Suzy Q Homemaker

Simon was the only boy in the Wesely Choir this year.   Aren’t they adorable?

The only thing that would have made this weekend perfect was if I had a singing voice.  It’s the one thing I lacked on the weekend that was planned two years in advance.  Two years!!  Mack Wilberg was in our church with our choir, my alma mater’s chorale, and a friend’s university choir and I couldn’t sing.

On the positive side, not being able to sing allowed me many chances to listen, observe, and simply enjoy the wall of sound that washed over the sanctuary during rehearsals.  I was proud to be standing in the ensemble and contributing what little I could on Sunday.  I was also proud to be standing with a group of young singers from Davidson.  It’s hard to believe I graduated more than a decade ago, but there I was with a bunch of teenagers who had no idea that I was in the first senior class to graduate from the new building after we closed the doors on the asbestos-filled death trap that now sits decaying on Telfair St.

The entire ensemble was spot-0n. Wilberg’s style is quick and to the point and the kids really stepped up to the plate. From an audience member’s point of view, they could do no wrong.

However.

From a fellow singer’s point of view, I wanted to turn around and shove a few of those girls off the back risers.  While we warmed up for the second concert, a little clutch of mean girls could not control their giggles as my colleague had us sing the word “hung”.  They sat on the floor, criss-cross-applesauce all slouched over their phones, whispering to one another while the rest of us old folk tried not to give them Mom Stares.

Instead of doing that, I sneaked over to their choir director (also a colleague–we sing in The Cecelia Ensemble together) and told him to go hover over them to give them Teacher Glares.

Oh, the power.

It really didn’t end there.  During the concert, yes during the concert, and not just during the applause between pieces, but DURING THE SINGING they were whispering to each other!  One girl was even having her own personal concert while we were taking our places on the risers.  Far be it from me to call out a bunch of snotty sopranos, but HOLY CRAP they were unprofessional.  I finally did have to give them a Mom Stare when they wouldn’t shut up during the men’s piece.  It was all I could do not to elbow the girl behind me in the shins every time her folder bumped the back of my head.

I’m pretty sure she was doing it on purpose.  Either that or she was so far in her own world that she no longer had control of her body.

So that was my weekend.  Teenagers, Wilberg, and music.  Not too bad.

Lake Logan, originally uploaded by sheandaru.

Until next year…

I was giddy when the adult choir sight-read through this piece during rehearsal several weeks ago.  Not just because it’s a really pretty work of music, but Jamie and I are fans of  ”The Vicar of Dibley.”  If you’re supernerds like us, you’ll have this stuck in your head for a week.  You can thank me later.

Also, I could not stop weeping once the music started.

I’m going to post videos this week of yesterday’s Choir Camp Sunday service.  The morning was full of many tears and much laughter as I had a rare opportunity to sit in the sanctuary and watch our two oldest children sing their little hearts out.  Most of the laughter came while watching Aiden.  As you can see in this video, he is…a mess.  Oh, he loves to perform, there’s no doubt about that, but I do believe we need to have a little talk with him about “stage presence”.  I’ve already begun praying for the Junior Choir assistants this fall.  He’ll be graduating into the big kid choir.  Just imagine this, but with a choir robe and a cross necklace: