The Innovation Show Choir’s studio at the Westfield Valencia Town Center was filled with voices from people of all different ages, ethnicities and backgrounds on Saturday in a united rehearsal for the Intergenerational Music Showcase funded by the Eisner Foundation.
Heart of LA’s Eisner Intergenerational Music Programs brings together musicians of all mediums and all skill levels in a multicultural environment.
“Quality is the key for the equity equation,” said HOLA CEO Tony Brown. “So, most of the kids we work with are kids of color and kids who come from backgrounds and neighborhoods that have a lot of poverty in, around the L.A. area.”
For the Intergenerational Music Showcase on Sunday in Los Angeles, the Eisner Intergenerational Choir and the Innovation Show Choir decided to come together for the performance, an opportunity for learning for both choirs.
“That choir (Eisner’s) is ages 14 to 75 and we (Innovation Show Choir) have in this choir third graders through 12th graders,” said Carissa Ferro, director of marketing for the Innovation Show Choir. “So, we just thought it would be an opportunity to have us come together and do something special.”
The Innovation Show Choir has been working on the song for the performance since January, some time before the choir even knew what the song was for.
The song is called “Something Beautiful,” and currently is exclusive to the choirs for their performance.
When the kids were finally told about the performance, they were ecstatic.
“The kids have been great,” said Sarah Rudd, assistant and events coordinator for the Innovation Show Choir. “They’re very excited to work with semiprofessional singers. They have been looking forward to this since we’ve explained exactly what it is to them and they want to give back to their community somehow. By doing this performance, they’re able to give back to the community.”
Saturday marked the first and only time the two choirs would come together for a rehearsal for the performance.
The choirs warmed up together, playing throw and catch with their voices and singing the “Alfred the Alligator” song in parts.
All warmed up, members of the Innovation Show Choir were paired with members of the Eisner Intergenerational choir.
Voices filled the studio with the lyrics of “Something Beautiful,” uniting the choirs as one entity.
“Both generations have gifts that they can share with one another, so today’s about bringing us together to do that,” said Brown. “They are totally feeding off of each other. There are gifts at every age, at every end of the spectrum for sure.”
More information on the Intergenerational Music Showcase and tickets can be found at bit.ly/41sigWh.
