By Patrice Wilson

Honest and open dialogue allowed North Mecklenburg Community Chorus to focus its 2022 choral season on strengthening unity in the Lake Norman community.

“We began conversing in our chorus and we had to be open and get real with each other about our beliefs and how it impacted our view of the world,” said artistic director Todd Barnhill.

Those conversations inspired ensemble members to activate their voices on stage and in the community throughout the season to bring awareness to inequity and injustice.

The season culminated with “UniSong: A Musical Reflection on Unity,” in which the chorus teamed up with local spoken word artist Jah Smalls to usher audiences along the path to social change via angelic voices, purposeful arrangements and powerful poetic pieces at three April performances in Cornelius, Davidson and Huntersville.

An $8,300 ASC Cultural Vision Grant supported North Mecklenburg Community Chorus in presenting its spring 2022 season of choral music.

“Change starts with us; it cannot happen in an hour and a half,” Barnhill said. “‘Unisong’ set the spark for important conversations towards greater change.”

Smalls collaborated with the chorus to curate and tell his story as part of the performances.

“People like to separate Black from American,” said Smalls, speaking about his role in the production. “I am walking Black history and I am also walking American history. I speak the truth that people are afraid to. Every word that I voiced is the history of this country.”

The ensemble, composed of people of color, women and members of the LGBTQIA+ community, took the audience “hand in hand” from the beginning to the end, using their voices to bring attention to the daily injustices that Black people face and affirming that, “a change is gonna come.”