The following letters are but a sampling of the singer responses to the tragic events of September 11, 2001. Some are from the Classical Singer forum; some were forwarded to us by friends who are aware of our efforts to gather singers into a powerful community; many were drawn by Classical Singer’s mass emailing. In our email, we asked singers to be mindful of their unique gift and the power of this gift to assuage suffering. Some singers began organizing benefit cconcerts, posted messages of hope and words of inspiration, and gave practical suggestions of repertoire that might bring comfort. We thank you for all you do at this singular time in our country’s history. Please continue to write to us of your efforts.
You can post on the forum at www.classicalsinger.com or write to CJ Williamson at cjw@classicalsinger.com.
Dear CS: Thank you for your message. I am already on it in my community. God Bless America.
—Gary Harger
Dear CS: My nomination for moving/appropriate a cappella choral music at this awful time is the Brahms motet, “Warum ist das licht gegeben.” Brava for your call to musical arms!
—Magda Krance, Chicago Lyric Opera
Dear CS: Thank you for your kind words. They were very helpful and inspiring. Arranging concerts is an excellent idea; it can start on a community level. I’ll lend my hand.
—Jonathon Field
Dear CS: Can we as professional singers organize a memorial concert hosted by your magazine to help raise money? We need to do something to help our great city honor those heroes who lost their lives and loved ones in this terrible injustice to mankind and Americans.
Dear CS: I would like to offer my singing for this type of endeavor, and could help in organizing other singers to do so as well, via networking and connections. God bless you. You have a great magazine that is so helpful to singers.
—Helen Fanelli, Dramatic Mezzo Soprano
Dear CS: I live in NYC. My heart is very heavy. I think NYC classical singers and instrumentalists should organize a memorial concert that would feature an appropriate choral-orchestral work, maybe Brahms’ Ein Deutches Requiem or the Faure Requiem. Maybe it should be a memorial and benefit concert; the musicians would donate their musical talents and the audience would donate whatever amount they wished. What do you think? What would the members think?
—Maria
Dear CS: I was flying from Cincinnati to NY Tuesday on an 8:55 am flight. We were turned around at 9:30 am due to an announced breach of security in the NY area; we had to return home. We are organizing some concerts in Cincinnati to benefit the Red Cross some time in the next couple of weeks. Thank you for all that you do.
—Donna Loewy
University of Cincinnati
Dear CS: “How Great Thou Art” is a very uplifting hymn which reminds us of the power and wonder of God. “Amazing Grace” is, of course, excellent to sing a cappella. Alternate verses with a soft hum or /u/ or /a/ sounds. It is important to take advantage of the beauty of silence between verses and even within phrases. This beautiful hymn has so much potential, and the entire country knows its melody. One must really consider and believe the words of each verse and the musicality will take care of itself.
Dear CS: I am a classical singer on Long Island, and have just been asked to sing at my first WTC-related funeral (perhaps one of many!), an employee of Cantor Fitzgerald presumed dead by his family. The bereaved spouse had heard me at another funeral and asked a friend to track me down. Moved at that honor and frustrated at having been unsuccessful up to now in donating blood or any other substantive gift besides prayers, I asked them to please accept my services gratis. Anyone else who finds themselves in a like position might consider the same, as I am sure every small gesture of kindness and compassion makes a difference to these grieving families. They are Catholic, and have requested the ubiquitous “Ave Maria,” and “On Eagle’s Wings,” both of which many singers may be weary of. Yet I find that, delivered with honesty, these pieces seem strangely cathartic and comforting to congregations at funerals. Other powerful and appropriate pieces for this time might include the hymns “Be Still My Soul” (Finlandia), and “Be Thou My Vision” (Irish Tune)—both are lovely, strong and positive, and more beautiful sung with a real trained voice. Thank you for your insightful words on the special contributions we can make. Music IS a powerful force for transformation and healing!
—April L. Lindevald
Dear CS: I am a strong believer in the healing power of music. This past Friday I volunteered my services at a local prayer vigil. I sang from behind the congregation in the balcony in order to create an atmosphere of angels and spirits. This was not a performance and in no way should it have been considered to be one. I felt so fortunate to first, be alive and second, be able to help so many people both grieve and find solace. I was amazed at the number of high school students who attended this service, as well as the number of white and maroon football jerseys kneeling at the alter and lighting candles. No one enjoys crying; however, the flow of tears has an incredible healing power. The words of so many songs can help release those tears that so many people try to keep trapped inside, only delaying the grieving process.
I thank you for encouraging the representatives of the Classical Singer university forum to go out into their communities and share the gift of voice that we have all been blessed with. Sometimes it takes a horrific tragedy as the attacks of this past week to remind us why we have this passion for music. Our voices are like angels sent to comfort the world.
—Elizabeth Stoner
Dear CS: CJ asked me to share with the Classical Singer Community the following excerpt from a letter I wrote to all my students: We have continued with [our scheduled performance of] Falstaff tomorrow [in Atlanta], because, simply, this community will NEED to experience “Him.” The cast, though stunned (many having lost loved ones in NY), will mount a Falstaff, perhaps more meaningful than we would have without this tragedy.
When I am not working on the Verdi, I am digging into my “Jeffrey songs.” Jeffrey (Price) has written one of the most wonderful pieces I have ever experienced. Based on the Stundenbuch of Rilke, these songs have already had a profound effect on me. These “love poems” to God have engulfed me like a flame.
Myself, I feel an energy inside that I cannot describe. I could not sit…I cannot sit. This energy fuels my desire to DO something. If you feel this energy, use it well. It is the stuff that has made man do incredible things throughout history. In your own way, you are part of history, distant witnesses to something that will surely change things as we know them.
Society needs us now perhaps more than it did yesterday. I challenge you to direct whatever you feel into something that will heal. Heal yourselves by healing others and share your gifts with those who need them now more than ever!
And, if you need a hand, you all know who is there to offer it.
—Love to all of you! Dr. Robert Breault, University of Utah
Dear CS: I wish I could take credit for these words. They were written by Cate Foltin, Executive Director of San Francisco’s Theatre Bay Area, and all of us in the arts should take these thoughts to heart.
—Shelley Johnson, Acting Coach for Singers
“Over the days and weeks to come, America is going to need solace and respite from the horror. We will need our communities for comfort and support. We will need places to gather, tell stories and weep or simply to escape.
Since mankind uttered their first words to communicate with each other, we have used storytelling, dance, music and song to deal with our fears and our emotions. Throughout history, during times of strife, humankind has turned to the theater and the performing arts to express emotions that have no other outlet, to gather in groups to share experiences or simply to take a small break from the reality of our lives and the times we live in.
It is because of that spirit, that need for community, solace and comfort that Americans turn to the theater and the performing arts. We will deal with our emotions and experiences through story, song and movement. We will provide a haven to those who need a place to gather as a community to share tears, anger and eventually, laughter and love. We will provide the opportunity for those to express their thoughts and emotions through the creation of new works. We will offer our friends, families, loved ones and communities the ability to find release and the time to gather our strength to find ways to rise above this tragedy.
It is that sense of purpose, the “steely resolve” that makes everyone here at TBA proud to be a part of the theatrical community. The Bay Area theaters are open, actors and technicians, box offices and administrators are at their jobs, refusing to allow the acts of madmen to break our spirit, to make us less than Americans. God be with you.
On behalf of the Theatre Bay Area board, staff and members, Cate Foltin, Executive Director (reprinted with permission)
Dear CS: Near the end of last week, Erich and I realized that we were feeling somewhat helpless about the fact that we lived so far away from people who seem to have endured the worst aspects of this terrible tragedy. While donating blood and saying prayers DOES make a difference to those who need help, we still felt a need to “do something.” Something that would help those in NYC and DC to heal, something that would bring comfort to those in our community, and something that would make us feel as if we were making a difference. But being singers, I suppose I assumed that since our careers are considered “luxury careers” that there really wasn’t any way to put those skills to practical use. After all, who needs an opera singer right now?
It was my husband, tenor Erich Buchholz, who stated the obvious—that our strongest talent is making beautiful music—and that in that talent lies the potential to make a significant contribution to those who have endured even more pain than we can imagine. Less than 48 hours after Erich made the suggestion that we put together a benefit concert, I have before me the following volunteers:
15 professional musicians who are fully committed to this effort; two churches full of members who are bursting at the seams to help promote the concerts in their neighborhoods and workplaces, and planning receptions so that people who attend the concerts can enjoy the necessary human contact that has slowly been escaping our lives; non-musician friends and family who are willing to help in any way possible. We are seeing that we DO have a gift that people need, especially in times of such a huge national disaster.
As a result of the overwhelming support of our singer and pianist friends, we will be presenting two concerts this weekend, featuring opera, musical theater and operetta solos, duets and ensembles of all sizes.
Every single penny that is collected from these concerts will be sent to the International Firefighters Association, with the money specifically stated to be directed to the New York Firefighters 9-11 Disaster Relief Fund. This fund was established to provide assistance to the families of the fallen firefighters and EMS workers in NYC. We have already received a significant donation from someone who is unable to go to the benefit but who wanted to support this cause.
We would like to bring a few hours of music into your lives. We would like to give you an excuse to turn off the TV and radio, to spend quality time with your families, friends, and neighbors.
Most importantly, if you have a talent that may be used in a similar way, we encourage you to follow our lead. It would be wonderful to know that singers and pianists around the country are making a huge impact on helping those who need it the most. All you need to do is plant the seed among your friends and I guarantee you that the rest will fall into place. Do what you do best—make beautiful music—make people smile—it took many years for you to hone your skills, now is the time that they are desperately needed, so use them. Please pass the word that there is work to be done, and that now is the time to do it.
—Peace, Kathryn Kamp and Erich Buchholz
