Everybody Sing

THE MISSION OF EVERYBODY SING IS TO FOSTER AND PROMOTE THE ART OF CHORAL MUSIC IN A COMMUNITY-FOCUSED, VOLUNTEER SETTING THAT WELCOMES ALL WHO WISH TO JOIN. EVERYBODY SING IS FREE, WITHOUT AN AUDITION, AND INCLUDES AN EDUCATIONAL COMPONENT: WE STRIVE TO LEARN HOW TO SING BETTER IN ORDER TO HAVE MORE FUN TOGETHER.

Everybody Sing had its first rehearsal in February 2024. Director Rick Whitaker had been an opera student at the University of Cincinnati College/Conservatory of Music but was defeated by extreme stage fright. He shifted to creative writing and moved to New York at the age of 20. (He has published three books.) But his experience as a student singing in choirs left a nagging desire in him to direct his own group. His day for more than 20 years has been producing concerts at Columbia University's Italian Academy, where he had access to a small theater. He pitched the choir to his executive director who approved his plan wholeheartedly. The idea is simple: a group for anyone to join who wants to practice choral singing. No audition, no fee, no expectation, and no perfectionism. We sing for fun, for the benefits to our physical and mental health, and to share our music with small audiences in casual venues. The group sings a wide variety of music styles with and without accompaniment. Members are invited to sing harmony or melody. Everybody Sing, in its first year, had three public singing engagements; all three were successes. Most importantly, the group has begun to cohere as a community of friends. The choir's theme song is Lean On Me. We hope to perform our first full-length indoor concert next fall.