We're Not Gonna Take It performed by Rock Voices
Rock Voices
Sun is Shining Concert Series
First Church
West Hartford
Aug. 19, 2025
The Rock Voices choir gave a big, diverse crowd of listeners a lesson in how great a big, diverse choir can sound.
The First Church in West Hartford Center hosted Rock Voices as part of their Sun is Shining concert series. Rock Voices itself is a unique concept: a no-audition adult choir that sings only rock music, with choirs in almost 30 locations around the Northeast (and Oregon).
Choir participants don’t need to have any formal music training or experience. They are backed by professional bands and led by professional musicians. West Hartford’s branch of Rock Voices is led by the music director for First Church, Jim Boratko.
The choir is made up of people from all ages, demographics and walks of life. You can see rockers, church ladies, lounge singers, backyard hummers and everything in between sharing the stage.
The program for this show featured one-hit wonders. Between each live performance Boratko had the band play a snippet of a one-hit wonder that didn’t make the program for the audience to guess. I had no idea what the first song was, until he announced it was “More Today than Yesterday” by Spiral Staircase. I did guess the next one though, “Play that Funky Music” by Wild Cherry.
One of the other neat aspects of the concert was the opportunity it gave to anyone who wanted to sing. A tall man with flowing grey hair, jeans and sunglasses stepped forward to sing “We’re Not Gonna Take It” by Twisted Sister. By the rock and roll vibes that he gave off, I’d bet that he’d seen Twisted Sister perform it live at some point.
Even though many of the music choices were classic rock, the concert appealed to everyone. I watched a group of teenagers walk by the performance, slow down and then come back to sit on the edge of the green and take in the show. People trickled in as the night went on, and before long the event was standing room only.
A different woman came forward to lead the choir in performing the 2011 one-hit wonder “Somebody I Used to Know” by Gotye. By the time the chorus of the song kicked in, the audience had jumped in as well.
Back in high school, I always wanted to join the chorus. I was too shy and self-conscious though. I was afraid of what people might say about how poorly I sang, or how silly I looked onstage.
So seeing the Rock Voices choir brought me face to face with that longing. Here’s another chance! A public choir would be my opportunity to finally sing. But to get up on a stage, even after 20 years of maturing? That still sounds like a tall order.
But I’ve learned to push those feelings aside and dive in, because some of the best moments of my life have come in the times when I’ve been most willing to look silly. Besides, the Rock Voices choir looked and sounded awesome, and it might be the push I need to check them out and belt some tunes someday.
NEXT
First Church hosts Still Kickin’ with the Big City Horns on Aug. 26.
Jamil goes to downtown Hartford to learn how to salsa.
