Young at Heart

Today I am not writing about vintage finds for my home, but about vintage people who are so inspiring that I want to share their story...the Young at Heart Chorus came to Portland Sunday afternoon and we were lucky enough to be there.

I first became aware of this group when I saw a documentary about them on PBS back in January of 2010. I was so moved by their story that I wrote about them on my other blog, It's Always Something, and went right to Amazon.com to order copies of the documentary on DVD to share with every senior citizen I knew...and some I didn't. You can see a clip of the documentary here. The chorus is made up of members of "the greatest generation" from Northampton, Massachusetts, whose average age is 81. And they ROCK! This is a photo I took very quickly at today's performance...

An online review, from the Bomb Magazine blog, tells more of the story of the chorus:
Many of the group have lived through both world wars. Founded in 1982 at an elderly housing project in Massachusetts, the group has since gained acclaim on an international level through annual tours of Europe, and has starred in a self-titled, award-winning documentary film. They’ve also generated Internet buzz through member Fred Knittle’s rendition of Coldplay’s “Fix You,” which boasts nearly half a million hits on YouTube. As they stand on stage, some energetically dancing, others perpetually attached to the breathing machines that they depend on to live, the music they sing takes on a dim irony. After all, “Should I Stay or Should I Go” has a completely different meaning when sung by an octogenarian.

When the chorus ended with their rendition of Bob Dylan's Forever Young, there was hardly a dry eye in the filled-to-capacity Merrill Auditorium. If Young at Heart comes to your town, run, don't walk, for tickets and bring every older person you know...you will not soon forget the experience. Don't let walkers, oxygen tanks or wheelchairs stand in your way of bringing your elderly friends to this event....the chorus is using them too!

Young at Heart will be in Hartford, Connecticut, at the Bushnell Auditorium, on April 29th...you can check for other show dates here or read more from the group on Facebook here.

Let's all try to remember to stay "Young at Heart" as we start another busy week...