To hope for a new year
“…This will reverse the effects of the world's mad plunge into suffering...”
Like many of you, I watched on TV as our US Capitol came under siege through the threat of violence and insurrection on January 6. I was mortified as I saw people scaling the walls of the People’s house with weapons and intent on causing pain and violence to those who serve us. For a while now I have struggled with the politics and partisanship our nation has sadly endured for the past four years. I often found myself disappointed with and avoiding people who didn’t vote or think like me, which was its own way of furthering the divide. However this experience was unique. I didn’t think of myself as a Democrat or Republican as I watched the US Capitol insurrection. I thought of myself as an American and what it means to see my country, the work of my people, come so close to destruction.
Later that night I met with members of the PEV programming committee to begin planning and preparing our spring performances. The events of the day were not lost on us and we took time to discuss them and talk about how they impacted us and our families. It was very easy in that moment to lose hope and become consumed with the negatives of the situation unfolding around us. Regardless of our individual political affiliations, we all felt the pain, fear, and the sadness of that day in a collective way. How do we inspire others in dark times to see the light? What brings us hope when everything around us seems to be falling apart?
As we continued our discussions we all realized the obvious connections of the days events to the theme of our upcoming program “The Great Event.” One of the lines of text from the Cohen piece states the following:
Next Tuesday when the sun goes down/ I will play the Moonlight Sonata backwards/ This will reverse the effects of the world's mad plunge/Into suffering, for the last 200 million years
This idea, that music can heal the world after such a calamity seems a bit fantastical, right? Sure, we often use music as a way for emotional console or inspiration, but can a collective musical effort stop the pain and sadness of a world lost to itself? Is that even possible? Hope is never impossible.
“You all give me hope. You remind me we are bigger than the violence we see and the politics we endure. It is because of you I know tomorrow will be better. I love you all.” I meant those words when I said them to the PEV members during our meeting. It is not lost on me that I am a black man conducting a mostly white choir. Particularly in these times of racial strife it can become challenging to endure communities where you may feel isolated or alone. But I don’t feel that way around my brothers and sisters in this choir. Yes, I see race, and acknowledge it, because that is identity, and we should never ignore it. But I don’t stop there. I go deeper and look further into the hearts and lives of our members. As many of you already know there is a great sense of history and pride and innovation within the membership of this choir. Many of PEV’s members have been involved since our inception and have continued to keep our community active, loving, and performing. In these dark times, it is a blessing to be surrounded by those you love, and those who love you, regardless of the color of our skins. It’s even better to know that honesty and a sense of communal achievement are hallmarks of our legacy and will continue to be for the future.
We cannot simply look past the atrocities of our world in an effort to get “move on” and grow. That’s how we got in this mess in the first place. Honesty, openness, love and humility will guide us through these times back to what keeps us going; hope. There is power when we create music with others. There is hope that music can inspire us, redirect us, and bring us back to a sense of community and honesty. We hope our upcoming program “The Great Event” will be a source of inspiration for you and your family and friends to love, to communicate, to share, to be honest, to ask tough questions that lead to enlightening conversations.
..to hope