The August 23 release of Linda Marks’ song “Sanctuary” offers a far-reaching network of healing and hope for abuse survivors
Previously published on HivedMusic on July 22, 2024
“…[a] longtime fixture on the Greater Boston music scene” – The Boston Globe
As a seasoned artist and mind-body psychotherapist, Linda Marks understands that global issues require global collaboration. So when it came time for the Boston singer-songwriter to extend heartfelt support to domestic violence survivors through her music, she called upon an extensive network of collaborators to help deliver the message.
On August 23, Marks will release the global version of her song “Sanctuary,” which interweaves the talents of artists from around the world to form a unifying message of healing and tenderness. The release is the latest phase in the rollout of Marks’ Sanctuary project, a months-long effort that utilizes new music, live performances, and collaborations with nonprofits to raise awareness about this far-reaching – yet often close-to-home – issue.
Marks’ understanding of domestic violence started in her childhood home, where she felt a shroud of shame about what her family experienced behind closed doors. The August 23 release date overlaps with her late mother’s birthday as an emotional tribute to her.
“I grew up in a household where domestic violence cast a dark shadow,” Marks shares. “My mother told me to keep the shades down so the neighbors would not know what was going on. As a child, I wanted to break the secrecy and find help. But I did not know where to turn.”
Reflecting on the issue, Marks penned “Sanctuary” for a 2023 benefit concert for Casa Myrna and RESPOND, Inc., two Boston-area nonprofits that assist domestic violence survivors. As she crafted lyrics using the words and experiences of fellow survivors, she realized that domestic violence transcends race, age, gender, geography, and socioeconomic background. Hoping to reach as many people as possible, Marks curated a global roster of contributors, tapping peers from communities like the Recording Academy to record vocal and instrumental portions of the song.
Layered together, the global version of “Sanctuary” is a collage of empathy and encouragement, shaped by the creativity of musicians from Greece, Israel, India, Germany, and the United States. A full list of contributors can be found at the end of this press release.
“People who have experienced domestic violence need to be treated with respect, discretion and tenderness,” says Grecian artist Dimitris Nezis, who contributed vocals to the song. “The love they have been deprived of, as well as self-esteem, is of great vital importance and needs special attention and effort to heal the wounds, whether they are obvious or hidden behind a crippled pride. What I hope with ‘Sanctuary,’ is that at least some people will feel that they are not alone in this (if they’ve been through such tough times), that there is someone out there that cares.”
Other contributors echo Nezis’ sentiment, and many have championed others humanitarian efforts on their home turf. German bassist Christian Fabian has dedicated years of service to helping the elderly, while Israeli singer Adina Feldman has long advocated for the empowerment and safety of Muslim and Jewish women alike.
The global release of “Sanctuary” marks the second phase of the Sanctuary project’s rollout. Marks launched the project in June when she debuted the song’s accompanying music video, which features compelling imagery provided by Casa Myrna and RESPOND, Inc. She unveiled the visual at The Burren, an essential club and gathering place for Greater Boston’s creative community.
The rollout will continue in the fall, when Marks hosts a September 15 benefit show for Casa Myrna and RESPOND Inc. at One Broadway Collaborative in Lawrence. The project has two events planned for Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October: a live-streamed performance of “Sanctuary” on October 1 and a performance at the Fall Festival organized by REACH Beyond Domestic Violence on October 5 in Waltham.
Representatives from Casa Myrna and RESPOND Inc. join Marks onstage at The Burren for the “Sanctuary” music video release in June / Photo credit: Ellen Snyder
“Sanctuary” global recording artists:
Adina Feldman, Israel – Vocals Noshir Mody, India – Guitar Amy McAllister, United States – Vocals Christian Fabian, Germany – Bass Charu Suri, India – Piano Dimitris Nezis, Greece – Vocals Linda Marks, United States – Vocals Willie Sordillo, United States – Saxophone Mixed and mastered by Lonnie Park with Nate Horton at Barncastle Studio in Ithaca, New York.
About Linda Marks
Linda Marks is a multi-award-winning Boston singer-songwriter, a healer at heart, and emotional alchemist whose music gracefully uplifts the spirit and transforms sorrow into gold. Currently preparing her 15th album, Marks is as prolific as she is mindful, using her music to touch upon the current events and issues shaping our reality. Her past releases have been featured in The Boston Globe, Boston Magazine, and NPR, among other outlets.
Throughout her decades-spanning discography, Marks’ elegant voice and piano always tug at listeners’ heartstrings and inspire optimism. She released her 14th studio album A Recipe For Hope in January of 2024, which debuted at No.18 on the Roots Music Report Alternative Folk Chart. A Recipe For Hope also won the Clouzine International Music Award for “Best Folk
Album,” received a Bronze Medal for both Best Album and Best Folk Album in the Global Music Awards, and produced two charting songs: “September Morn,” which appeared on the Cashbox Top 100, and “Love Always Wins,” which reached No. 1 on the UK Hot 100. “Love Always Wins” recently was named a Finalist in the Great American Song Contest and won the award for “Best
Collaboration” at the World Songwriter Awards. Marks is a Finalist in five categories for the 2024 ISSA Awards, and is nominated for a 2024 Josie Music Award as well. Her newest song, written to heal the epidemic of antisemitism, was just selected as a semifinalist in the UK Songwriting Competition.
Building community through music has been a lifelong pursuit for Marks, who has written songs for numerous nonprofit organizations and community causes, such as Upstage Lung Cancer, the Buddy Dog Humane Society, the Cotta Blue Project, and Light Up the Love. She’s also collaborated with saxophonist Willie Sordillo and singer-songwriter Kemp Harris on Songs At The Heart Of Our Times, performing timely music at benefit concerts for local non-profits. Most recently, Marks is the curator of the “Sanctuary” project, tapping a global network of musicians to craft a song that supports – and includes the words of – domestic violence survivors.
Marks is the co-founder of Women In Music Gathering, the leader of the International Singer-Songwriter Association Boston/Northeast Chapter, and a Big Records artist. She also is a member of the Recording Academy, the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance, and Folk Alliance International.
Upcoming performances and appearances
July 27: ISSA Songwriter Showcase with Anne Sandstrom, Chris Steele, Craig Sonnenfeld and Michael Gutierrez-May at Albion Cultural Exchange, Wakefield, MA
August 8: RISA Songwriters In The Round, Artists Exchange, Cranston, RI
August 24: ISSA Awards Ceremony, Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center, Sandy Springs, GA
September 15: Casa Myrna and RESPOND Inc. benefit show at One Broadway Collaborative in Lawrence, MA
October 5: Domestic Violence Awareness Month Fall Festival Performance, REACH Beyond Domestic Violence, Inc, Waltham, MA
Press assets
Website / Press photos / EPK
Streaming links
Spotify / Soundcloud / Apple Music
Social media
Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / YouTube
For press inquiries please contact:
Jenny M. C. DuHaime, connect@jetsetmusicmedia.com
Linda Marks, lsmheart@aol.com
“…[a] longtime fixture on the Greater Boston music scene” – The Boston Globe
BOSTON – As a seasoned artist and mind-body psychotherapist, Linda Marks understands that global issues require global collaboration. So when it came time for the Boston singer-songwriter to extend heartfelt support to domestic violence survivors through her music, she called upon an extensive network of collaborators to help deliver the message.
On August 23, Marks will release the global version of her song “Sanctuary,” which interweaves the talents of artists from around the world to form a unifying message of healing and tenderness. The release is the latest phase in the rollout of Marks’ Sanctuary project, a months-long effort that utilizes new music, live performances, and collaborations with nonprofits to raise awareness about this far-reaching – yet often close-to-home – issue.
Marks’ understanding of domestic violence started in her childhood home, where she felt a shroud of shame about what her family experienced behind closed doors. The August 23 release date overlaps with her late mother’s birthday as an emotional tribute to her.
“I grew up in a household where domestic violence cast a dark shadow,” Marks shares. “My mother told me to keep the shades down so the neighbors would not know what was going on. As a child, I wanted to break the secrecy and find help. But I did not know where to turn.”
Reflecting on the issue, Marks penned “Sanctuary” for a 2023 benefit concert for Casa Myrna and RESPOND, Inc., two Boston-area nonprofits that assist domestic violence survivors. As she crafted lyrics using the words and experiences of fellow survivors, she realized that domestic violence transcends race, age, gender, geography, and socioeconomic background. Hoping to reach as many people as possible, Marks curated a global roster of contributors, tapping peers from communities like the Recording Academy to record vocal and instrumental portions of the song.
Layered together, the global version of “Sanctuary” is a collage of empathy and encouragement, shaped by the creativity of musicians from Greece, Israel, India, Germany, and the United States. A full list of contributors can be found at the end of this press release.
“People who have experienced domestic violence need to be treated with respect, discretion and tenderness,” says Grecian artist Dimitris Nezis, who contributed vocals to the song. “The love they have been deprived of, as well as self-esteem, is of great vital importance and needs special attention and effort to heal the wounds, whether they are obvious or hidden behind a crippled pride. What I hope with ‘Sanctuary,’ is that at least some people will feel that they are not alone in this (if they’ve been through such tough times), that there is someone out there that cares.”
Other contributors echo Nezis’ sentiment, and many have championed others humanitarian efforts on their home turf. German bassist Christian Fabian has dedicated years of service to helping the elderly, while Israeli singer Adina Feldman has long advocated for the empowerment and safety of Muslim and Jewish women alike.
The global release of “Sanctuary” marks the second phase of the Sanctuary project’s rollout. Marks launched the project in June when she debuted the song’s accompanying music video, which features compelling imagery provided by Casa Myrna and RESPOND, Inc. She unveiled the visual at The Burren, an essential club and gathering place for Greater Boston’s creative community.
The rollout will continue in the fall, when Marks hosts a September 15 benefit show for Casa Myrna and RESPOND Inc. at One Broadway Collaborative in Lawrence. The project has two events planned for Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October: a live-streamed performance of “Sanctuary” on October 1 and a performance at the Fall Festival organized by REACH Beyond Domestic Violence on October 5 in Waltham.
Representatives from Casa Myrna and RESPOND Inc. join Marks onstage at The Burren for the “Sanctuary” music video release in June / Photo credit: Ellen Snyder
“Sanctuary” global recording artists:
Adina Feldman, Israel – Vocals Noshir Mody, India – Guitar Amy McAllister, United States – Vocals Christian Fabian, Germany – Bass Charu Suri, India – Piano Dimitris Nezis, Greece – Vocals Linda Marks, United States – Vocals Willie Sordillo, United States – Saxophone Mixed and mastered by Lonnie Park with Nate Horton at Barncastle Studio in Ithaca, New York.
About Linda Marks
Linda Marks is a multi-award-winning Boston singer-songwriter, a healer at heart, and emotional alchemist whose music gracefully uplifts the spirit and transforms sorrow into gold. Currently preparing her 15th album, Marks is as prolific as she is mindful, using her music to touch upon the current events and issues shaping our reality. Her past releases have been featured in The Boston Globe, Boston Magazine, and NPR, among other outlets.
Throughout her decades-spanning discography, Marks’ elegant voice and piano always tug at listeners’ heartstrings and inspire optimism. She released her 14th studio album A Recipe For Hope in January of 2024, which debuted at No.18 on the Roots Music Report Alternative Folk Chart. A Recipe For Hope also won the Clouzine International Music Award for “Best Folk
Album,” received a Bronze Medal for both Best Album and Best Folk Album in the Global Music Awards, and produced two charting songs: “September Morn,” which appeared on the Cashbox Top 100, and “Love Always Wins,” which reached No. 1 on the UK Hot 100. “Love Always Wins” recently was named a Finalist in the Great American Song Contest and won the award for “Best
Collaboration” at the World Songwriter Awards. Marks is a Finalist in five categories for the 2024 ISSA Awards, and is nominated for a 2024 Josie Music Award as well. Her newest song, written to heal the epidemic of antisemitism, was just selected as a semifinalist in the UK Songwriting Competition.
Building community through music has been a lifelong pursuit for Marks, who has written songs for numerous nonprofit organizations and community causes, such as Upstage Lung Cancer, the Buddy Dog Humane Society, the Cotta Blue Project, and Light Up the Love. She’s also collaborated with saxophonist Willie Sordillo and singer-songwriter Kemp Harris on Songs At The Heart Of Our Times, performing timely music at benefit concerts for local non-profits. Most recently, Marks is the curator of the “Sanctuary” project, tapping a global network of musicians to craft a song that supports – and includes the words of – domestic violence survivors.
Marks is the co-founder of Women In Music Gathering, the leader of the International Singer-Songwriter Association Boston/Northeast Chapter, and a Big Records artist. She also is a member of the Recording Academy, the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance, and Folk Alliance International.
Upcoming performances and appearances
July 27: ISSA Songwriter Showcase with Anne Sandstrom, Chris Steele, Craig Sonnenfeld and Michael Gutierrez-May at Albion Cultural Exchange, Wakefield, MA
August 8: RISA Songwriters In The Round, Artists Exchange, Cranston, RI
August 24: ISSA Awards Ceremony, Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center, Sandy Springs, GA
September 15: Casa Myrna and RESPOND Inc. benefit show at One Broadway Collaborative in Lawrence, MA
October 5: Domestic Violence Awareness Month Fall Festival Performance, REACH Beyond Domestic Violence, Inc, Waltham, MA
Press assets
Website / Press photos / EPK
Streaming links
Spotify / Soundcloud / Apple Music
Social media
Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / YouTube
For press inquiries please contact:
Jenny M. C. DuHaime, connect@jetsetmusicmedia.com
Linda Marks, lsmheart@aol.com
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