We all hunger after life’s magical moments.
For Katy Crumpton, a longtime voice teacher and choir director, those moments often come through singing. And now she wants to help provide them for others through PopUp Choir, one-night events where strangers come together and sing a pre-selected piece of music. It’s inspired by Gaia Music Collective in New York City, an organization that gathers people of all ages and abilities to come together and sing.
Crumpton’s inaugural PopUp happened in October, when almost 30 strangers met at the Meanwhile Block, a new event space near Weidner Field downtown, and sang “It’s You I Like” by Fred Rogers. The next one is Sunday.
“It’s for those who were in choir in high school or middle school and still love to sing, but don’t have the commitment to be in formal groups,” said Crumpton, who founded the nonprofit Colorado Springs Youth Choir in May. “Or those who just like to sing.”
For this weekend’s PopUp, Crumpton selected the song “O Magnum Mysterium” by Tomás Luis de Victoria, the most famous composer of the Spanish Renaissance.
“It’s accessible and familiar to those who have been in choir before and it’s just gorgeous,” Crumpton said. “It’s very tonal, not very hard, it’s slow. You can imagine it being sung in a cathedral.”
The 90-minute event includes singing exercises to warm up the voice, practicing the parts and putting it all together. Crumpton will send out practice tracks before the event if people want them.
“We learned we needed some working on parts to make people feel confident,” she said. “It’s important people don’t feel like we are performing. It’s about the experience and creating a magical moment with music. It’s opening to people in community. We need those special moments.”
The PopUps are hosted by Crumpton’s new youth choir, which is actively auditioning kids in ninth through 12th grades, and also serve as a fundraiser for the nonprofit. Crumpton started the group after moving to town three years ago and couldn’t find a youth choir that fit the needs of her four kids. Colorado Springs Youth Choir will join a choir from University of Washington and perform at Carnegie Hall in June.
“I decided I’m going to do this as a passion project,” said Crumpton, who serves as artistic director and conductor. “There are theater programs and other choirs — the city is big enough to support all the arts.”
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