Singing for my Sanity

Dear Reader,

You may have gathered from these columns that I am a singer. I am not a professional singer; I don't earn a living at it. But I have always been fortunate to be involved with groups that do high-level musical work, and sometimes get pretty "high-falutin" gigs. We did one of those last night.

I have been singing for as long as I can remember; informally as a kid, singing "Jesus Loves Me" with my sister for my grandparents' congregation when we were tiny (I, 5 and she, 3, I think). Singing along with the 45-RPM records we had as kids: Daddy would put a stack on the automatic record changer when we woke up on Saturday mornings; these would keep us occupied while he went back to bed for an hour or so, until it was time for cartoons. Singing along with the Beatles on the records I wore the grooves out on; learning the tunes, harmonies, rhythms, messages to the point where I can still quote nearly all of the Beatles catalog almost from memory. I finally became involved in "formal" singing in high school, in my second year. I was one of the "smart" kids, and had an extra course slot to fill. I was told chorus was easy, so I signed up for it. It turned out to be one of the most difficult classes I had, but fortunately, I was good at it. I learned to read music, perform, rudimentary vocal technique, and had an "in" to participate in the school musical each year. I had had several years of ballet, so I had a good sense of rhythm and tempo already; the dancing also helped in the shows.

When I came to NYC for college, one of the first things I did was find the choral organizations on campus. At the time, there were only two; the Columbia Glee Club (all men, except for a few female tenors), and the Barnard-Columbia Chorus, the community/Music Department chorus, each semester of which counted as 1/4 of a course. The grading was Pass/Fail, but amazingly, when I began, the conductor was Gregg Smith, one of the premier choral musicians and conductors in the country. At the time I had no idea who he was; he was also the conductor of the Glee Club, which WAS a big deal. In any case, I joined the chorus, not the Glee Club; I'm a soprano, and could not sing tenor. I was also accepted after auditioning into the Madrigal Group, which was a subset of the B-C Chorus. This was conducted by Gregg's then-assistant, Peter Schubert. Thus began one of the relationships which led to later relationships which have carried on up to now, 33 years later.

I have been singing continuously in choruses since 1971, with only two, 1-year breaks. These two years that I took off I look back on as a couple of the low points in my life. The assumption is that it's because I wasn't singing, but it could be I took the years off because things were so bad, and I didn't want to carry that into my singing. I don't know which it is, honestly. I am lucky that after each hiatus, I have been able to come back, audition, get in (!!) to superior (or soon to be superior) choral organizations, and become deeply involved in them. I don't just show up and sing. I get involved in the running of the groups; I have the "treasurer" skills, which groups always need. I inevitably end up on the boards, or helping in management in some way. I love giving parties, and this is also a skill choruses need.

The groups I have sung, and currently sing with have been comprised of very skilled, amateur singers and musicians. The word "amateur" is unfortunately seen as pejorative; in fact, it means "lover of." I sing with very skilled lovers of choral music and singing. I have spent lots of time and money honing my skills, as well. I was a music major in college long enough to get all of the basics (music theory, history, ear training); I spent several years cleaning house in exchange for voice lessons, and spent 4 years studying with a great teacher who helped me harness the real power of my voice.

It's funny though; if someone asks me to sing something for them (a tune, an ad theme, whatever), I can't do it. I can sing in a "formal" setting; I can sing when I'm alone with the cats; I can't sing informally for other people. Very weird.

This discussion was brought on by a gig we did last night. It was the 25th Anniversary Gala for Americares; the highlight was that we were singing for George H.W. Bush (41) and Barbara. I was only able to see his forehead from my place on the stage, but it was clearly HW's forehead! Bar was at a separate table, and I couldn't spot her hair. Bummer. Anyway, the gig went well, and my little bit of "production" went over well, apparently.

This was our last gig for the season. We reconvene in September, although I am hoping to have a party for the group out in the Park sometime this summer. It would be great to bring both of my worlds together; we'll see if I can get it together and do something.

More to come,
Catbird