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Blog Thread 5: A New Beginning
Akima:
Vaya con Dios amigo!
Edit: Annoying page-break.
Carl-E:
I did a thing last night...
I'm a member of the Blair Concert Chorale. Second tenor. We combined with two university choirs and another local singing choir for nearly 180 voices strong, along with our local 65 piece symphony orchestra.
It was amazing. Two and a half months of rehearsals separately (our group is about 45 members). Last Monday we had the first rehearsal with the combined choirs, and it was almost overpowering. Friday was the first rehearsal with the orchestra and soloists (all professionals). When the Turkish march began, and the tenor solo started, I was weeping. I just have no words.
One last rehearsal Saturday afternoon before the performance to get used to the space - the church holds about a thousand, and it was nearly full - I'd guess between 850 and 900 in the audience, which is serious money for the symphony (it, like out chorale, is non-profit). I was seated behind the contra-bassoon.
All the practice was worth it, though. We nailed the performance, got a good 5 minute ovation. I'm now able to hit notes in full voice that were only in my falsetto range in the past. I never thought I'd make it up to a high F, now I've got G, A, and B flat.
My wife gets aggravated with all the time put into this, especially since I'm still looking for full time work. She's right, extra-curricular stuff should take a backseat, but it's hard to explain just what this meant to me. What singing means in general. Without making music, I think I'd be too depressed to do much of anything. And this is a dream I've had since college. Of course, back then I was a baritone...
Lines:
Carl, that is amazing! I haven't sung in a choir since high school, but I miss it a lot and I know the rush you're talking about. It is time consuming, but sometimes you need to feed your soul and music definitely does that. I'm glad you had such a wonderful experience. :)
Redball:
Oh my God, Carl, what an experience! Weeping while performing is a curse and a blessing, but I'd never want to be so laid back as to remain dry-eyed. And from baritone to second tenor! I can only wish. I went the other way when I retired from work and two choirs. When I returned to one of them, I could no longer handle the tenor. That group memorizes its music, so I had to memorize the baritone/bass. And if nothing we're singing in a season (Christmas gigs in Renaissance costume) brings a tear to my eye, I feel a little cheated.
The Beethoven 9th was hard on the voice as a tenor. I was lucky enough to do it twice, the last with the Detroit Symphony and Järvi around 1995 or so. I'm still in the Christmas-gig a cappella group back in Detroit, but singing in church near Kalamazoo. But we've been in Tucson since mid-February, and the church here, close to the UA campus, has an excellent music program. So we did the Rutter Requiem for Palm Sunday with a small instrumental ensemble. That's a tear-full. With all the spring singing, it seemed that my tenor range might be returning. That'd be interesting; and tenors definitely have more fun.
We need this kind of singing for our souls, Carl, and you more than I. Don't stop.
explicit:
I'll be teaching a meditation class next week. So that's cool... never even tried mediation myself, so I guess we're all going to learn something.
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