Sound Circle - A Women's A Cappella Ensemble

Audience Response

Audience response to Sound Circle’s May, 2008, performance of
Snap Out of It (a concert about fear and imagination).

[The concert, performed May 9-11, 2008, was our response to the current moment in political history. The concert featured the premiere of a major commissioned work, Gary Grundei’s setting of Diane diPrima’s Rant ( . . . the only war that matters is the war against the imagination . . . ). The comments below were unsolicited and received by e-mail in the weeks following the concerts.]

A deep truth was touched within me during the Sound Circle concert–opening the concert with those voices, the songs, that closed the concert–bringing the experience full circle–was as if Sound Circle had not been there–the experience was done when it was over–and only the truth, the touch, remained.
Just got back from the Sound Circle concert. It was extraordinary. They are always fabulous and this one was beyond fabulous. It had a crispness and energy, depth as well as width and a freshness, like you all just baked it right there in front of us; organic and handmade. I wasn't ready for it to be over and could have sat for another couple of hours. Thank you for a most imaginative, life-giving evening.
That was a great concert this afternoon. I loved it. It had a lot of serious depth which was met with this creative, joyful response. It was uplifting—not in the least a failure of imagination. Perhaps my favorite thing was the improv in pairs--a wonderful metaphor for the idea that challenging times might actually require a new, as yet unknown, improvised response. A chance to be present to what is going on and create something new, imaginative. It is amazing just how uplifting the idea of imagination is.
Thank you for the wonder of the concert. As always, a Sound Circle concert is more than just a delightful event. ..thoughtfulness and surprises are lovely companions.
Usually I go away from a concert with the memory of a few good song moments. This concert, however, I came away filled with a brilliant sense of the whole energy field you wove together. The centerpiece poem-song was truly magical: the only war that matters is the one for the imagination. Yes. The singing and directing were superb. You never once, even for a second, lost my interest. Halleluia. Let this concert out!
Snap Out of It was fantastic! So creative and full of provocative imagination and musically philosophical.