At NorthStar Church of the Arts, four North Carolina vocalists celebrated their eponymous CD as a room full of Durham locals rose to their feet, singing and dancing to the collective’s song, “Combat Boots and Glass Slippers.”

The moment on March 22 captured a performance that reflected years of shared history, friendship and artistic alignment among the four women who have come together. The Sistering is a collective made up of Nnenna Freelon, Kate McGarry, Lenora Zenzalai Helm and Lois Deloatch. What began as paired collaborations and overlapping careers evolved into a collective rooted in mutual admiration, individual excellence and a shared commitment to the Durham community.

While the sisters are not originally from Durham, they have chosen Durham as a home base after living in cities such as New York, Boston and Los Angeles, pointing to its artistic community as a reason for building their careers there.

“Durham has a certain feel that makes you want to be a persistent gardener,” said Helm. “You want to persist in making Durham something special. That’s because of the people here and the way they look at their environment and how they’re responsible for creating it.”

Durham has long served as fertile ground for collaboration, with its network of venues, institutions, and community spaces that have helped sustain and grow the local jazz and vocal music scene, said the artists.

During Freelon’s performances in accessible community-oriented settings, she started at the local Durham Arts Council and was able to take jazz appreciation and jazz performance classes at a very affordable price, said Freelon.

“Cannot imagine that happening anywhere else,” said Freelon. “I throw no shade at Raleigh. I throw no shade at Chapel Hill. But that happened right here in Durham, on the backs and on the hearts of people who really cared about this music.”

Radio stations like the WNNCCU, festivals like the Art of Cool Jazz Festival, academic programs, and grassroots venues all contribute to what the artists describe as a “fabric” of interconnected support.

“Who we are is important to Durham,” said Freelon. “We create a fabric and a landscape that makes Durham interesting, wonderful, particular and good.”

Mutual reinforcement between artist and place is reflected in their performances and the community’s response. Audience members at NorthStar did not simply attend a concert—they participated in it. The Durham community also helped support the collective through a GoFundMe. Additionally, the North Carolina Arts Council gives them grants.

“That just also speaks to the beautiful fabric of a community that believes in what we’re doing, and puts the collective money where their mouth is,” said McGarry.

Rather than blending into one unified identity, they emphasize individuality in collaboration within their work, distinguishing them as a collective, not a group.

Freelon compares the collective to a chunky stew rather than a blended soup—each element remains distinct, with different flavors and textures standing out. This allows individuals to appreciate certain aspects more than others without everything being mixed into one homogeneous whole.

“No one was asked to sacrifice their personal identity,” said Freelon. “We are a collective of individual artists with very distinct voices, histories and particularities who have chosen to combine our talents.”

That ethos was consistent throughout the making of their debut self-titled record, released March 20. The group recorded 11 tracks, including two that the four women co-wrote, and two that they each created individually.

Although finding time to record amid busy lives was sometimes challenging, the women’s time in the studio was effortless.

“When it came time for me to sing the songs that I wrote, I was sistered and mothered and loved and shored up by my co-creators,” said Freelon.

“When we co-created, it was true jazz—the improvisational nature of it deeply inspired me. It was just a unique growing experience in so many ways,” said Deloatch. 

The project is about more than music—it’s about uplifting women’s voices. Many of the women behind the album, including Lenora Zenzalai Helm’s woman-owned record label and the liner notes written by female artist Terri Lyne Carrington, are part of a broader intention. Rather than focusing on sales or chart rankings, the work was framed as something more expansive than a typical release, said Freelon.

Freelon described “sistering” as a way of being—one that affirms the value of women, particularly those often overlooked with age. By supporting one another and recognizing their own power and longevity, the collective models a different narrative—one that encourages younger women to embrace aging while continuing to sing and produce

Each has built a career not only as a performer but also as an educator and cultural leader, roles that reinforce their connection to Durham and to one another.

“What I see that comes from each of us really naturally—it’s sort of like a fragrance or an aroma—is a kind of mentoring or caretaking of younger people,” said McGarry. “That’s something I love, and I see it in each one of my sisters.”

McGarry is an instructor of somatic voicework and helps singers of all ages meet their musical goals while keeping their voices healthy.

Helm’s impact can be seen across Durham, especially through the students she mentored during her 20 years as a professor and department chair at North Carolina Central University, said McGarry.

“I’m always in such awe and admiration of my sisters and how they move and affect people in our community,” said McGarry.

The Sistering’s work, then, is as much about uplifting one another as it is about making music. Their collaboration centers on amplifying women’s voices while drawing strength from deep friendships and shared experiences. Rooted in Durham’s tight-knit arts community, their work reflects a commitment not only to creating together, but to mentoring others, building spaces for connection, and shaping a culture where women support, celebrate and sustain one another.

The project remains open-ended, said Helm.

“This is a new adventure—one that’s still unfolding, and it’s a beautiful one,” said Helm.