Casper ter Kuile lights a candle in front of his computer screen. And then the music begins.
All around the world, linked by video, more than 100 people sing “Come, Come Whoever You Are,” lyrics adapted from a poem by Rumi, the 13th century Sufi mystic. Then, laughing together, “Kookaburra,” the Australian nursery rhyme. And then, in Hebrew, “Hinei Matov.”
“How good and how pleasant it is that brothers dwell together” — the words of King David from Psalm 133, a statement of optimism for a chorus that can only sing together virtually.
This is the Corona Community Chorus. Each Sunday, it meets on Zoom to unite voices in isolation during the coronavirus outbreak.
The chorus is hosted from the New York home of ter Kuile, a graduate of the Harvard Divinity School and the author of the upcoming book, “The Power of Ritual.” Using instruments like the traditional Indian accordion known as the shruti box, he leads the group through a multilingual repertoire.
The idea flourished in a Tweet: “If I hosted a Zoom singing circle tomorrow at 1pm ET, teaching a few simple songs/rounds, who would be into that?” he asked. “Reply if you’re game!”
The response was surprising, he said. When he hosted the first meeting, dozens of faces from all over the U.S., Europe and Africa popped up in a grid on his screen.
“I think for a lot of people, it was just a moment of really feeling connected,” ter Kuile says.
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