A message of thanks from TWC bass chorister Kahaari Kenyatta

November 25, 2019

Dear Washington Chorus supporters,

My name is Kahaari Kenyatta — I’m a proud member of the Bass section, a section representative in the Chorus Council, and am currently singing my third season with TWC.

Growing up in northern New Jersey, I was fortunate to attend strong public schools with well-funded music programs. It’s in those suburbs 15 years ago that I learned to love performance. That love began with the exhilaration (and fear, of course!) of being the lone cellist in my 5th grade ensemble, and grew to a few stints in dance and a four-year marching band career.

But voice and singing have been the constant for me. After leaving my university I spent my first year without song, but I distinctly felt the loss of some aspect of myself. When I realized singing was what was missing, I found myself fortunate once more in finding TWC. I joined the chorus in the fall of 2017.

Being a member of an organization with leadership like ours in the Washington Chorus is a beautiful thing because I, too, feel I am at my best when singing together with others. It is for that reason that I’m writing to you now. The music I am able to make today depends so much on the community of fans and donors that round out our Washington Chorus family.

As wonderful as performance is in the moment, I believe that so much of that is created in the rehearsal room, in the hours we put in there and at home. TWC could not create all the art we share without talented leadership in the office and on the stage putting in even more hours than the singers do—thank you for supporting our highly skilled and accomplished staff.

I knew I wanted to be challenged in my next musical endeavor and I got what I asked for and more with Walton’s “Belshazzar’s Feast” in my first season. It takes a lot to build the ensemble a masterpiece like that calls for, especially with some of the DC Metro area’s premiere instrumental musicians—thank you for supporting our thoughtful, high-quality programs and productions.

As an ensemble of fiercely talented volunteers, I am constantly humbled by our choral community. I am grateful to be invited to join the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center or at Wolf Trap, and for opportunities like singing with the Philip Glass Ensemble or performing at the Kennedy Center Honors in front of and alongside legends of music and the arts. Thank you for supporting the marketing efforts and audio-video recording that allow us to pursue bigger opportunities and broader audiences.

Having had little opportunity to study voice privately, I will always thank my directors through the years for imparting the know-how to sing as I do. Building diverse ensembles that draw in the broader audiences we need means bringing engaging classical musical education experiences to youth everywhere. I am proud to be a part of an organization that shares my beliefs and values, through the DC Honor Chorus and Side-by-Side performances—thank you for supporting our efforts to teach and share our art in our local schools and build a more sustainable future for classical music.

So much of what we in the Washington Chorus do would be impossible without your belief and support.

So, in this season of thanksgiving I am thinking of you all — our supporters and family in song. Thank you for all you have done and for all I hope you are able to do in the future.

Warmly,
Kahaari

Kahaari Kenyatta
TWC bass section and TWC chorus council member