LOS ANGELES |"Hide and Seek" - Imogen Heap | One-Day Choir

WHAT IS A ONE-DAY CHOIR?

Gaia Music Collective's One-Day Choir series is an opportunity to sing in a choir for one day only. A celebration of song and the connective power of singing in harmony. An opportunity to build community, make some new friends, and raise our powerfully diverse voices as one.

No auditions. No commitment. No need for perfection.

Just the joy of creating something bigger than ourselves with a room full of beautiful humans!

Whether you're a vocal ensemble veteran or have never sung in a group before, you are welcome here - all experience levels are valued in Gaia Music Collective!

OUR SONG THIS TIME AROUND

Imogen Heap’s “Hide and Seek” is simply a masterpiece of vocal harmony. Using a vocoder (an electronic vocal harmonizer), Imogen adds dazzling, expressive layers of harmony and texture to a haunting and enigmatic set of lyrics. This song has been covered beautifully by choirs and a cappella groups around the world, and we figured it was Gaia’s turn to give it a go. Together, we will sing an a cappella arrangement of this gorgeous song, custom composed for this one-day choir by Gaia founder Matt Goldstein. Join us as we give voice to the haunting melodies, electric harmonies, and soaring heights of this vocal classic.

Check out the original song here:

LEARNING THE MUSIC

Sheet music and vocal recordings of each part will be available as learning resources before the event, and our collective goal is to practice the parts ahead of time so that we might come into the gathering with ! This way we can spend our time together really diving into the richness of music-making, rather than trying to teach the parts one by one. We don't need to know our parts by heart by any means (and you defffinitely don’t have to memorize it), but the stronger we are in our parts coming in, the more we'll be able to really dig into the fun stuff!

(If this style of learning isn't your cup of tea, we have other group singing events where you don't need to prepare at all! Check out our CircleSinging gatherings and House Shows.)

LED AND FACILITATED BY:

This session will be facilitated by the amazing Asher Blank!

ASHER BLANK (@asherbl_nk | he/him) is a composer of vocal and electronic music. His work ranges from intricate vocal chamber music and textural a cappella arranging to expansive recording projects and heart-centered songs. Inspired by music-makers like Steve Reich, Bobby McFerrin, and Caroline Shaw, his compositions pull from a diverse collection of vocal music traditions in search of new connections. His most recent projects include “the blooming of something freed from itself,” an hour-long written-improvised vocal piece (with Matt Goldstein), and the score for “Home Improvement,” an experimental film by Milwaukee filmmaker Marquise Mays (with Thomas Cabaniss).

Asher lives and works in Los Angeles, leading One-Day Choir experiences with Gaia Music Collective in downtown LA and collaborating with singers and ensembles around the country. He is an alumnus of the University of Chicago a cappella group Voices in Your Head and the internationally acclaimed Young People’s Chorus of New York City, and has taught at the LA summer youth program A Cappella Academy.

PHYSICAL ACCESSIBILITY:

This space is ADA accessible!

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CANCELLATION POLICY

We want as many people to be able to experience these gatherings as possible, and since capacity is limited, each spot is precious! If you RSVP but are no longer able to come, please let us know at least 24 hours before the event so that we may offer your spot to someone else. Tickets are non-transferable, as we need to be able to gather enough funds to rent the spaces and pay our lovely facilitator.

For more info, contact us at [email protected].

MEDIA CONSENT

Because we want to share what we’re up to with people who can’t join us in person, there will be photographers and videographers present — by attending, you consent to being a part of that media, some of which may be posted online! Please email us with any questions or concerns at [email protected]

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COMMUNITY GUIDELINES

At Gaia Music Collective, we are dedicated to building a community where creativity, collaboration, and care thrive. The values listed here shape how we work together, how we engage with the world, and how we move toward upholding these principles.

GAIA MUSIC COLLECTIVE MISSION

Gaia Music Collective is a creative community based in Brooklyn, NYC. Our mission is to create connective, playful, accessible spaces for collaborative music-making. Spaces where we can seek expression, growth, freedom, and release in our music. Spaces where we can explore the healing potential of collective music-making and improvisation. Spaces where folks feel safe to express themselves free of judgment or expectation, and to make new friends as our weird, beautiful, authentic selves.

All are welcome in this community. Gaia celebrates humans of all ages, races, genders, sexual orientations, classes, religions, abilities, national origins, languages, and musical experiences. All we ask is that you bring an open mind, a desire to connect, and a willingness to leave judgment of self and others at the door.

Here at Gaia, we believe that music-making - and making that music in community and collaboration with other people - is a fundamental human practice, and this project seeks to build space for that in a day and age when it can so often be hard to find.

Gaia Music Collective seeks to break down divisions between performer and audience and craft experiences where we are ALL part of the music-making. We hope to offer a network and platform for local artists and creatives to connect with other artists, activate their creativity through play and collaboration, and engage their art with other musical minds.

In short - we're here to sing, to play, to connect, to grow, and to have a good time!

FAQ

Have any questions that haven't been answered here? Check out our Event FAQs!

Host or Publisher Gaia Music Collective