by Salomé

I first discovered Polyphony last year after becoming closer friends with Jack, who gave me a ticket to their Human Behaviour concert. It had me in cathartic tears from the first songs, and lifted me to another place. I jumped to ask Jack how to join the choir and he told me to just show up, “I don’t believe in auditions”. I couldn’t even read sheet music and he welcomed me to the community so fully. “Hello, Salomé!”, he’d say, whenever I walked through the door and didn’t know anyone else yet.

Jack was an incredible conductor, and he was so fucking FUNNY. Deeply engaging and brilliantly energetic, he could harness energy in a way I have never otherwise witnessed. He would move, dance, clap, stomp his feet; sing, belt, sweat, laugh, wink; encourage us to play characters and sing off book (“look up at me”), lose himself in the music, tear up, help us to understand it with funny and poignant analogies, show us the crux of the emotion of the piece, where to feel it most. His emotions, joy, and heartache were all on display to us in front of the choir, completely real and uninhibited, and we wanted to get him there. 

The intimacy of emotional exchange between Jack and his choir reminded me what it is to be alive, and  reignited my faith in the power of art.

The choir became my spiritual practice and creative ignition every week. It demonstrated more powerfully than any words could describe how together we can create something more beautiful and powerful than any individual could. This is Jack’s gift, which he shared in everything he did.

I am so lucky I started singing with the choir, so lucky that Jack ushered me in with open arms, to experience it with him for a few short months.

I feel so grateful I can sing with Polyphony each week, to communally channel our grief, and the humour, energy, and beauty of our Jack. Oli is doing an amazing job as our new conductor, he holds our emotions so beautifully.

Jack is with us through the music and I can feel him in every song he has chosen for us to sing. All so poignant in different ways. They make us cry and lift us to another place, together. We love you, Jack.