A collaboration with choir leader and song writer Josh Herring
The performance, including lyrics, is created during a two hour workshop (see The Howling Choir - Workshop). Wandering around in the darkness, the
performers begin howling to each other. Guided by a keyboard, the howling gradually transitions into singing, a synchrinized
choir. The scenography consists of textile banners hanging from pillars of a 34 m high water tower.
The way we organize our voices, in singing as well as speaking, reveals hidden social and political structures.
A report about Danish choir culture (Sangens Hus/Augustinusfonden 2020) emphasizes the community building of singing together and democratic values where 'every voice is important'. Singers speak about the joy of letting their voice merge with others, of becoming part of a bigger collective body.
I'm curious about the social structures among wolves, and how it translate to their howling. Can humans, howling together as a group, define new social rules and values?
We have to learn not to start and stop at the same time. There is no pre-defined melody or rhythm, only spontaneous improvisation, varying between individuals. Even if we lack syncronity, we are connected, acutely aware of each others voices. The emotional energy of in one howl will influence the others.
Sometimes there is harmony; the wolves howl WITH each other, one voice following the other. Sometimes not. Is discord disagreement?
Responding to a howl can be confrontational, even agressive. But it can also be an attempt to connect, as wolves howl both to mark their territory, and to reach out to their pack members.
