“Young or Old, Singing Lifts You, Heart and Soul,” a collaboration between Golden Tones chorus and Natick High School’s Advanced Choir, welcomes music-lovers to a free, interactive, intergenerational, inspirational concert on Friday, May 5, at 6:30p.m. at the Common Street Spiritual Center, 13 Common Street, Natick, as part of the ArtWeek Boston festival!
After experimenting with two previous projects together, the two choirs now invite the public to experience what happens when two generations of singers engage directly around music-making.
“We’re going beyond a traditional joint choral concert,” explained Golden Tones director Deborah Marion. “We plan to directly involve the audience in a way that mirrors our rehearsal process. If you come for an hour of music, you will also experience how people who live in separate worlds, like teens and seniors sometimes do, can still find ways to connect with each other.”
Find out what prompted a student to express that working together “offers both generations a chance to learn from one another, something that doesn’t always happen in everyday life.” Another student said that “intergenerational collaborations help to make younger people realize how much older people are capable of, and that our passions can follow us throughout our lives and do not have to disappear.” “It helps to educate students about history and those who came before them, and helps to teach the older generations about the future,” suggested another.
“Collaborating with the Golden Tones chorus gives our students learning opportunities that extend what they learn in the classroom, in performances, and in competitions,” said NHS Choral Director Tyler Turner. “It’s remarkable that our students requested more time together as a way to improve the program.”
The NHS Advanced Choir, one of the school’s four academic choral ensembles, promotes as its core values: community, passion, discipline, and excellence. An auditioned choir of male and female singers, the Advanced Choir’s mission is to transform students’ lives and inspire their community. They achieve musical excellence by teaching music literacy, healthy vocal technique, ensemble skills, and the discipline of practice. They achieve positive youth development through mentorship, identity exploration, and the study of diverse human perspectives. They achieve community through joyful performances, friendship, and collaboration.
Kindred spirits, with an innovative combination of creative arts and community service, members of the Golden Tones chorus are men and women of retirement age who sing and dance to lift spirits, have fun, and promote health and social engagement to benefit everyone involved. The mission of Golden Tones is to practice and provide enriching entertainment for senior citizen facilities, schools, faith communities and public events. To fulfill this mission, the chorus delivers almost 50 lively concerts a year, many to disadvantaged and underserved audiences in the Greater Boston (mainly MetroWest) area. There are no auditions to join.
“Young or Old, Singing Lifts You, Heart and Soul,” serves as a capstone concert for the Golden Tones chorus’ annual Walk for Music campaign; to support the chorus with a tax-deductible gift or to learn more, visit goldentones.org. This free one-hour concert will be followed by Common Street Spiritual Center’s Old Souls Open Mic at 8:00p.m., featuring poetry, music, comedy, dance and other art forms.
