as a beacon of love, peace, and unity.

    Through your music, you deliver a powerful message—one that transcends barriers and reminds us that every human being is a beloved child of God. Your harmonies bridge differences, inspire hope, and bring communities together in a shared spirit of understanding and compassion.

    Interfaith Coalition Singers, keep singing! The world needs your voices now more than ever.

    - Mar Imsong, Executive Director, MBMM

  • What the World Needs Now is more than a musical group; they embody a loving, spiritually rich opportunity to weave people together through the magic of song. The group effortlessly and expertly blends music from different cultures and faith traditions to create a compelling whole. Even more, the members' willingness to share reflections and context for their music makes for an experience that captives the head as well as the heart. What the World Needs Now has helped my congregation to find new meaning in our worship by daring us to open our hearts to joy with one another. In these divided times, What the World Needs Now reminds us of the beauty that comes from sharing music together, and teaches us how to lift our voices in love.

    - Rabbi Josh Breindel, Congregation Beth El, Sudbury

  • What better time than now for people from different religions to sing songs of love and vision that transcends differences? The very fact of experiencing this soothes the soul and generates joyful hope. And, at the same time the passion for this work that each member of the choir exhibits spills into others as a motivating energy for service and activism. The congregation loved it!

    - Reverend Kathleen Hepler, First Parish at Sudbury, MA

Upcoming Events

Saturday, May 24

People's Music Network, PMN, summer gathering at Grotonwood, MA. We're part of the wonderful team running the Saturday morning workshop on "The continued relevance and urgency of the Spirituals”

Event Link

Saturday, June 21, 3-6pm

St Anne's episcopal church on Merrimack 8 Kirk St, Lowell, MA. Massachusetts Baptist Multicultural Ministries (MBMM) International Refugee Day yearly event

Follow our Music On Facebook & YouTube!

Stay connected with us for updates on performances, new recordings, and behind-the-scenes moments. Follow us on Facebook and YouTube and be part of our musical journey.

Book Us

Looking to add an unforgettable and meaningful musical experience to your event? We provide song-leading, entertainment, concerts and specific programs such as MLK day celebrations/services, Black History month events, Interfaith and Thanksgiving services etc. Let us craft a performance that uplifts and inspires.

Contact Us

Email: jennysusannabc@gmail.com
Phone: 857-998-0992