by Daniel Clark Smith

It takes a certain personality type to choose a lifelong career as a chorister. We crave the creation of music and art on a grand scale, art that can’t be achieved by oneself. Choristers depend upon one another, and the pandemic has taken both our livelihood and our sense of community.

So it seemed natural for us to reach out to our communities in song and companionship. Whether presenting outdoor recitals or virtual discussions with students or senior citizens, our members have sought to give back to the community. What we didn’t expect was that in doing so, it fed our hunger for belonging in the world.

Concerts for Good

This summer, Chorus soprano Maria D’Amato and her husband Dimitrie Lazich, a member of the Extra Chorus, invited their neighbors to an outdoor recital of opera and musical theater favorites. They shared their gorgeous voices with a grateful audience while raising money for the Met Chorus Artists fundraising campaign. A double effort in giving—both to their immediate community and to their artistic one.

Chorus baritone Yohan Yi has developed a relationship with EnoB, a nonprofit organization devoted to providing free concerts for hospitalized, disabled, and socio-economically-challenged populations. Recently he sang Aaron Copland’s ‘At the River’ with SunEun Baek at the piano, as part of one of EnoB's digital outreach concerts.

Outreach for Older Populations

A number of Met choristers have been involved with an outreach program through the RoseWood Village, a retirement and assisted-living facility in Charlottesville, VA. Residents of RoseWood have been treated to one-on-one virtual calls with choristers, offering conversation and music, and providing both residents and choristers alike some fellowship and cheer. Maria D’Amato happily participated in this initiative, along with fellow choristers Seth Malkin, Suzanne Falletti, Elizabeth Brooks, Marc Persing, Salvatore (“Sal”) Rosselli, and Angela DeVerger.

Sal Rosselli had what he describes as a wonderful conversation with the Lohmans, an impressive couple who had just celebrated their 70th anniversary (Maury is 100 years old, and Laura is 93). They reminisced about the neighborhood around Columbia University (where the Lohmans met, and where Sal had lived in his early days in NYC). Speaking with the Lohmans gave Sal “an opportunity to know I had something to give, which I was very grateful for”. As young professionals in New York, the Lohmans regularly attended Saturday matinees at the Met, so there was much discussion of singers of the era, such as Roberta Peters and Robert Merrill. Sal also spoke with the Brewers, who described falling in love in the church choir — Mr. Brewer was the organist, and his wife-to-be Pauline was in the choir. Sal described his discussions as a privilege “to have this brief window into these wonderful couples’ lives!”

Seth Malkin, a bass in the chorus, said his visit with a resident at RoseWood was “rather demonstrative to me of the isolation and discomfort that can accompany aging in this country.” He decided to simply sing country tunes, accompanying himself on the guitar. The woman “was initially very reserved,” he said, “and didn’t care to talk. She melted toward me a bit, as I sang, and I think she was pleased.”

Student Teaching

Seth Malkin has devoted much of his time to speaking to students, as remote learning has opened many avenues for us to engage with schools around the country. “I’ve met with voice students at The Cleveland Institute of Music, and at Boston University to talk about choral careers in music, as well as my Broadway experience. That was enormous fun. The students are terrifically motivated, and interesting, and who doesn’t like to talk about themselves for an hour?”

Chorus colleagues Meredith Woodend and Marc Persing collaborated on a joint presentation for the Westminster Choir College’s Symphonic Choir, speaking about their individual paths to the Met and what a day in the life of a chorister looked like. Meredith also spoke with the Orlando Gay Chorus, who had questions about the career of a chorister and were curious to hear about what happens “behind the scenes”. The Met Opera Chorus job is unique in this country, so musicians of all levels were curious to know how it all works.

Ultimately, these discussions were affirming for Meredith. “To know that [people] support us and can’t wait for us to return to the stage was incredibly uplifting.”

Chorus couple Scott Dispensa and Lianne Coble-Dispensa did two remote outreach sessions with schools: Newton High School in Newton, KS and the Bacon Academy in Colchester, CT. Newton’s session was with a group of choir members, many of whom are interested in pursuing music in college, and was entirely online as the school had recently gone to remote instruction due to a local spike in COVID cases. The Bacon Academy group was comprised of a chamber choir (both in person and remote, since the school follows the hybrid format). The students knew that being in the Met Chorus was a grueling job that involved hours of singing per day, so the question of how to manage vocal fatigue came up with both groups. One thoughtful student from the Bacon Academy asked them how their lives and careers had been changed by the pandemic, which Lianne said “showed way more awareness of how the quarantines are affecting the arts than I would have expected.”

“Both groups of kids had fantastic questions and were really engaged, and I'm hoping we offered a peek into one of the many ways a person can make a living in the performing arts.”

Hometown Heroes

Chorus tenor Nathan Carlisle has deep ties to Houston, MS. His grandparents were pillars of the community there. But the town has long been without a theater, so when news came of a new theater breaking ground on the square, he knew he had to help. In September, he held a fundraiser in the form of an outdoor program called “From the Military to the Met,” landing on the local news in the process. His fundraising efforts continued with a sold-out concert on Dec 5th, a Christmas show with all proceeds going to the community theater. “It’s been incredible to be down in Chickasaw County, Mississippi helping raise money for a worthy cause.”

Nathan is no stranger to service, demonstrating his passion for volunteerism with Culture for One, an organization devoted to bringing the arts to children in the foster care system. Nathan has taught voice lessons to kids in the NYC community for years, and he has continued his work with them even after the Met closed and he moved back to Mississippi. His commitment to music education also led him to give a presentation to over 200 students at the local middle and high schools in Houston. “It was such a pleasure to share the world of opera with so many who had never even heard of it.”

Help Others, Help Your Self

Several members of the Orchestra and Chorus have volunteered for hour-long virtual sessions with a group called Selfhelp Community Services. Founded in 1936, Selfhelp has been the largest comprehensive program serving Holocaust survivors in the country. They provide services in home care, real estate and housing, as well as the community-based services for which our volunteers have worked. Suzanne Falletti, a soprano in the Chorus, has conducted two sessions with groups through Selfhelp. She talked about her pathway to the Met, memorable productions and costumes, and shared photos and even video clips of her singing.

“There was a wide range of ages and participation during these two sessions, but mostly I was so touched that after the first one they requested a second class,” Suzanne said. Conversations ranged from Suzanne’s career at the Met, to operatic training, to vocal training, to favorite composers and opera singers of the past. “The residents had a great appreciation for the arts, and for opera in particular,” Suzanne said. “Many of them had been [Met Opera] subscription holders in their younger days and clearly loved classical music.”

All in all, Suzanne felt fulfilled by her outreach with both RoseWood and SelfHelp. “All of the in-person self-help centers are closed, so this is their only outlet. I was honored to have been asked, and honestly, it helped with my feeling of isolation as well.”

Advising students about musical careers and reminiscing about performances can be fun and educational, but the true purpose of art is to entertain and comfort. Music transports the listener to another time and place, even for just a moment. While our usual method of singing opera is closed to us, as individuals we’ve craved these musical moments. They are as powerful to us as artists as we hope they are for our audiences.

Seth Malkin was deeply moved by his outreach with RoseWood, but his most powerful experience was singing for “a magnificent Canadian lady” as she passed away at her home on Prince Edward Island. She had approached him about the possibility of singing at her deathbed (albeit remotely) by email, before her cancer was too advanced for her to properly communicate. Seth said the transportive experience “gave me a perspective with which I walk through the challenges of this pandemic, daily.”

While few of us have experienced something as meaningful as Seth’s intimate moment with mortality, all of these volunteer experiences provide performers an outlet for our musical expression. And while the pandemic prevents us from doing our jobs, our primary means of artistic worth in the world, we are thankful to be able to contribute to our community in these ways. Paradoxically, time away from the opera can connect us to the greater purpose of art.