I Did A Thing
- Christine
- Jun 15, 2020
- 2 min read
I.
Did.
A.
Thing.
I was tired of sitting in my house and not reaching out to people... not sharing what I do with people. So, I asked my neighbors via our WhatsApp group if they might be interested in a socially distanced “porch recital”.
They were 100% in.
Allison Wamser and I put together a program of arias, songs, some broadway - about 40 minutes worth of music. My husband James called the town police to be sure we weren’t going to break some ordinance by doing this at 4pm on a Sunday. We were told that as long as we weren’t blocking a road and were following social distancing rules, they were happy to have us do it.
We hauled out my large Panasonic speaker and put it on my porch. The set up was right in front of my front door, and my amazing neighbors all came with their lawn chairs and blankets to set up their socially distant places to listen.
There was zero contact. Even texts and translations were online so that people could follow along using their own phones and thereby avoided touching any hand-outs/programs.
We had about 40-45 people here today. You can see in the pictures where we stood and how far out folks were sitting.
No, it wasn’t perfect. Yes, one of my neighbors asked me to sing the Habanera (ohhhh mezzos, y’all are just rockstars and to all of my French friends - I’m so sorry for butchering all of the things while sightreading this today LOL), but my soul is full. My community gathered together safely. Folks walked over from blocks away.
I’m crying as I’m writing this. Some of the folks in front of us today were crying also.
We can do what we do. It’s going to be very different for a while. That’s ok too.
I have to take one second to encourage anyone on a board to PLEASE take a chance. Don’t take the “safe” way, even if it feels secure... whatever that is. Do something on a small scale. Think outside the box. I can’t begin to tell you how desperate people are for the art that connects us.
We don’t need to stop trying to find a way to make it happen ❤️
Love,
Christine
That is soo fantastic! I loved you in Elektra in San Francisco and have been following you ever since! I was especially heartened by your commitment to Black Lives Matters this week and feel very connected to your endeavors. This is just another example of what a fine person you are. I hope opera will follow your lead always!! Thank you!!
I’m so happy for you and wish I could be your neighbor, too. How lucky they are!
You are one of my favorites and I will have to be content to listen to your recorded music. Keep on doing what you love and hopefully we all will be able to see you soon.
So glad to see this pop up on Facebook (amid all the crap...) I'm a huge fan of yours. Since you sang The Dyer's Wife at the Met. Absolutely loved your Elektra with the BSO. Cheered for your Brunnhilde at the Met. Was all signed up to hear you again at the Chicago Lyric. Such a disappointment when that got canceled. I wish I lived in your neighborhood so that I could have heard you sing again. Keep singing. We are all rooting for you.