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Philadelphia Complaint Choir |
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 ©2008 Ron Tarver |
Beginning in late summer of 2008, we sent volunteer canvassers out into Philadelphia neighborhoods to collect complaints. Listen to a complaint. |
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With our custom designed uniform we hit the streets and asked people, "What's wrong?" |
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Responses were mixed to both the question and the project. Canvassers went around |
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...West Philly and Art Museum area. We also asked people if they wanted to join the choir. |
 ©2008 Bruce Sheftel |
We scheduled a workshop for everyone who wanted to be in the choir to meet and eat. |
 ©2008 Bruce Sheftel |
We broke up into four groups, led by volunteer Complaint Captains. Each group had fifteen minutes to use the collected complaints to put together a song using the original music our composer, Evan Solot had written for us. |
 ©2008 Bruce Sheftel |
Evan Solot led each group as they presented their version of the song. |
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Evan Solot and Shelley Spector worked on the final draft of the song. We scheduled three rehearsals for the choir. |
 ©2008 Bruce Sheftel |
The first week about forty singers showed up. |
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Word got out about the choir |
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By our first performance, the choir membership was about seventy people. |
 ©2008 Mark Stehle |
We sang in the center of Rittenhouse Square... |
 ©2008 Bruce Sheftel |
We sang outside a mall... |
 ©2008 Bruce Sheftel |
and performed two more times that day, walking from one concert to the next. |
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We sang in Love Park. |
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We sang in the train station. |
 ©2008 Bruce Sheftel |
Our stage debut at the Painted Bride Art Center was also our final performance. |
 ©2008 Bruce Sheftel |
The audience wanted more. Since we only have one song, we sang it twice. |
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Click here for press about the Philadelphia Complaint Choir |
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©2008 Ron Tarver