Opening 2 Oct 2008
Directed by:
Stephen Walker
Writing credits:
The film director and screenwriter Stephen Walker documents the six-week rehearsal time of a well-known senior citizens choir from Northampton, MA, called Young@Heart, leading up to the opening night of their “Alive and Well” concert of 2007. The choir began in 1982 when all of its members lived in housing for the elderly called the Walter Salvo House in Northampton, MA. The current ages of the members range from 72 to 88 and the group is still under the direction of Bob Cilman. Although many of the original singers are no longer with the group, the spirit of the choir’s founding members continues to rejuvenate its current membership. The most fascinating thing about this choir is that their repertoire consists of unique musical renditions of punk, rock, and rhythm-and-blues from artists like Sonic Youth, James Brown and Allen Tousssaint. Walker’s film allows the audience to peek inside the lives of the elderly choir members as they dealt with personal challenges during intense preparation for the “Alive and Well” concert. Walker’s endearing account of the Young@Hearts’s pursuit of happiness is full of delightful humor and compassion that will inspire the soul. (Karen Pecota)
