[LOS ANGELES] One-Day Choir: Ólafur Arnalds & Talos - "A Dawning"

No auditions. No judgment. No need for perfection. Just the joy of singing in harmony with a room full of beautiful humans.

This fall, and present a series of One-Day Choir events on the Tour in Europe and North America. The workshops will intertwine with Ólafur’s performances in each city.

Please note: This is a page for a Gaia Music Collective One-Day Choir event on the Falling Apart Together tour. A ticket purchase here gives access to the One-Day Choir event. It does not give access to the Ólafur Arnalds concert, which is a separately ticketed event. Any public performance of the song worked on in the One-Day Choir event is on a voluntary basis. See more below.

WHAT IS A ONE-DAY CHOIR?

Gaia Music Collective's One-Day Choir series is an opportunity to sing in a choir for one day only. It’s a celebration of song and the connective power of singing in harmony, and an opportunity to build community, make some new friends, and raise our powerfully diverse voices as one.

For this limited series, we will sing a piece of music by Ólafur Arnalds and Talos. In our time together, we'll:

• Play some singing and connection games while we warm up
• Work through the piece section by section
• Break down the lyrics and emotions at play in the song

Whether you're a vocal ensemble veteran or have never sung in a group before, you are welcome here - all experience levels are valued!

OUR SONG THIS TIME AROUND

For this One-Day Choir, we will be lifting our voices to “A Dawning” by Ólafur Arnalds and Talos, arranged by Geoff Lawson — a beautifully expansive piece that builds from quiet intimacy into something powerful, communal and uplifting.

AFTER THE ONE-DAY CHOIR

This One-Day Choir will intertwine with Ólafur’s Falling Apart Together performance. See Terms & Conditions below.

TERMS & CONDITIONS

• This event will intertwine with Ólafur's performance in an exciting way on a voluntary basis. Please indicate which performance you are interested in.
• A ticket to this One-Day-Choir does not equal a ticket to Ólafur Arnalds' performance.
• More details will be provided closer to or at each event.

LEARNING THE MUSIC

Sheet music and vocal recordings of each part will be available as learning resources at least a week before the event, to accommodate multiple ways of learning. These resources will either be included in your order confirmation or sent out in an email.

The intention is for us to come into the gathering having already familiarized ourselves with the parts, so that we can spend our time together really diving into the joys of connection and expression in the music rather than simply teaching parts one by one. That being said, we’re just doing this for ourselves, so there’s no need to stress over it, and definitely no need to memorize it or get it ‘perfect.’

LED and FACILITATED BY:

Matt Goldstein (@heartofgoldstein) is an award-winning arranger, facilitator, improviser, songwriter, and educator who is known for his emotive vocal arrangements, soulful singing, heart-forward facilitation, and visionary leadership. After making waves in the a cappella scene as music director of The Vassar Devils and Hyannis Sound, he went on to found Gaia Music Collective, a collaborative music community that is achieving international recognition for its work in creating kind, connective, accessible spaces for musical play and expression. Along with designing and leading Gaia’s viral “One-Day Choir” series, Matt is passionate about leading circle singing, facilitating improvised jams, and cultivating exciting new projects in the vocal music sphere. He performs as an improviser and singer-songwriter, directs at A Cappella Academy (a summer camp for talented young singers), leads Rock Voices (a community pop-rock choir), and teaches vocal improv intensives through his private teaching studio, Flow Labs.

Asher Blank (@asherbl_nk) is a Los Angeles-based composer, arranger, and community organizer whose music for choirs and a cappella groups aims to connect a broad spectrum of singers, genres, and group singing traditions.

NO ONE TURNED AWAY FOR LACK OF FUNDS

This event is funded by sliding scale ticket donations, with a “no one turned away for lack of funds” policy. It’s important to us that these events remain affordable and accessible - we never want money to be a barrier to making music together. If a ticket is financially prohibitive to you, email us at [email protected] for volunteer opportunities or assistance.

GAIA’S MISSION

Gaia is a collective of artists and facilitators who create participatory events that invite people of varied musical backgrounds to experience collaborative singing.

We believe that communal music-making is a fundamental human practice, and this project seeks to build spaces for folks to nurture their relationship to music, whether they're shower singers, professional musicians, or anything in between.

We are dedicated to building a community where creativity, collaboration, and care thrive. The values listed here shape how we work together, how we engage with the world, and how we move toward upholding these principles.

LOW-PRESSURE PARTICIPATION

Gaia Music Collective events are participatory but low-pressure. You'll be invited to sing along and make music with us, but we encourage you to draw your own boundaries and engage at your own pace - we pride ourselves in creating a judgment-free community where you can express yourself however feels right!

MEDIA CONSENT

Because we want to share what we’re up to with people who can’t join us in person, there may be photographers and videographers present — by attending, you consent to being a part of that media, some of which may be posted online! If you have any questions or concerns, please email us at [email protected].

ACCESSIBILITY

The building is fully wheelchair accessible. Please email us at the above address with any further questions or concerns.

LATE ARRIVALS

We ask that you arrive no later than 30 minutes after start time, after which we close the doors (lovingly) in order to preserve the intimacy and trust of the musical container we’re building. Thank you for understanding!

CANCELLATION POLICY

Tickets are refundable up to 24 hours before the event, after which we are no longer able to offer refunds. This policy helps us keep these events financially sustainable for both our community and our team. If you RSVP but are no longer able to come, please let us know so that we may offer your spot to someone else! We want as many people to be able to experience these gatherings as possible, and since capacity is limited, each spot is precious.

FAQ

Have any questions that haven't been answered here? Check out our Event FAQs!

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