I ended up at this concert because I missed one of the last performances at the Imagine Festival here on Orcas Island that happened in September at Doe Bay. A friend and I got to chatting with a couple who had fascinating life stories while Max Ribner and friends were performing at the main stage area. When we walked back to the main stage after that hour-plus conversation, several people were marveling about what Max Ribner did musically and with the crowd, saying it was the most phenomenal thing they had experienced at the 3-day fest.
There were posters all over the grounds at Doe Bay advertising an upcoming concert at St Mark’s Cathedral in Seattle featuring Max Ribner and many other musical artists. The part that pulled me in was the idea that 1,000 people would be attending, and would be included in the singing…
Singing with people makes something happen inside you that you can’t experience in other ways, so I bought tickets to see what this experience would feel like.
It would also be featuring Eric Morris’s largest EarthBall installation ever – you know, like the EarthBall you see at the end of every Solstice Parade here on Orcas Island.
Come along and experience The Circle concert…
My favorite part of the night was when Finley G., a 9-year-old, joined the performers on the stage and BELTED out a solo. I only caught the first part of it here, but the second part was phenomenal. I searched Instagram to find her practicing that solo with Max before the concert. Click here to watch it, and imagine her singing in the middle of 1,000 people – it was POWERFUL and INSPIRATIONAL!
What is she belting out?…
“You don’t gotta be anything but yourself and all you gotta do is set it free!”
Make sure to click here to watch a compilation showing Max leading performers as they practiced the opening of the show in the days and hours before all of us arrived. Click through the 5 videos in the compilation, which build in number and wonder.
To get a closer look at the feeling of what Max Ribner creates with song and community, here is a sampling:
Max is obviously passionate about what he does, and he does it well. It’s something I haven’t really observed anyone else doing – communal singing that doesn’t require any fore-knowledge of what will be sung. Though it has been done through the millenia all along, we don’t tend to see it often these days. Max’s lyrics are always uplifting, easy to catch on to, and they connect everyone involved. Fascinating. I went into many tangents while researching Max and other singers performing with him, learning about trauma release through vocal expression, etc.
Next time he comes to town, I’ll be there…
