Every Voice Choirs’ Earth Day Jazz Concert at The Forum
Every Voice Choirs brought a big ensemble to The Forum at Columbia University for their Earth Day Jazz concert. I was set up toward the back of the house before anyone came in. Kids arrived with their parents, a few of them pulling toward the front when they spotted someone they knew on stage. The musicians were already in position.
A few times two or three singers hit a shared gesture at the same instant, mouths open, arms out, all of it landing together.
A smaller group came up at one point. Five singers at mics, a conductor directing from just off stage. With fewer people on the stage, one singer in a pink shirt was standing out from the others. That gave the shot somewhere to land.
I moved up to the front edge of the house later. Two singers sharing a microphone, both leaning into it. An adult in black was holding the mic steady between them. The room was quiet enough that I could hear both voices from where I was standing.
The jazz trio on stage right had been playing through most of the evening. I got to them during a gap between ensemble numbers when the pianist was vamping while the singers reset.
Late in the set the full choir was back, arms raised, the two blue wash lights behind them fully hot.
A youth ensemble program like this gives you real range in a single night: wide room shots, close two-person work, the trio up close. Photos like these travel well into grant applications and recruitment materials long after the concert.
If you've got a youth ensemble or vocal showcase on your calendar, I'd be glad to talk through what coverage looks like for it. Reach out here!
