New York City Needs to Sing (While It Can)
The New York Times
From Sondheim tributes to rowdy bars to sacred chapels, New Yorkers are bringing back the singalong.
When Billy Bustamante, an actor and director, posted on Instagram that he wanted to have a community singalong of “Sunday” in Central Park a few days after the death of Stephen Sondheim, he didn’t expect much of a turnout. It seemed like such an outlandish idea.
But hundreds showed up at Bethesda Fountain to sing the emotional anthem from “Sunday in the Park With George.” Steven Cuevas, who volunteered to conduct, asked the participants to listen to one another and pay attention to the lyrics. And then without a rehearsal, a pack of strangers following along on sheet music handouts sang in soaring, resonant harmony.
“It was so spontaneous, yet so fully formed,” Mr. Bustamante said.
