The Big Sing: A Pop-Up Choir

"The human voice is one of our oldest and most precious technologies."

-- Brenton Zola, Harmonize Co-Founder

ABOUT THE BIG SING

Imagine ~ singing with a large ensemble of other members of your village and community in beautiful harmony. This unique gathering is more than a choir—it's an opportunity to come together in the spirit of Ubuntu, the African philosophy that “I am because we are.”

We all have a different relationship with the idea of a "choir." Some of us might have had difficult experiences in them growing up. Others of us might have had the time of our lives and now feel nostalgic. Others still might have watched from afar, wistfully longing to add our voice.

No matter your relationship to choral singing, the Big Sing is here to a create a connective experience for all. It's an opportunity to sing in an impromptu choir of friends old and new, led by joyous facilitators (and a pianist). We'll sing, laugh, maybe even cry. We'll learn the foundations of what makes a choir sound cohesive and have takeaways about the behind-the-scenes magic of the world's best ensembles -- all while being beginner-friendly.

If you miss singing in a choir or have always wanted to try one: welcome.

Our Song: TAKE ME TO CHURCH

One of the most consequential songs of the last couple decades, Hozier's Take Me to Church took the world by storm. The powerful and wrenching meditation on love, acceptance, belonging and being other resonated with hearts all the world. And now we will sing an arrangement of the song from Harmonize co-founder Brenton Zola.

LEARNING BEFOREHAND

The best choirs come prepared :o). Sheet music and vocal recordings of each part will be available in a Google Drive folder before the event, sent in an email. It's best to bring your own copy of the score, but we will have extras if you're unable.

The more we prepare, the quicker we can get to the magic of harmonies that stir body and soul (Isn't that why we do it?). That said, we're all people with busy lives in a chaotic world. So don't stress -- our choir director and pianist will be there for us.

(If this style of structured singing isn't for you, we have other events where we improvise or rap or just sing sleepy songs to each other -- so check those out).

DURING THE EVENT, WE WILL:

• Ground together, melting away the stress of the day with help from our pianist
• Meet our conductor & warm our voices
• Connect with our fellow choir members
• Do some improvisational warmups to get out of our heads
• Sang!
• Refine sections
• Sang!!
• Record some beautiful videos!

BUT...I'M NERVOUS

We hear you. Singing can be really vulnerable. We do our best to make the environment warm and inviting to allow you to step into your bravery . You're always welcome to check-in with a facilitator if you need support.

OUR CHOIR DIRECTOR:

This edition of the Big Sing will be directed by the Yani Araujo, with support from Harmonize co-founders Brenton Zola and Mendeleyev as well as pianist Ty Rex.

Yani Araujo (he/him) is a vibrant soloist, conductor, and recording artist, known for his dynamic performances with ensembles like Solaria, the Bach Festival Society of Winter Park, and the Villages Philharmonic. He is currently pursuing his Masters in Choral Conducting at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music. Yani has led choirs and orchestras with mentorship from esteemed figures like Dr. Sinclair, Jamey Ray, and Kevin Harris. He is also a passionate composer and arranger, with works published by Excelcia Music Publishing and contributions to historical music preservation with the Moravian Music Foundation. Beyond classical music, Yani enjoys jazz, Brazilian music, and creating with friends, fueled by his love for nature and his playful dog, Monkey.

OUR PIANIST:

In the ever-evolving spheres of classical and ambient music, Ty Rex is practices a personal sonic spirituality. A lifelong devotee of the piano and improvisation, Ty invites his listeners into to a sanctuary of healing, where the dichotomies of life and its unanswered questions find rest.

ARRIVAL: We build in 30 minutes for arrival, so we ask that you please arrive in this window so we can begin together.

ACCESSIBILITY: Center for Yoga has long flight of steps to get into the main venue space

CANCELLATION: Tickets are refundable up to 24 hours before the event, after which we are no longer able to offer refunds. If you RSVP but are no longer able to come, please change your RSVP so that someone else can claim your spot

MEDIA DISCLAIMER: We capture any mixture of film, photo and audio at our events. Your entry constitutes your consent to such photography, videotaping and/or recording and to any use of that media. If yuu have any questions, feel free to contact us on instagram

THE HARMONIZE MISSION

Harmonize is LA's fastest growing musical community. The brainchild of a first-generation son of an African immigrants, a Berklee-trained barefoot Baritone from SoCal, and a Jewish-Colombian son of New York chefs, it was founded on the principle that singing is a birthright. We aim to create spaces for people to be heard in every sense of the word. From pop-up choirs to sleepy serenades to freestyle jams, we seek to foster spaces of belonging for all races, genders, sexual orientations, classes, religions, abilities, national origins, languages, and musical experiences. All we ask is that you bring an open mind and an open heart.

Host or Publisher Harmonize