LINCOLN SQUARE — For the U.S. debut of the musical composition "Crowd Out," the Chicago Humanities Festival needs, well, a crowd.
The fest's producers are recruiting amateurs and professionals from across the city — 1,000 in total — to form a one-time-only choir for an Oct. 1 performance in Millennium Park.
No experience is necessary to join the massive "Crowd Out" singing group. The work, created by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Lang, combines spoken, sung and shouted words — and who hasn't done at least two out of those three?
There are a couple of requirements besides lung power, though.
Before the big day, volunteers must: show up at a local community gathering/rehearsal, which have been scheduled in all 50 wards, and then attend one of the four large dress rehearsals taking place in September.
Upcoming community gatherings include:
• 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Thursday, DANK Haus, 4740 N. Western Ave.
• Noon to 2 p.m., Sept. 10, New Apostolic Church, 3753 N. Troy St.
• 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., Sept. 18, Anderson Chapel, North Park University, 3225 W. Foster Ave.
Click here to register.
The free event, which is open to the public, will take place at 3 p.m. at Cloud Gate (aka "The Bean") and will last for approximately 45 minutes.
In a videotaped interview, Lang said the "lyrics" to "Crowd Out" draw on answers to his Internet search of the open-ended phrase "When I am in a crowd, I ...."
For a preview of what "Crowd Out" actually sounds like, check out this clip from the composition's world premiere, held in Birmingham, England, in 2014.
