"Virtual Insanity: Mass Shootings & Madness of the Modern World" is a special concert by AfterGlow Chorus in Oakland, CA honoring the victims of mass shootings through the unique emotional power of music.
Ten years after the horrific mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012, we honor the victims of the growing number of mass shootings through the unique emotional power of music. The powerful music in the concert explores a broad range of complex emotions, including grief, loss, anger, and healing. Here are a few of the music selections:
- "Let My Love Be Heard" by Jake Runestead (a modern choral classic stunning in its emotional impact with a direct connection to the Paris 2015 Bataclan shootings)
- "Only in Sleep" by Eriks Esenvalds (a gorgeous piece reflecting on idyllic childhood memories)
- "Lacrimosa / Take My Life" by Isaac Cates (an incredible, original Gospel mashup of the Lacrymosa movement from the Mozart Requiem)
- "Remember Me" from the movie Coco (a beautiful song from this touching movie)
- "Water Guns" by Todrick Hall (a hard-hitting song about gun violence)
- "We Shall Walk in the Valley of Peace" by Moses Hogan (an amazing setting of an African-American spiritual)
- "Change" by Christina Aguilera (lyrical, moving song written in the aftermath of the Orlando Pulse nightclub shootings in 2016)
- "Watch Them Burn" by Chris Singleton (a raw, country song in reaction to the Las Vegas shootings)
- "Virtual Insanity" by Jamiroquai (classic jazz-funk from the British band about an increasingly dystopian, technology-dependent society)
The wonderful jazz / R&B singer Clif Payne will also be our very special Guest Artist for these concerts.
The concert is in the Ivy Hill neighborhood in Oakland, CA at the historic Church of All Faiths. We'll be performing in the beautiful church sanctuary which is filled with breathtaking stained glass windows and wonderful acoustics. Street parking is available as well in this primarily residential neighborhood.
We respectfully request that all audience members be masked and vaccinated. The singers (who will be performing without masks) are all vaccinated and will have tested the day of the concert.