Why the 'Quarantine Music Chain' May Be the Best Music Event of the Year
The music industry, like many others, is facing unparalleled changes. The coronavirus endemic has forced the cancellation of concerts and tours, as well as collaborative music recording sessions - leaving musicians adrift. One artist, Hungarian-born, Los Angeles-based composer Imre Czomba decided to rekindle creative flames and brought together 100 world music stars from 15 countries to create a very special musical event - the ‘Quarantine Music Chain’ (QMC).
The QMC is the inspiration of internationally recognized composer Imre Czomba. Known for his composition of Argo 2, The Tesla Files and Hungarian blockbuster, Kölcsönlakás, Czomba is accustomed to international collaborations. As the lockdown entered its second month, Czomba realized there was an opportunity to bring an extraordinary group of people together that would normally never be available at the same time. Like a daisy-chain, Czomba sent the first four bars he composed to his composer friends, who then created the next four bars of their own. In the end, the one-in-a-lifetime song four-minute song was created.
...more than a song, more than a music video - the 'Quarantine Music Chain' is truly a global musical event.
— Imre Czomba
The first participants were Fanni Sarkozy, Igor Kogan, and Sara Andon. Fanni Sarkozy took up the chalice to compose the four bars following Czomba’s to continue the sequence.
Czomba reached out to friends from Hungary, Italy and Egypt to Hollywood to take part in the song. The QMC project attracted attention from world music stars including world renowned saxophonist Kenny G, and Michael Jackson’s keyboardist, Michael Lehmann Boddicker, and composer Stefano Sacchi.
Czomba notes, not every artist has a studio room or the tools to properly record music at home. Because most of the artists recorded their parts using smartphones, properly mixing the song, after all the pieces were sent, took a long time. After everyone had recorded their part, it was time to assemble the video.
The ‘Quarantine Music Chain’ is more than a song, more than a music video - it is truly a global musical event. Czomba refers to it as a gift to the world, from the musicians of the world, carrying with it a message of joy and unity during these uncertain times.
