BELT Monday night March 9th invited us to “another unforgettable night of communal singing at Crow’s Theatre” to “learn and perform the beloved classic “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” from The Wizard of Oz.”

After spending Saturday morning March 7th studying & singing some of JS Bach’s Passions, I figured it would be a big contrast Belt-ing Arlen’s song Monday, with the option to have a few belts from the Crow’s Theatre bar: or so I thought.

Yes the informality was lovely. We were encouraged to feel free to walk in or out as we pleased, bringing food & drink. There is so much still to be fixed & repaired in audience dynamics & behaviour, and wow this is a great start. But in the end singing is singing, whether you’re making soft baroque music or belting out the composition voted most popular song of the 20th century, at least according to Walter Frisch’s 2017 superb book Arlen and Harburg’s Over the Rainbow.

Did Arlen model his song on the famous aria “Song to the moon” near the beginning of the opera Rusalka? I can’t decide, there’s a phrase in the aria that has always put me in mind of Judy Garland’s big moment. Maybe it doesn’t matter, but since I’m having fun comparing singing JS Bach & Harold Arlen why not compare Dvorak & Arlen…? Sondra first, with the key phrase roughly a minute & a half into the aria.

No it’s not exactly like Arlen’s song.

And now (as we speak of belting) listen to the young Judy Garland.

Placing those two videos side by side is perhaps a reminder of how different media compete, that opera is expensive, that movies are popular. We may think we’re having fun, but media sometimes have Darwinesque overtones, eager & ready to prey upon one another: as we observe the comments from Timothee Chalamet and the resulting furor.

Timothee said he wouldn’t want to work in ballet or opera because “no one cares about this anymore,” implying they are dying art forms. During a conversation with Matthew McConaughey, he stated, “I don’t want to be working in ballet or opera, or things where it’s like, ‘Hey, keep this thing alive.'”

There have been some fascinating responses. My favourite comes from Whoopi Goldberg on The View who said “When you crap on somebody else’s art form, it doesn’t feel good.”

Full disclosure: I am a fan of the dissenting voices we hear from ABC, on The View, & on Jimmy Kimmel.

The discourse is natural, that there has to be a discussion as we make sense out of it all. And outrage is helpful of course, Timothee giving terrific publicity for opera & ballet companies, as this image from Los Angeles Opera might illustrate.

They say there’s no such thing as bad publicity.

At some level surely Timothee had a point, at least in recognizing that some media are more precarious than others, that when we spend our entertainment dollars we’re helping to sustain artists.

My excursions into these two realms underline Timothee’s point. The Bach workshop helps promote the upcoming St Matthew Passion later this month from Toronto Mendelssohn Choir.

BELT is like a fun jam session for the pure enjoyment of the singing, without the usual impediments. We were encouraged to come & go as we needed, whether to grab a drink or food or to take a leak. Three of us were costumed in roles from Wizard of Oz, without including the fourth, the dog dressed up as a dog whether or not he was trying to impersonate Toto.

The usual business model of opera–that it’s expensive & precarious– is being finessed all over town. In April Opera Atelier offer their version of Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande with their original re-orchestration by Christopher Bagan for 14 players instead of the usual full orchestra. Edmonton Opera continue with their Ring Cycle done with a smaller ensemble (Siegfried, 3rd in the cycle premieres in May). Against the Grain, Tapestry Opera, Opera Revue, are all exploring production on a smaller scale not just to avoid expense but as a way to connect more closely to the audience, given that a huge orchestra pit creates a gulf between the singers & the audience. The old business model is of course a challenge, implicit in the published scores for grand operas composed in the 19th Century. The Metropolitan Opera work in Lincoln Centre’s huge venue of over 3000 seats, so beautiful to see in films like Moonstruck, but alas difficult to fill at the best of times.

I felt BELT represented an intelligent response to this competitive culture. As a regular attendee and former practitioner in the endangered media, the only difference I see between the Bach and the Arlen is in the sense of being from a different subculture as BELT, from a different silo: or maybe it’s just that I am much older than everyone in this audience. While I enjoyed the BELT experience I was concerned because even doing my usual googling, I couldn’t figure out who the pianist & leader were, and wanted to give them credit. At one point one of them joked that they were like stand-up comedians, which was very true. Whether we sang correctly or not, they were supportive & forgiving, full of positive energy.

Dinosaur that I am, I had wanted to know who they were, and as we were not given printed programs nor pointed at anything online that would tell me who these talented young people were, I was flummoxed. Usually I get a press release for shows, concerts or events to promote them but I simply stumbled on this eagerly because I was already going to sing Saturday, and immediately bought an inexpensive ticket. It never crossed my mind that I’d wonder who the leader & pianist were, possibly because nobody expected a blogger to show up. Of course the place was full, so they don’t need publicity, clearly they know what they’re doing.

When I bought my BELT t-shirt (yes I am a sucker for merchandise) I gave them my email address.

Later when I tried to find out more about the event from the organizers, such as the names, I was directed to Instagram. While I am sort of on Instagram(?), I never really embraced the medium. I guess I’m too verbose. Later when I looked at my email receipt for my t-shirt aha! there was the Instagram logo.

When I clicked it I found the image I captured below via screen-shot, where you see the Instagram handles of the pianist & leader. Aha it gave me the names of our performers: Jake Schindler on piano, and AnikaroseJ who may be Anika Johnson. I say this, certain of the former (the pianist) but still unsure of the latter. I thought I heard “Erika” but no that was surely Anika.

And hopefully I have found the right AnikaroseJ. I sent her a message on Facebook but didn’t hear back yet (but of course as I’m regularly told, there’s nobody young left on Facebook). If I’m wrong as usual I would ask: set me straight, please & thank you.

Okay, let me just say that while I expected the two events to be totally different, they were more similar than expected. In the end singing is singing, whether it’s Passions by JS Bach or a song by Harold Arlen.

Our goals may have been different, though. The Bach workshop was an opportunity to learn about Bach and for the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir to promote their upcoming St Matthew Passion to a crowd of Bach nerds. But BELT was not much more than a bunch of people singing, and enjoying the outcome. We spent two hours learning a piece in three (occasionally four) part harmony, in a charming arrangement. It was celebratory, joyful, and fun.

It’s really funny that I felt I was the only senior there, given that singing like this is really good for you. Yes it’s healthy at any age, but those of us who are past retirement need this. There’s lots of research data to back up my assertion, although I sing because I love it, not because Bach or Arlen supply me with my “Vitamin S.”

There was a bit of a contrast between the two singing events. For one of them we were sight-reading Bach and singing in parts, as we explored the ways in which JS Bach told the passion narrative.

The funny thing, while Monday’s Somewhere over the rainbow event aimed to be inclusive, there was a nerdy quality to this as well, lots of singers who were competent and skilled. In both instances we walked away with sheet music (Saturday, copies of Passion according to the St Mark, Monday the 3 part arrangement of Arlen’s song).

Please note, this isn’t a review, I never do the usual sort of review. My role is to observe. I’m sharing my experience. I was intrigued to go to the two contrasting events, loving the chance to sing. The arrangement was really gorgeous, including a key-change modulating up.

It was no surprise to observe the usual demographics, that are the same whether it’s church choir, community theatre, or karaoke. I’m guessing there were maybe 50 or fewer men, in the lower vocal category (with some women choosing to sit in our section, either because they wanted to sing that part or sit with their date), with 150 or more soprano & alto singers. Yes I sometimes sang alto (via falsetto) from my own section, and I think others did so too in those big sections where it was just the sopranos & altos singing their music, while the men were waiting our turn.

As you can see their Instagram is @wearebelt, where you can find out their next event.