Macon Magazine

June/July 2024 | maconmagazine.com 109 "I couldn't pick my voice out of the hundreds. But my voice mattered in the music. Isn't that the gift of choral song?" voices coming together with organ and chamber orchestra. … Honestly, it's hard to put into words to describe the feeling a er we fi nished." I watched the faces of the choristers. A sense of tranquil purpose seemed evident on most singers' faces. They had given themselves to a moment of transcendence. Investing your voice in a choir means off ering a part of yourself. It is a risky activity. "We risk being heard by others; we risk being creative with others; we risk understanding and learning with others," said Gerber. Outside of cathedral walls, Sabatini echoes that idea. "Singing in a choir is vulnerable," they said. Vulnerability was a key feature of the reimagined choir that they developed. "I ask choir members to sing their part into a microphone all by themselves and send their recording to me without any backing tracks or reverb eff ects, and it's scary." Being vulnerable with sound and with soul work is the challenge. For many of their virtual choir members, "their faith looks diff erent now. It is more inclusive, more loving, more open to questions." Yet, a choir experience was still the aim for Sabatini. "So many of us miss the collective singing that we lost when we le our churches," they said. "I wanted to reclaim that for us in some way." The reclaiming of hymns was a powerful moment a few years ago, as my husband and I helped host Tavernsong, a "Beer and Hymns" event. Monthly, our church and friends from the community issued an open call to meet up and sing old hymns. The scattered choir, as we called it, fi lled the patios of bars around Macon with the sound of hymns like "Great Is Thy Faithfulness." Tears fell down the faces of people who just showed up needing to reclaim a song. Sometimes choirs must change, says Myrick. "A tree that does not change is a dead one. Learn new songs. Write new songs. Try new arrangements of old favorites." I listened to the fi nal cut of "It Is Well" when Sabatini emailed me a preview. I couldn't pick my voice out of the hundreds. But my voice mattered in the music. Isn't that the gi of choral song? The clamor of diff ering beliefs o en seems so loud; discordant shouts in our world can claim an undeserved power. But there is another sound that can be just as loud. Voices intentionally placed in a collective where individual notes make the other notes sound better? That sound is humanity in harmony. A choir off ers a polyphonic witness of how we can shi from noise to song. When diverse people can hold an intention for both listening and consonance, a choir becomes a catalyst of hope. Wherever we li our voices, in a choir lo , on a bar's patio, or into the digital cloud, I hope we are fi nding our voice in the choir. Let's sing on. Excellence in Education, Since 1903 St. Peter Claver Catholic School 133 Ward Street, Macon 478.743.3985 spccatholicschool.org SUBSCRIBE ONLINE: maconmagazine.com PHOTO BY JAVE BJORKMAN

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