Reflections from Jon C Lahann



Throughout a 50+ year career of choral singing I’ve attended a lot of choir retreats. They’ve ranged from really helpful to less than exciting. The Sanctuary Choir retreat on September 7 was one of the helpful ones.
Retreats in the best sense exist to preview the music of the coming season, to help choir members renew their fellowship, to perhaps have good food and some games, and most importantly, to inspire the singers in their music ministry.
This fall’s retreat was well planned and organized. After the music reading session came tacos, chocolate brownies (both favorites of mine) and games of “This of That” that if a bit rowdy certainly illustrated the varied and often odd musical tastes of the choir members.
The inspiration came, for me, in the presentations of the featured artists of 1000 Tongues, an ensemble of 4 Asian American musicians and storytellers with whom the Sanctuary Choir will join in a concert on October 12 at 7:00 pm in the Hennepin sanctuary. From these artists the choir heard tales of growing up as Asian- Americans in contemporary America and how that experience has been reflected in the music they’ve programmed for this concert.
Singer Kenneth Vigne, an immigrant from mainland China, related his fascination with the individual stories we all have – how all of us in the choir have personal stories and how we are now all parts of each others’ stories.
This resonated with me. Last year I put together a few stories of my own immigrant ancestors. Some of those ancestor stories – ships from Germany, covered wagons from Iowa to the California Gold Rush – are well known family lore but there are so many ancestors and so many stories that have been untold and lost. I wish I knew more of them.
That makes it so important that the stories of our own lives connect with the stories of others, to create new perspectives and understandings and to create connections.
The Sanctuary Choir is lucky to be able to facilitate these connections in song – to let our stories sing for ourselves and others.