From Kosovo to Colorado to Georgia, the news is getting worse, and everyone is trying to explain why. To me, the issue was clarified by a quote I saved from years ago: “We can try to fix the economy, we can strive for a strong military, we can endeavor to help people in need around the world…but if we cannot solve the terrifying soullessness that we are seeing…nothing else will matter” (Bob Greene, New York Daily News, 1993)
I think about this quote often. With all this tragedy going on, how can any thinking person justify working in or promoting the arts? Why spend your time and money on becoming a singer when every day you hear and see other causes screaming for help?
It is because great art is help, or at least it can be. Since our society has made it politically incorrect to talk about values, spirituality, prayer, or even God, great art is one of the few tools left to help society find its soul.
Those of us who have experienced great performances have felt this miraculous antidote. Perhaps we walk into an auditorium feeling rushed and harried – thousands of strangers sitting together. But when the singing starts in a truly great performance, warmth spreads through the auditorium. It isn’t uncommon to see hundreds of people with tears running down their cheeks, not moving a muscle, as if time had stopped. Some describe it as an intense spiritual experience. Whatever “it” is, people seem to get embarrased afterwards and don’t make eye contact. We aren’t used to -may I use the world_ spiritual experiences.
Great art can happen in a small classroom or a huge New York performance hall, and it can be life-changing in either place. But so few ever get to experience it. Not only are performers not connecting as they used to, audiences are aging, and the classical arts are disappearing from public venues such as schools and parks.
I’m not content to sit back and let this happen without a fight, and I hope you aren’t either. Classical music can’t solve the worlds problems, but it can open hearts so that good and right feelings can flow.
These horrible events int he news have caused me to think even more deeply about what we are all doing here at Classical Singer. We know the tough issues many of you face, but we must find ways to keep you from getting discouraged, because your talents are desperately needed. We want to help you keep growing until you become a great performer in whatever sphere is right for you. We also need to find ways to get you right in the face of this very soulless world. If we don’t, there isn’t much point to our work or yours. Being a singer is bigger than fame, winning, or “my junior recital”. It’s about using face and winning and your junior recital as tools to make a difference in the world.
What do you think needs to happen to make singers into truly great artists, able to touch audiences deeply? How can we get the public to experience this antidote to soullessness? How can CS help? We are formulating ideas, but your opinin counts. As we explore these issues, we’d like to hear from you.
-CJ Williamson, Editor in Chief
