About this Event
Afer a wonderful response, we're doing another candlelight sing. And for this edition, we'll have 3x Latin GRAMMY-nominee, vocalist and arranger Francisco Ruiz as a guest facilitator
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We've all been experiencing a lot. Fires, societal shifts, great change. But what we can always come back to remain the same: music and community. Join us for a night of circle singing, improvisation and meditation by candlelight. Bring all that you are feeling (joy, sadness and eveything in between) and help us light the night in harmony.
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THE EVENT
Harmonize Circle Sings are welcoming spaces for spontaneous a cappella singing and harmonizing led by practiced facilitators. It's an opportunity to sing in a community of friends old and new and practice sharing your voice. This is a special edition by candlelight, which will be warm, cozy, meditative and joyous.
(For new folks, check out our insta @harmonizevoices to get a flavor. We also have sleepy concerts and other offerings in the coming weeks.)
WHAT IS CIRCLE SINGING?
Circle Singing is an improvised and collaborative experience where facilitators stand in the middle of agroup beautiful humans and create improvised musical ideas. Anyone is welcome is to share an idea (a percussive sound, a melody, a phrase) and the facilitators shape their musical ideas to take the group anywhere from joy to comtemplation to laughter and everything in between. Once we're all synced up, pariticipants are invited to sing solos, duets, trios in the middle and even shape their own ideas!
Sometimes Circle Songs will also begin with actual songs. A person might share a snippet of a cultural song or a chant or a ballad or an original. Similarly, a facilitator will take a piece of that song (a word, a phrase) and improvise from there -- this is known as a song seed. [If you are someone who'd like to offer a seed at a Circle Sing, dm us!]
Circle Singing is done all over the world, and, while popularized by musical legends such as Bobby McFerrin, it dates back to the earliest forms of human singing.
In a typical session, we:
- Engage in vocal/somatic warm-ups
- Create improvised music through song/movement
- Share a couple of song seeds
- Wind down with a vocal meditation
Almost everything at a Harmonize Circle Sing is done A Cappella, so you just need your voice, your heart and your water. We also sit together on the floor at the end, so feel free to bring a yoga mat or cushion. Though we will have a number available
**WHO IS IT FOR?***
- Anyone who loves singing
- Anyone who wants to share their voice
- Anyone wants to go deeper into improvising
- Or any combination of the above!
All experience levels welcome.
**YOUR FACILITATORS***
GUEST FACILITATOR: Francisco Ruiz. Hailing from Ecuador, Francisco Ruiz is a 3x Latin Grammy Nominee vocalist and arranger. He has worked with various artists including U2, Ivan Lins, Luis Enrique, Jerry Rivera, Noel Schajris and Santana's Producer KC Porter. He has worked as vocalist and choir director at various LA venues including the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Wiltern, among others. Most recently, Francisco worked with producer Hector Crisantes as vocalist and arranger in 2022 Latin Grammy Nominated Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album "LA VIDA" by KURT [Universal Music Mexico]. Graduated from the prestigious Berklee College of Music, Francisco has been a vocal educator for over 15 years, touring with vocal projects and sharing his knowledge in vocal improvisation acquired by studying and performing with Bobby Mcferrin and members of Voicestra: Joey Blake and Rhiannon.
Mendeleyev is a baritone Singer/Songwriter/ Producer. Appearing on Season 17 of NBC’s The Voice on John Legend’s Team, his low booming voice got all 4 coaches to turn their chairs. Recently opening for/collaborating with Jackson Browne and Madison Cunningham, he also headlined the 4th of July at The Rose Bowl Stadium, singing for 30,000 people. Mendeleyev attended Berklee College of Music, the Bobby McFerrin circle singing workshop and is highly influenced by a variety of legends with a vocal combination of Johnny cash and Van Morrison.
LOGISTICAL INFO:
VENUE: The space is located next door to Re/Creation Cafe on Washington. Feel free to park on the street come right in
ARRIVAL: We build in 30 minutes for arrival, so we ask that you please arrive in this window so we can begin together.
CONCLUSION: There is a noise ordinance beginning at 10pm, so we will conclude by 10pm and need to have the space completely empty by 10:15pm.
ACCESSIBILITY:The space is on the ground floor
COST ACCESS: If cost is a barrier, you are always still welcome. Just input a number that works for you If resources are abundant, we welcome you to consider a greater amount to pay it forward for the community. Our funds go toward covering the space and reinvesting in this community
MEDIA DISCLAIMER: We capture any mixture of film, photo and audio at our events. Your entry constitutes your consent to such photography, videotaping and/or recording and to any use of that media. If yuu have any questions, feel free to contact us on instagram
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THE HARMONIZE MISSION
Harmonize is LA's fastest growing musical community. The brainchild of a first-generation son of an African immigrants, a Berklee-trained barefoot Baritone from SoCal, a Jewish-Colombian son of New York chefs, and a first-gen, third-culture Mauritian musician, it was founded on the principle that singing is a birthright. We aim to create spaces for people to be heard in every sense of the word. From pop-up choirs to sleepy serenades to freestyle rap jams, we seek to foster spaces of belonging for all races, genders, sexual orientations, classes, religions, abilities, national origins, languages, and musical experiences. All we ask is that you bring an open mind and an open heart.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Re/creation Cafe, 4500 West Washington Boulevard, Los Angeles, United States
USD 0.00
