We share the mantle “voice of San Diego,” but there’s not been a lot of overlap between this news organization and the San Diego Master Chorale, a giant choir that performs concerts and sings alongside the San Diego Symphony.
Until now.
We teamed up to put news headlines and singing together at Copley Symphony Hall. You can sing along with the lyrics below (or pull up handy song sheet, if you like). Listen in:
Here are those lyrics, and links if you’re inspired by the lovely singing to learn more:
San Diego, hear the headlines
of the past year and the next:
Scandals rocked the city’s cops and
schools are in a money mess.
Who will be elected mayor?
Pensions, potholes are their tasks.
Will Balboa Park’s main plaza
lose its parking lot at last?
Padres, Chargers, both were awful
unlike Aztec basketball
Yet the Chargers want a stadium
or it’s “Goodbye! See y’all!”
Unemployment’s still a dark cloud.
Vets return, but have it hard.
We lost power for 12 hours.
Geezer Bandit’s still at large.
Giant wings could dot the skyline
Papa Doug buys the U-T.
Convention center might grow bigger
Lest the Comic-Con should flee.
Plans to increase public transit
could connect us, town to town.
Main library still needs millions.
Power plants need taking down.
But, OK, we’ve got some good news
In spite of the doom and gloom.
Surf Madonna showed up one day,
Tech and brewing business booms
We still have the pandas, beaches;
Sharks are very seldom seen.
And we live in San Diego
where the weather’s always keen.
♦ ♦ ♦
Thanks to all of the singers in the Master Chorale who put up with my harebrained turn as a librettist and to our friends at NBC 7 San Diego for making it possible to share video and sound with you. And special thanks to NBC’s Chuck Westerheide, Ken Kramer and Paul Krueger who lent an ear and a rhyming hand to make these stories sing.
I’m Kelly Bennett, the arts editor for VOSD. You can reach me directly at kelly.bennett@voiceofsandiego.org or 619.325.0531.
And follow Behind the Scene on Facebook.