Everybody loves a sing-along. There are formal sing-alongs of choral masterworks in concert halls and there are informal sing-alongs of folksongs around the campfire, but few have participated in a "Carmina Burana" sing-along, a veritable meeting of the sacred and the profane.
J. Reilly Lewis, Music Director of the Cathedral Choral Society, the resident ensemble at Washington National Cathedral, readily admits that this concept of his may be totally wacky. "Carmina Burana" is not the first composition that comes to mind as sing-along fodder, but he is thrilled that singers of every ability are among the Carl Orff fans who participated in the blockbuster event presented the last Sunday of June, 2010.
Cathedral Choral Society got its start in 1941 when an astonishing number of people responded to a tiny insert in the paper asking, "Can You Sing?" From that informal gathering, the choir soared in prestige. It now boasts ten best-selling CDs and 240 members, twelve of them professional singers. The choir's summer vacation seemed to Reilly an opportune time to lure the singing public with an offer to test their pipes amid the acoustics of the mighty cathedral.
Never a season goes by in most metropolitan communities that some group doesn't perform "Carmina Burana," one of the few compositions guaranteed to be a cash cow. The response to Lewis's call is representative of the legions who clamor to hear the work wherever and whenever it is performed. By all accounts, everyone capable of chirping a note could not wait to dive into this extraordinary format and exhibit their vocal prowess.
For this daring debut venture, the pick-up chorus was joined by tenor Robert Baker, a regular with Washington National Opera, along with soprano and baritone soloists from the Washington National Opera Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program representing the partnership between CCS and WNO. Scott Dettra and Todd Fickley upheld the honors at two pianos, sharing the pulsating accompaniment with the essential percussionists.
"I've conducted 'Carmina Burana' with the Washington Ballet in keeping with Orff's original intention that it be performed as a ballet, but I've never known it to be presented as a sing-along, a concept I've always loved," said Lewis, who was named "Washingtonian of the Year" in 2005.
To accommodate the enormous turnout, the sing-along was held in the cathedral nave. The score - unlike works most people have sung in high school, college and beyond - is rarely found in the average household piano bench, so Lewis arranged for scores to be available at the door for all arrivals. Before the show got underway, he oriented newcomers with a brief, low-key guide to tricky passages and a few non-technical explanations, but his downbeat signaled that every hesitant singer was transformed into a valuable chorus member.
Once the success of this extraordinary event is noised abroad, amateur singers everywhere may hail Carl Orff's sensual work as the universal champion of the sing-along, ultimately leaving Handel in the dust.
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