Those of us involved in choral music often struggle to
find the words to describe the joy and immense satisfaction we find in our art. It’s almost beyond description. Maybe it has something to do with the
physical changes that happen in our bodies when we sing; I’ve blogged about
that recently. Or maybe it’s that
mysterious ability music seems to posses to lead us beyond ourselves. Whatever the cause, those of us who sing in
or conduct a choir often discover that our spirits have been recharged and we
have become emotionally linked by making music together.
Maybe it takes something more than words to bring the
experience to life. A documentary
filmmaker, Varda Hardy, has been working on a project that comes as close as
anything I know to describing our wonderful art form. It’s called Big Voice: Like a Wave, and it’s about a choral music program in a
high school. And
it’s inspiring.
I find it fitting that the choral piece that accompanies the
clip is Poulenc’s O Magnum Mysterium,
“O Great Mystery.”
And if you want some encouragement concerning the state
of the musical arts in our educational system, here’s another clip about the
project that zeroes in even more on the school and the teacher that are the
focus of the film.
If a picture is worth a thousand words, these flowing
streams of pictures are worth tens of thousands of words when it comes to
choral advocacy.
Let’s all be choral advocates! And advocates of this film. Find more on the project on Facebook.
Dr. Linda Gingrich
Artistic director and conductor
Master Chorus Eastside
I love the wave analogy. It is exactly what I feel when I sing. Ocean waves stir up such wonderful feelings - I can't think of a better comparison!
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