I've had the joy of singing all my life, from elementary school onward. In college at a Big-Ten school, I was a member of the University Chorus and the Men's Glee Club, as well as singing in the chorus of a fully-staged production of Verdi's La Traviata. Whenever possible during my years in the military, I joined regional choral groups, and it was in the main auditorium of the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey California that I participated in a performance of Beethoven's 9th Symphony for the first of many times over the years. One of the greatest "highs" for me is to be a part of a concert which has brought an audience to its feet in their joy at hearing the great works performed live before them.
I love Bach's & Händel's choral works and sang the "Messiah" most recently in December 1998, but I have also learned to appreciate and then to actually enjoy, Charles Ives' choral material as well.
When you sing for many years, you eventually find that you have encountered a large percentage of the "famous" stuff, as well as many smaller (and sometimes easily forgettable) works. But when you happen to hear them again on your classical music station, they bring back wonderful memories, memories others cannot share unless they were there with you when you performed them.
A few years ago, the PBS network carried a tribute to Leonard Bernstein, including many of his compositions as well as his wonderful conducting style. An excerpt from his Chichester Psalms was played, and the memories flooded back from a very challenging series of rehearsals, learning to pronounce the Hebrew text, often at breakneck speed, along with the music. And yet, hearing that music again brought goosebumps. It is hauntingly beautiful, especially when one understands the meaning of the text, much as when singing a Mass in Latin. These are the rewards I crave - the music, the memories, and being fortunate enough to give audiences both large and small a great deal of pleasure by my small part in the performances.
Let's start with what we make music WITH, our instruments and our voices:
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Website established in October 1998
Last update of this page Apr. 1, 2001