New Yorkers Pool Their Gripes for Complaints Choir

Anyone who has lived in New York City knows the sensation. Whether it is a subway service change, spotty cell phone service, or a delayed flight out of La Guardia, moments of civic frustration — often shared with total strangers — are a cornerstone of city living.

Now an international arts movement is calling on New Yorkers to channel their inner kvetch and participate in the city's first Complaints Choir.

Last night, at a bar on the Lower East Side, the 45 attendees of the first public gathering of the choir were charged with writing — and performing publicly by the end of the summer — a song with lyrics drawn entirely from the everyday complaints of New Yorkers. Their only help will be a music composer, and their willingness to vent.

"Why are elections determined by morons?" "Summers are getting hotter and hotter," "Smokers who blow their smoke in my face," and "Long Islanders who think they're New Yorkers, but they're not" were just a few of the hundreds of complaints that spewed forth.

"I think people recognize the attitude of this project, and I think people all agree that we complain too much. On the other hand, there are very serious things we should be complaining about more," a Finnish artist and the creator of the Complaints Choir, Tellervo Kalleinen, said. "I think it welcomes people on a self-reflective journey."

And there is no shortage of available material: "The tolls are too high," "Kids who spit on the subways," "Condos in New York that attract rich little hipsters," and "California wines give me a headache."

The list goes on and on.

New York is the latest city to participate in the Complaint Choir movement. Other choirs have been formed in Birmingham, England; Helsinki, Finland; Melbourne, Australia; Budapest, Hungary; Jerusalem; Singapore, and Chicago, among other cities.

In their travels for the project, Ms. Kalleinen and her husband, Oliver Kochta-Kalleinen, have become unofficial experts in the shared phenomenon of strangers just needing to get something off their chest.

In spite of some culturally or geographically specific gripes, Ms. Kalleinen said, "Very many of them are being repeated from place to place."

Last night, women clearly outnumbered men, a trend that Ms. Kalleinen said is common. And although it was the first gathering of the Complaints Choir in New York, participants took no time getting into the mood.

In his opening comments, a local poet who is overseeing the project, Marc Nasdor, said he was surprised by the level of interest. An audience member barked back: "You got a problem with that?"

More information about the choir can be found at complaintschoir.org.