Friday, July 15, 2016
by Abby Zimet, staff writer
Another savage week, from St. Paul to Nice. Because we have no words left, we turn to Canada’s Choir! Choir! Choir!, an experiment in harmony and community that has pulled crowds of strangers together to pay tribute to Prince and David Bowie, and has raised money to resettle families from Syria and Iraq. Last month, as part of Toronto’s Luminato Arts Festival, it gathered Rufus Wainwright and 1,500 strangers in an abandoned power plant to sing Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” and raise our collective spirits. Wainwright on its power: “When it works, humanity amplifies.” Poet Warsan Shire on why it’s needed now: “i held an atlas in my lap/ ran my fingers across the whole world/ and whispered/ where does it hurt?/ it answered/ everywhere/ everywhere/ everywhere. Writer Anne Lamott on the grievous ways of the world: “Grace always bats last.” The task: To ensure “love is sovereign here.”
Please see lyrics and hear Leonard Cohen performance here.
Please click on the Choir! Choir! Choir! site article: Grace Always Bats Last