A Safe, In-Person Driveway Choir at FPC in Stow

If there's one thing Unitarian Universalists love to do, it's sing together. While they've been able to make impressively beautiful music together virtually, many UU choir members sorely miss singing together in person.

That's why a couple from First Parish Church of Stow & Acton (FPC) in Stow decided to hold a Driveway Choir in FPC's parking lot on Sunday, Sept. 27. How did they do that safely?

This summer, FPC Choir members David Kay and Katy Weeks were excited to participate in a new innovation called a Driveway Choir. They were impressed with the way the leaders, Kathryn and Bryce Denney of Marlboro, had developed a safe way to bring singers together. So excited that they decided to bring this new way of singing together to FPC.

With the Driveway Choir, singers stay in their own cars, which are spread apart, with windows mostly closed. Each singer gets a sanitized wireless microphone. Their singing goes from the mics to a mixer managed by the Denneys. The mixer then plays the united sound back to the singers when they tune into a certain radio frequency.

The ingenuity required to create such a system has not gone unnoticed, nor unappreciated. At this particular event, the notice came from a New York Times reporter, who was present at the event. Much of the appreciation came from Kay, who may be one of the Denneys' most ardent fans. "The pandemic has required a lot of creativity," he said, "and being an engineer, I appreciated how Bryce and Katherine brought together the technology so that we could sing together."

There was much appreciation from the participants as well. "After only rehearsing through Zoom and not singing together for many months, it was so much fun!" said FPC Choir member Sharon Webb.

FPC Music Director Mike Pfitzer joined the Denneys, along with Kay, Weeks, and their fellow FPC Choir members, as he conducted the choir from a hilly spot where the automobile-ensconced singers could get a good view of him.

"There's a joy that wells up and bursts inside us to be able to sing in harmony with our friends again," said Weeks of her fourth experience with husband Kay and the first with their friends at FPC. It's clear that the Driveway Choir is filling a need that's deeper than just recording music for upcoming services.