Singing songs during extraordinary times

​By Brian Chan, Tenor, Magnolia Chorale

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​Learning was never a passion of mine growing up, even if I was interested in a subject. In middle school and high school, there were countless days when the only memory I had of a class in school was me drooling at my desk from napping too enthusiastically. Among myriad reasons I should have been held accountable for such absent-mindedness, I continue to blame the boring lecturers and unenjoyable company from my classmates.
 
Now at the ripe age of 29, I finally have a reason to believe that learning is as important as it is fun, and the reason is Magnolia Chorale.
 
Under the ecstatic guidance of our artistic director Joseph To, no two rehearsal sessions feel the same. Since joining the Chorale six months ago, I have been pleasantly surprised at every rehearsal by the breadth and depth of the musical knowledge I can learn within two hours every week. Even with the complexity of certain pieces in our repertoire, Joseph’s lighthearted approach to choral directing and familiarity with music theory make learning less of a chore and more of a delightful mental exercise. Paired with his eclectic cultural competency demonstrated in our repertoire, singing under his leadership teaches me just how vast humanity is and how minute we are as individuals.
 
Besides, members of the Chorale continue to defy what I would expect from the “Seattle freeze.” Shaped by the continuous exposure to other sub-zero humans in this frozen cultural phenomenon, I share the guilt of becoming and contributing to something I refute in my daily life. But slowly and steadily, folks from the Chorale prove that the community is here for me to partake in, one that embraces my individuality and shares my love for choral music. Besides the joy of singing together, nothing encourages me to learn more about the music and someone else than when another singer and I intently stare at each other out of mutual confusion and frustration at our pitch accuracy. This kind of connection shatters even the coldest of social frigidity; you just have to believe me when I say that our pitches do eventually fall into place as well.

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Cree-Dene composer Sherryl Sewepagaham virtually joined a Magnolia Chorale rehearsal to provide background and pronunciation help on “yôtin.”

As a cherry on top, Magnolia Chorale members get rare opportunities that turn learning into an experience, chief among which is when Sherryl Sewepagaham, an Indigenous composer whose music we will perform at our Spring concert in May, joined us virtually at rehearsal. Sewepagaham, from the Little Red River Cree Nation in Alberta, Canada, enlightened us over Zoom with the inspirations behind “yôtin,” a song that embodies the wafting and temperamental nature of the wind. Besides telling us about her lived experiences that connect to the sanctity of the wind in her culture and the Cree language, Sewepagaham also listened to our practice run of “yôtin” and gave us feedback on our pronunciation of the Cree lyrics.
 
Between Joseph’s guidance, the Chorale’s communal warmth, and Sherryl Sewepagaham’s time with us, every opportunity that I participate in reminds me that learning is fun and never-ending, and it can happen anywhere at any time. It also reminds me that, the darker the times seem and the more complicated social and cultural matters are, the more the learning should never cease.
 
As I wrap up my 20s amid a time in the world when even a celebration calls for scrutiny, I no longer learn out of obligation. I now learn out of curiosity, the innate desire to know about the world around me. This learning disregards grades, human callousness, or even genres and languages, because learning never happens in isolation or in hierarchy. Learning happens when we connect with one another, without the pretense that either person is superior. When we hold each other close and lift each other up, the best learning happens.
 
As Barbra Streisand would contend, “people who need people are the luckiest people in the world.” I have learned that I joined Magnolia Chorale when I needed it most, and for that I am the luckiest of all.
 
You can purchase tickets online now for the concerts scheduled for Saturday May 2 at 7:30 pm and Sunday May 3 at 2:00 pm.

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