Neighbor News
First Church “Driveway Choir”: Togetherness through Song
For the first time in nearly a year, church choir members joined voices in real time.
First Church in Swampscott held a “driveway choir” event on Saturday, March 13, from 2-4pm, in the parking lot of the church at 40 Monument Avenue. Thanks to a volunteer team of musicians who are committed to enabling safe singing during COVID-19 times, the members of the First Church Choir were able to sing “together” for the first time since this time last year. While choir members sang on individual microphones from inside their cars, technicians made it possible to hear the joined voices through an FM radio channel, as did members of a small but appreciative audience.
Bryce and Kathryn Denney, who have been involved with the Driveway Choir Project since late May 2020, provided the equipment and expertise to run Saturday’s choir event. For nearly a year, the Denneys have assisted numerous choral organizations throughout Massachusetts to, as they state on their website, “sing together safely, with no latency, using audio gear.”
Although driveway choirs have been occurring throughout Massachusetts, this will be the first driveway choir to occur in Swampscott. According to the First Church’s Director of Music Ministries, Patricia Clark, “The singers of the First Church Choir were thrilled to sing together again!” According to Clark, First Church worship services have been held on Zoom since March 2020, and the Choir has sung in virtual choirs and participated in a capella singing and call-response songs on Zoom, “but they so enjoyed singing together in real time in the same place!”
For more information about driveway choirs, visit
www.drivewaychoir.org.