Happiness in Your Belly

‘I think that when I sing in the choir, I really feel like I'm with the others.’ This is how one girl summarises one of the benefits of choir singing right at the beginning. Sensual, stimulating, curious and respectful, looking into the faces of young singers, the short film observes two young choirs in the Brandenburg town of Wandlitz and makes it clear that singing in a choir helps to build community - and that a very special magic is created when young voices are brought together in harmony. This is how ‘happiness in the belly’ is created! ‘Glück im Bauch‘ is a documentary workshop film that director Bernd Sahling (’Die Blindgänger’, “Kopfüber”, “Ab morgen bin ich mutig”) shot between March and July 2024 with children and young people from the Wandlitz children's choir and the Vox Nova youth choir under the direction of Katharina Tarján. There was an interview day on which the children and young people asked each other questions about their hobby of choral singing and filmed themselves, and a choir rehearsal and two concerts were also recorded: the children's choir's summer concert in the Wandlitz village church, a summer concert by the Wandlitz choir with the youth choir and an open-air performance by the children's choir at the Wandlitzsee baptism festival organised by the Wandlitz Protestant community. The Wandlitz children's choir was founded in 2009 by choirmaster and music theatre teacher Katharina Tarján; the youth choir Vox Nova Wandlitz was founded in 2016 when the first choir children grew out of the children's choir age and wanted to continue singing with their peers. The concert choir Kantorei Wandlitz (for ambitious adult amateur choir singers) was also founded in 2009. Over the years, the ensembles have not only achieved a high level of musicianship, but have also developed into an extraordinary community project.