Hundreds of people gathered Wednesday evening at the Washington National Cathedral in D.C. for no other purpose than to sing together.
About 750 people took part in “The Big Sing” — a free, community sing organized by the Kennedy Center, the cathedral and Levine Music.
“The center really believes in the power of the arts to bring people together, to build understanding, empathy and community,” said Deborah Rutter, president of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. “And what better way than for us all to use our natural instrument — the voice?”
No singing skills were required, just a desire to come together with others to lift voices into the vaunted space of the sacred cathedral.
“Why not come to this gorgeous, gorgeous setting and collaborate with some community partners … and bring a whole bunch of people together to sing?” Rutter said.
Micah Hendler conducted the choir; he’s the founder and artistic director of the Jerusalem Youth Chorus, and leader of the Community Sings series at Levine Music, a music school with campuses around the D.C. area.
The singers sat themselves in sections divided by vocal range — bass voices in one section of pews, tenor in another and sections for altos and sopranos.
“You don’t need musical training” said Hendler. “You don’t need to know how to read music. You don’t need to have 10 years of choral experience or voice lessons. Literally, it’s singing, because singing is a thing that human beings do together, and that’s it.”
People scanned a QR code to provide the lyrics of the songs on their smartphones.
Hendler began the Big Sing with a few vocal warm ups before leading the large crowd in harmonies that soared to the rafters of the cathedral.
The two-hour program also included time for participants to chat with those around them, to get to know each other better before resuming their singing.
Wednesday’s event is not the only community sing. Levine Music hosts the event monthly and people across the D.C. region are invited to attend.
What singers get out of the event
The organizers said the community event could provide participants meaningful physical and emotional benefits from singing with hundreds of others.
It can have a positive impact on your health, Rutter said.
“Participating in music-making actually triggers something in your brain,” Rutter said. “It is really good for your brain and brain health.”
Hendler said that singing has played an important role in communities across the globe.
“There’s something about singing in groups that, from early on in human evolution, has played a really important role in creating a sense of community, of shared identity, creating a sense of who we are,” said Hendler. “And ultimately, is a way of channeling so many different emotions, and not just doing it one person to one person, but creating that group experience of togetherness.”
Hendler knows a thing or two about bringing people together.
“There are so many ways that singing can address some of the biggest challenges that we have as a society, in terms of helping people feel connected,” said Hendler.
The Jerusalem Youth Chorus he leads is comprised of Palestinian and Israeli youth.
“Whether you’re talking about political or racial divisions, or you’re talking about how we solve challenges together in a time when people feel so disconnected from each other,” Hendler said. “Even just thinking about technology, like we just desperately need ways for people to feel part of something bigger than themselves. And singing is designed to do that.
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