Choral Triumph
It was. This weird piece we were singing that was such a struggle for many of us to wrap our little ethnocentric brains and voices around was a triumph. There were a few folks, and I mean less than a handful, at each performance who walked out. It is VERY different from what a western choral audience is used to. But for the most part, the culture of our funky little town had trained the ears and palates of our audience well enough so they could be patient, trust in us and adapt to something new and incredibly meaningful. Plus, it was a whole lot of fun in much of it. We were all rock'n out with the percussion in the really rock'n pieces. That is something a classical chorus never gets to do.
So, I come away from this piece with my horizons expanded, my spirit renewed (as always after my choral performances), and my faith in our director re-confirmed. I thought she was a bit loopy at first for wanting to do this piece with us. But I should know by now that she really does know what we are capable of.
We sold out the Saturday night performance and came close to selling out on the Sunday afternoon (despite fears that the football would keep people at home).
For those of you who want to know more about this work, there is a website dedicated to it, plus an hour long documentary featuring the very loopy composer, David Fanshawe. Here's the web link: www.africansanctus.com
Our next performance, which will be of some more traditional stuff, will be in May. I'll keep you posted!
So, I come away from this piece with my horizons expanded, my spirit renewed (as always after my choral performances), and my faith in our director re-confirmed. I thought she was a bit loopy at first for wanting to do this piece with us. But I should know by now that she really does know what we are capable of.
We sold out the Saturday night performance and came close to selling out on the Sunday afternoon (despite fears that the football would keep people at home).
For those of you who want to know more about this work, there is a website dedicated to it, plus an hour long documentary featuring the very loopy composer, David Fanshawe. Here's the web link: www.africansanctus.com
Our next performance, which will be of some more traditional stuff, will be in May. I'll keep you posted!