Inside the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in downtown Atlanta, the 17 members of the Atlanta Homeward Choir have vocal cords that are perhaps a bit too eager to express themselves. So Donal Noonan, the church’s music director, has to tell them to temper their tone a bit.
Smiling isn’t something the men are accustomed to. The members of this choir are homeless. Many have struggled with drug and alcohol addiction.
Noonan founded the group in November 2013 after being moved by what he saw on his morning commute through downtown streets: “These folks were just sitting there waiting for something, and what that was it was almost like they were waiting for a bus, but the bus came and went and they were still on the wall.”
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But amidst the heartbreak, there are also moments to celebrate.
As rehearsal begins to wind down, a choir member has been given a solo in one of the performances. Noonan changes his tune: Now, he says with a smile, “You can be all Mariah.”
