Through the unique lens of pandemic "car c hoirs"\, the film follows the story of choirs finding a way to sing safely during the pandemic and showcases beautiful choral music recorded in very unusual places. Featuring choruses in Massachusetts\, New Jersey\, Wiscon sin\, and Alberta\, this inspirational film won 4 awards at film festivals in 2022. It is family-friendly and resonates with anyone who has sung in a choir.
\nWhen the COVID-19 pandemic forced musical activities to s hut down in March 2020\, singers searched for ways to stay connected when they could not be in the same room together. Online solutions such as Zoom helped groups socially\, but did not allow a choir to rehearse and perfor m together. Several tech-savvy musicians turned to old-school audio techno logy to organize parking lot choirs\, with each singer safely isolated in their own car. The idea spread through social media across the US and Cana da\, and reached the attention of the New York Times\, the Today Show\, an d NPR. "The Drive to Sing" is a feature-length documentary that tells the story of parking lot choirs\, the cast of characters who worked together t o develop and refine it\, and the choruses who kept their musical communit ies active during this time of fear and isolation.
\nMusicians Bryce and Kathryn Denney were among the first to try a choir in cars. They star ted with four singers in their driveway\, so they called it a "driveway ch oir." Through online collaborations\, they teamed up with David Newman and others who refined the idea and taught the world how to do it. During the pandemic\, the Denneys traveled all around Massachusetts\, helping many c hoirs to sing together using audio technology\, at a time when it was unsa fe for choirs to sing in person any other way. As pandemic restrictions ea sed\, they began interviewing musicians\, filming choirs in action\, and a sking for footage. In May 2021\, they began work with Boston-area filmmake r Justin Lahue. After filming in summer 2021 and post-production in the fa ll\, "The Drive to Sing" was completed in December 2021. The film runs 76 minutes. Find out more about this documentary at thedrivetosing.com
\nDirector: Bryce Denney
Producer: Kathryn Denney
Associate Producer: Justin Lahue
Narr
ator: Russell J. Gannon
Registration is appreciated\, but not requ ired. This program is sponsored by the Friends of Memorial Hall Library. \;< /p>\n
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