Community Creates
by Keiko Honda
“We’re going to the Opera Zone!” said Helen, an elegant senior with silvery purple long hair and silver bangles on each wrist, sitting by her husband in the Handydart that I shared one rainy Sunday afternoon.
“I think a lot of people have been waiting for this day,” said Helen. I instantly replied to her, “Truly!” After closing for 21 months due to the pandemic, the music concert was finally returning to its home, the Kerrisdale Community Centre (KCC).
Although I, too, was full of anticipation, as an “ex-organizer”, I was afraid that we wouldn’t have any audience today. We were still in the midst of the pandemic and the weather was gloomy — Vancouver’s typical November of rain and gusty winds. What’s worse, we started advertising the event only two weeks in advance, mostly by word of mouth. Alas, I imagined the empty seats. During pre-COVID times, we had at least 80 guests in the audience each time, and sometimes even had a full house of 100 guests.
untitled, watercolour, by KH
The Opera Zone was conceived in late 2015 from a casual conversation between myself and Gerard Satamian, an Armenian composer and piano teacher who taught my daughter at the time. Gerard secretly fostered a burning passion to sing opera songs for the public, while I, as a community engagement committee chair of the KCC Society, was looking for new ways to develop an open space for inclusive cultural exchange within the community, one that took place at the centre and was free of charge. The seed idea became reality thanks to support from the board and staff members, as well as many like-minded musicians who came forward to share their gifts like Gerard. Ever since January of 2016, The Opera Zone had brought many people together and had transformed into an intergenerational and intercultural musical community space. It took place every first Sunday of the month for the subsequent four years until the pandemic came upon us in March 2020.
It has truly been a magical and unexpected journey even for those who originally planted the seed. The majority of the audience were seniors, some who were physically frail and came with walkers, wheelchairs, canes or caregivers. Most of the audience were regulars who steadfastly supported the event for all four seasons. The seed idea has stretched far and wide into a big, self-sustaining tree. But now, with the prolonged pandemic, I feared that the tree’s growth might have been stunted or completely uprooted.
We arrived at the centre. I dashed toward the door of the room where the concert would be held to assist the event. I saw a line-up in the hallway and a few well-dressed seniors who reminded me of flamenco dancers, happily handling the registration and escorting guests to properly socially-distanced seats. Even though everyone wore a face mask, I could easily imagine big smiles underneath their masks because the vibrance of the old days was in the air.
untitled, watercolour by KH
Gigi, a senior in an elegant dancer’s dress at the door, recognized me and exclaimed, “Great to see you!!” as she gently caressing my shoulder. “Me too. So wonderful to see you and everyone again,” I said, and smiled inside my face mask. I could not believe what I saw. All the seats were sold out (for the reduced targeted capacity) and those who were patiently lined up in the hallway were on the waitlist for a no-show or last-minute cancellation. Who knew!
The concert started promptly with six solo singers of all cultural backgrounds and a Japanese choir group, all of whom were regulars of The Opera Zone. Befitting of the stormy gusts and interspersed sunshine that created an amazing natural backdrop right outside our windows, the performance was riveting. The performers and the audience were united by their passion. I clapped my hands as fast and as hard as possible after each performance. So did the enthusiastic audience. But what was truly moving was how self-organizing the community was. I couldn’t help noticing a few seniors who were busy stepping up to take care of everything which we, the centre staff and board members, used to do: preparing and serving tea and snacks during intermission, taking photos for archiving, staying by the door to handle registration, escorting guests upon arrival, and promoting the next month’s event, etc. No one was overworked, under-appreciated, or left out. Everyone there was as free, comfortable and lively as possible, and the music was animated by a fervent spirit of devotion. It was such a moving and uplifting experience. “How did this tree survive and grow much bigger during this long pause?” I wondered with awe.
During the intermission, I mingled and conversed with some seniors. Helen was right. A lot of people had been waiting for this day. I came away free and optimistic about the possibilities. Sullust, a Roman historian, once said, “Harmony makes small things grow; lack of it makes great things decay.” The Opera Zone teaches us that when we are all in harmony with one another, we can make beautiful music.
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Originally published at https://hondakeiko.medium.com/community-creates-21ffe8a3a343 on November 15, 2021
