Harmony Project choir returns after 2 years
Matt Toopes and Kendra Tao braved the cold Monday night to venture to the Ohio Statehouse.
As the wind whipped through the air, the friends and Columbus residents situated themselves in the back of the pathway near the building’s front steps. Along for the adventure was Toopes’ and Tao’s dog, Barry. The large, white canine walked around the area, with Tao holding onto him with a leash.
Despite the freezing temperatures, the two came out in support of Toopes’ mother, Ruth Toopes, and aunt Teri Toopes, who are members of the Harmony Project choir.
“It’s an uplifting experience,” Tao, 33, said of seeing the arts and service organization in concert. “It’s such a large group and they’re all trying to do more for the community.”
More than 300 singers in the Harmony Community Chorus gathered on the Statehouse steps for their first performance since 2019. Under the red and green holiday lights projected from the building, the choir opened their pop-up concert with Phil Collins’ “Take Me Home.”
Harmony Project’s usual venue of choice is Nationwide Arena, where the massive choir performs in front of thousands of attendees every December. But last year’s event was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Founder and creative director David Brown said that even though the pandemic is ongoing, he decided to move forward with this year’s concert anyway.
“If not now, when?” he said. “Are we just going to keep waiting and hoping things change?
“We have to find a way to keep going, even if it’s different than it was before.”
Those differences included Harmony Project implementing strict COVID-19 protocols for its choir members. At the beginning of its season in October, Brown broke up the 500-member choir into three groups for rehearsals at the Northland Performing Arts Center. The three groups met separately every other week for only 45 minutes.
“Each night, we had tenors entering through one door, sopranos entering through another entrance,” Brown said. “We numbered every chair in case we had to do contact tracing. We provided alcohol wipes on every chair, everything.”
In addition, Harmony Project required masks, social distancing and proof of vaccination. The concert marked the first time the entire choir has performed in-person this year.
“We wanted to make sure that we were, first and foremost, protecting our staff, the team, the community that we work with and, of course, the organization itself,” Brown said. “And we’ve
made it through the season with no one getting sick.”
Keeping the choir and staff members safe was why Brown held the concert outside of the Statehouse. He also thought it would be an ideal place to bring people together, as the government building has been the center of protests for the deaths of George Floyd Jr. and Ma’khia Bryant and for Donald Trump supporters voicing their opposition against the 2020 presidential election results.
“We close with David Byrne’s song, ‘One Fine Day,’ which is all these diverse people singing, ‘We can use the stars to guide the way...’” Brown said. “And that’s what we wanted this to be about. We wanted it to be about people combining their voices and saying, ‘We don’t know the way yet, but we can use the stars to guide the way.’ We can use our history to guide the way, we can use our shared commitment to our community to guide the way to that better day.”
Back together again
Trying to keep himself warm during the concert was Barry Bassetti. The 40year-old Grove City resident was underdressed for the weather in a blue hoodie, red hat, and jeans. But as the choir began rehearsing, Bassetti smiled. His partner, Ken Perdue, is a singer in the choir and has been with the organization for five years.
Bassetti said Brown has even invited
him to join the choir, but admits he can’t carry a tune.
“I’m excited for him (Purdue) because he’s back together with a lot of his peers and his friends out here,” Bassetti said.
Bassetti’s favorite song from the concert is “Take Me Home” because it reminds him of spending time with his grandparents in New Jersey when he was a kid.
“Around this time of year with Christmas, I always took trips to see them and that song brings back a lot of memories.”
Also in the crowd near the steps was Larry Moses, a senior philanthropic adviser for The Wexner Foundation, and his daughter, Danielle Moses. The two came to watch their wife and mother, Susan Steinman, perform.
“Harmony House creates a sense of home and belonging,” Danielle Moses, 32, said. “There’s no other organization
like it. It’s neat to watch it grow.”
Both of them like that Harmony Project brings a sense of unity.
“We live in a polarized time, and Harmony Project demonstrates that different people can come and sing together,” Larry Moses, 72, said.
Choir member Patricia Brown, 70, said she hopes the concert brings unity to Columbus.
“We want to lift spirits and we want to people to know that there is hope even during times of despair and fear,” she said.
Fellow member and Harmony Project board member Anne Valentine added that she hoped the audience felt a sense of community.
“That’s what we do, that’s what Harmony Project does, and I think that brings people together,” she said.
Micah Walker is the Dispatch trending reporter. Reach her at mwalker@dispatch.com or 740-251-7199.