When I joined the chorus, I knew they sang in “Messiah” every December. I also heard that they sometimes sang in Christmas POPs. I figured I could handle Messiah in early December ( Read more... )

Much to my surprise, they did take me.  The first year was difficult beyond imagination.  I had never sung in German.  I had never seen such difficult music (Brahm’s Requiem and The Sea Symphony with a Christmas Pops concert thrown in).  I practiced one to two hours most days.  Sometimes it was so difficult I was mad at them for taking me.  They ( Read more... )

The first three Holiday Pops performances for the Symphony Chorus were somewhat difficult for me. I was getting over the flu which had turned into asthma. Taking deep breaths was problematic. During the first performance, I lost it on song #1. I spent the next two songs alternatively holding my breath, lip syncing, and mentally saying: “Don’t ( Read more... )

On the odyssey of getting rid of the nasty common cold. Last week was pretty much a wash. I missed symphony chorus practice last Tuesday evening because I could only talk in a whisper, much less sing. Besides, I felt rotten. So although I still could not sing this week, I decided that this Tuesday I had to attend. We are only allowed two ( Read more... )