Fireworks!
We experienced a mass choral event “Fireworks” with the Nelson community. There were around 500 singers and audience members sharing this musical journey.
We arrived at the venue early to set up for the event. It was interesting that we were the hosts and ushers to the community we were visiting ourselves! Then, the rehearsal began, and magic making happened. The support I felt in that room is unlike anything I’ve experienced before. What drew my attention was the constant palpable joy in the room. It was beautiful. When our choir was debriefing the event, another participant described a very same experience I had with relating to another singer, and I was assured that when we are in community, our connection and communication goes beyond words, to the soul level.
I cannot do justice to this experience by describing it myself, and so my colleagues shared some reflections of their experiences at Fireworks!
Kylie Thompson
This event was a beautiful experience to have been a part of. Nelson overall is a very small and close town. The town is extremely supportive of Corazon. This was an open invitation event so anyone within the community could participate! We had approximately 400 voices join us! Many whom had never sung in a choir before, who were told they couldn’t sing, who were terrified to sing in public but came out and had a blast anyway. On top of that, we all met for one rehearsal which took place 3 hours prior to the event. I am blessed to have been a part of such a genuinely supportive and loving little town for this short amount of time.
Jade Ashley Baird
The Fireworks ceremony at the Nelson Community Centre was a remarkable and enriching musical experience. I was very moved at how all walks of life united in song and shared their joy through the medium of choral art. There is nothing like breathing in synchrony with 400 plus individuals. I admit, on a personal level, I was very overwhelmed at the surplus of people who came to this event, and having to navigate complete strangers to their sections. It definitely tested my limits as an introvert to welcome guests into the performance space. However, once Allison Girvan prompted the rehearsal, all my anxieties faded and I dove right into the creative process. I remember looking out onto the ensemble and observing such an overflowing sense of warmth and jubilance in the room.
I was pleasantly surprised at how emotional I got singing Coldplay’s “Fix You”. Allison had the Corazon and Community Through Choral Art Singers spread about the arena and face the Nelson Community members and share our parts/hear how the two parts fit in relation with one another. I remember singing out to this woman in the soprano section and at the last phrase of the song she stopped singing and closed her eyes and took in my voice. It was in that moment that I truly felt the power and connection of music and its strength to heal one’s heart, but most importantly, how much of a gift I have to share with this world. I feel I underestimated my gift of song and how my voice/being in my “joy” ties in with community as a whole. Ego aside, I am very eager to begin teachers college in September, and hopefully implement all of which I have gained from this trip into my practicum. I am very honored to have made my way out here in the beautiful Nelson, B.C! The people here wear their hearts so openly, it has inspired me to follow suit.
Julia Rooth
At the beginning, I thought that this performance wasn’t as professional or high-scale as my previous concerts. I felt like I was singing, but I didn’t feel like I was performing. However, as the performance went on, I realized that all of my preconceived notions were just that: preconceived. As I felt the energy and passion from the choir, and the mirrored energy from the audience (which was much louder and more vibrant than I ever expected), I began to feel very differently. I felt as though I was a part of something bigger than myself, and yet, like I fit into it in a way that was not only natural but necessary. It occurred to me then that there is no criteria for a performance, and it isn’t just artists showing their work to an audience, it is sharing the music and art and passion with an audience, and feeding off the passion the audience is giving you as well.
At the end, when the audience clapped for us, and in turn we clapped for the audience, and we all clapped together, that was when it occurred to me: that is community. The concept of the performers clapping for the audience had never even crossed my mind before, but in the moment, it made perfect sense. They applauded the art that we had shared with them, and we applauded the support and love that made our art possible to share. As we all clapped at the end, it felt like we were all applauding each other, the community, and celebrating the moment we were in. This was very important to me as it shaped my idea of community music and performance in a completely different way, and moving forward, I will have a completely different approach to the relationship between singers, audience, and the concept of performance. For that I thank the beautiful singers of the Nelson community, the audience that came and supported, and all the beautiful directors and crew that made it possible.”
