NORTHAMPTON — Sometimes, a concert is more than just a concert.
“10 Alarm Fire: We Won’t Shut Up,” slated for Nov. 23 at 3 p.m. in the Academy of Music, 274 Main St., is a reaction to our troubled times through the lens of art and music, brought to the stage by the famed Young@Heart Chorus.
“I think the times are right for this type of music and for standing up,” chorus member Sonia Nieto told Reminder Publishing, adding the chorus is “very excited about the selections.”
She will be performing “Si Se Calla el Cantor,” originally sung by Argentinian singer Mercedes Sosa, in the concert.
Nieto said the message of the song loosely translates to “if the singer stops singing, then life itself will stop. It’s a song about solidarity and the use of song in a political sense.”
Chorus founder Bob Cilman shared that the idea to create this unusual holiday season concert was sparked by discussions amongst the chorus members.
“I think we talk a lot at rehearsal, and we aren’t all on the same page all of the time, but I think everyone has become universally a little nervous about where this is going, and I think we share that in common,” Cilman explained.
Ranging in age from 75 to 103 years old, the performers that make up Young@Heart have seen a lot of changes in America, from the Great Depression to the Second World War to the Korean and Vietnam wars, the turmoil of the 1960s, the Civil Rights movement and of course, the political divides of today.
Cilman said a chorus of 27 of these Young@Heart singers, ages 75 to 96, accompanied by six musicians and supported by production and sound engineers and set and costume managers, will bring “10 Alarm Fire: We Won’t Shut Up” to life on Nov. 23.
According to Timothy Ranney-Blake, another longtime chorus member, “10 Alarm Fire” is designed “not just to be able to give us, the chorus, a way to express what’s going on but it also gives an opportunity for people to find hope and some way to take some action.”
Taking a wide lens to the genre of protest music, Cilman said that instead of relying on traditional protest songs, the program for “10 Alarm Fire” will focus on selections that carry a “message that is really to the moment.”
He also said that unlike a traditional Young@Heart concert, where the audience is asked not to sing along, there may be some selections where the audience is encouraged to join in, with lyrics shown on a screen behind the performers.
Musical selections will be performed in English, Spanish, Hebrew, Arabic and Italian.
“We don’t speak the languages, but we are learning to express what these languages are saying enough to say, ‘I am part of it,’” Ranney-Blake said.
Nieto said she hopes the performance will draw people from all walks of life.
“I hope children come with their parents. I hope young people come. I hope older people come. I hope Spanish-speaking people will come. I hope people who speak other languages come. I hope immigrants will come, because there will be something for everyone,” Nieto shared.
Ranney-Blake, who explained that “resistance and resilience to oppression … is in my DNA,” said he felt those qualities were also part of many other people’s lived experiences, and he hoped others would come participate in the concert.
“We want to invite everyone to take part in this sing out,” Ranney-Burke said.
Tickets to “10 Alarm Fire We Won’t Shut Up” are available online at AOMTheatre.com, at the Academy Box office Tuesday to Friday from 3-6 p.m. or by calling 413-584-9032. Ticket prices range from $20 to $50 for this performance.
Attendees are encouraged to bring canned food to the Yes We Can drive ahead of the performance between 2 and 3 p.m.
