When I was a child I performed as part of a choir, a dapper-dan at 9 years old with black dress shoes polished, the button-up shirt tucked in, an emerald-green tie knotted just so. The songs weren’t awful and neither were the competitions. The thing I hated though, for no reason other than it seemed to drag on, was the incessant amount of vocal warmup required before performance. I never understood why we couldn’t just show up, belt the song and go home. Now that I’m older and once lost my voice trying to harmonize to Fleetwood Mac songs while washing the dishes, I’ve seen the light.
Ahead of an afternoon of community-based singing set for Sunday, Dec. 17, I spoke with Voices Rising group leader Kira Seto. There was little talk of vocal warm-ups, but tons about the foundations of this inclusive community singing program.
From the start, Seto proudly admitted that her ties to music have been lifelong and that her fondest childhood memories are of her parents singing her to sleep. Despite this ingrained love of music, it wasn’t until she happened upon an unassuming song gathering almost a decade ago that help Seto realize the possibilities of her personal passions.
“At this training I went to in 2015,” she said, “…there was this really dedicated oral tradition. It was a whole bunch of us that ended up singing every night and bonding. I took to it like a fish to water, I was hooked and I wanted more,” Seto noted.
While singing has always been a connection for her, the empathetic group leader stressed that there can be an understandable anxiety around the unshielded artform. “It’s a vulnerable space that people are stepping into with this, we have to appreciate and understand that. Mistakes are accepted and encouraged. All are welcome and everything is taught by ear,” she said.
This singing celebration guarantees uplifting songs throughout the afternoon and an opportunity to meet group members who share similar passions in music and the creative world. The Voices Rising Community Choir facilitates cultural exchange by transcending musical genre, languages and traditions.
Over the course of the past few weeks, Seto and other dedicated song-leaders have been working with participants to develop the courage to express themselves vocally within the group. While this is considered a series culmination, Seto promised that any and all first-time songbirds who have the desire and interest in their heart are also welcome.
“With this current series that I’ve been doing, we’ve gotten to work on songs over time, we’ve focused on bringing a soulful, heartful experience. Oftentimes, there’s an intention or poem given with the song that helps people sort of drop into the music and the moment and connect with it,” Seto explained. “We’ve really seen that progression from the start and see everyone starting to really feel the music and the groove. We’re connecting to something greater; it’s really something you have to come and experience.”
This community singing event isn’t about hitting the right notes, but rather about utilizing the therapeutic benefits of the shared emotional experience while honoring the intimacy of the moment.
This article appears in Dec 13, 2023 – Dec 25, 2024.
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