Lee and her friends take no money for this work. And make no mistake, putting together a one-day choir is plenty of work. Music must be arranged and scored, and schedules must align for rehearsals before the choir comes together. Then there are the logistics, social media, ticketing, and sheet music printing, which Lee handles on top of her job as an adjunct lecturer at LaSalle School of the Arts and mothering three young children.
“But you know, the main takeaway is that everyone’s like, ‘Oh my gosh, you’re doing this for free?’” Lee laughed. “And they feel like they want to give back, which is awesome. We’ve had people volunteer to come and take photos or videos. When we needed help with scoring, someone immediately said, yes, I can do it. And then there are people who say, ‘Hey, I can’t contribute with music but I can help with registration and stuff. That’s really sweet.”
“I like the idea of dispelling the notion that if I’m going to enjoy something, I need to pay for it,” she added. “I really hope it can always be free so it’s accessible for more people. As long as we can sustain it as a free event, I would love to (keep it that way).”
