We were all deeply affected by the events of this past week (after the election) and couldn’t help but take a moment to address how we have been affected. Angel City Chorale can and will find a way to fit into our nation’s future and the new reality we are entering.
Take a look around our choir: we are old and young, gay and straight, rich and poor, a mix of ethnicities. We have Republicans sitting next to Democrats, atheists next to ministers, immigrants and native-born, skilled musicians and neophytes.
We are a shining example of what can be. Because we have a common purpose there exists an internal respect to mutually create something beautiful together. We each work together towards strengthening the whole. Our soloists are talented members of our choir who step forward to sparkle and then are enveloped back into the group when their solos are over. When we are in need, we help each other learn and grow.
ACC has the ability to be a role model for the world. In the past few months the daily viewings of our viral video for our performance of Africa had slowed. In the last two days, however, we have seen a spike of over 100,000 views. Why? People need to see us singing together in joy. We give hope to people who are afraid, lost.
We are a model for unity in diversity. We do not accept that the end can justify the means, certainly not at the cost of a loss of ethics, honor, respecting differences and just plain hard work. One thing that cannot be compromised is integrity.
As we prepare for our upcoming holiday concerts we strive to be part of something good right now, something that comes from good will and a drive to create something better than any of us could alone. What will that take? Each of us being ‘all in’, taking personal responsibility to contribute to the whole. We all need to be equally vested – we are co-owners and we depend on everyone to learn the music, give and ask for help. If we show up invested we can create something beautiful in our community. Then we can model community for our audience.
We want to share this vision with others, that beauty and hope will inspire them to do the same. We hope you are all as inspired as we are to reach out and fill that church [sic] with our friends and family and give them hope and maybe actually bring on some joy. We will then partner directly with our beloved community during our annual Tour of Hope, bringing joy to those who need it most. So now, let’s get to work.
