Culture Brief
Shed stress and find joy with circle singing
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Davin Youngs leads a group at Chicago Circle SInging. Photo: Monica Eng/Axios
I grew up singing in the church choir (as a director's kid) but haven't returned to one for decades.
Why it matters: Chicago is apparently full of choir refugees who, like me, don't frequent church but still want to make joyful noise with others.
Enter: Chicago Circle Singing, a loose-knit group of crooners — at any level — who gather in the South Loop for monthly All Sings with more specialized gatherings in between.
Zoom in: After seeing a CCS clip on social media, I bought tickets for my first All Sing in January and got hooked.
- The next one happens on Wednesday.
How it works: Each month, about 100 to 180 people gather in a large room at Grace Place in Printers Row.
- Song leader Davin Youngs divides the round room into groups based on where singers decide to stand.
- He then walks around assigning musical phrases (using words like "ba doom bop") for each group to sing in a loop until the whole room is unspooling melodic strands that blend in perfect harmony.
- The interweaving phrases coalesce into a vocal symphony that crescendos, falls and then starts again as Youngs dreams up another mesmerizing arrangement.
- No singing talent, sheet music or even lyrics involved.
Backstory: Youngs first learned circle singing a decade ago through a workshop with Bobby McFerrin and brought it back to Chicago.
- A small group of circle singers grooved in the city for years, but took a hiatus during COVID.
- Youngs relaunched in 2023 and has since led a growing roster of All Sings and corporate events.
Between the lines: Can the videos of circle singing look a little culty? Sure.
- Might you smell some patchouli at the All Sing? There's a chance.
- Do I feel a bit evangelical about the event now that I've tried it? Um, maybe.
Yes, but: These events are really just about improvisational singing, creating community, shedding stress and drawing joy from song. Nothing more.
If you go: Tickets for Wednesday's All Sing cost $10–$25 on a sliding scale.
- A more specialized Latin Orchestra Body & Voice sing happens on April 16.
- Another All Sing happens on May 13.