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Tuesday, November 25, 2003

Fa la la la la la la la la 

I sing Soprano II in the Choral Society of Montgomery County. The choir meets once each week for three hours in the local community college's auditorium, and we perform two or three times each semester. We performed at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia last spring, and will be there again this coming spring. Peter Nero and the Philly Pops invited us to sing with them the last two holiday seasons, but we have had to decline both times because of other commitments. Next summer the group will be touring Germany.

Singing in this type of group is a lot of fun (most of the time) and a lot of work (all of the time). In addition to our weekly rehearsals, the advanced choral music we learn requires time spent practicing on our own, plus we have at least one or more dress rehearsals for each concert. We even manage to fit in one or two performances at local retirement centers each season.

And then there are the choir politics and personalities to deal with. If you've ever been in a choir you know that Soprano I's are haughty, Altos are peculiar, Tenors are tenacious, and Basses are jocular. (Soprano II's are perfect, of course, with no outstanding personality issues whatsoever.)

In a choir, where you stand is a BIG DEAL. The front row is the most prized location. Miss a rehearsal and you will surely be standing in the middle of the pack, buried behind tall, haughty sopranos wearing platform shoes. I used to buy into the whole “front row as Mecca” idea until I realized that when you stand in the back row you don’t have anybody singing in your ear, so for me, the back is the new front. (If you get that, you must also know that this season, brown is the new black.)

For those of you who enjoy choral music, our upcoming schedule follows:

Holiday Concert with Bravo Brass
Saturday, December 13, 2003 8:00PM
Program: Der Geist hilft unser Schwachheit auf BWV 226 by Johann Sebastian Bach, Christmas Cantata by Daniel Pinkham, and lots of Christmas music.
Tickets: $16.00 General Admission; $14 Students and Senior Citizens; $10 Children under 12
Call 215-641-6518

Holiday Benefit Concert
With the Philadelphia Young Artists Orchestra
and the Upper Darby High School Encore Singers

Saturday, December 20, 2003 8:00PM
St. Mark’s Church, 1625 Locust St., Philadelphia, PA
Admission is free; but this is a benefit concert for MANNA.
Call 215-563-7308

Come hear us sing and get in the mood for the holidays!
    NOTE: Due to a heavy rehearsal schedule, not to mention Christmas shopping, wrapping, decorating, and baking, I will be taking a break from publishing my blog every single day. For you faithful readers who will pitch a freakin' fit over this, I say "Fear Not!" Muse willing, I promise to publish at least three times a week, despite my backbreaking load of a personal life plus a little work thrown in. Presumably I will return to my daily publishing schedule after the holidays (minus Sunday, of course, due to local blue laws).

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