Weekend Update

The choir concert went off with nary a hitch this weekend.

I say "nary" because at one point, I almost came to blows with the soprano to my left, who failed in her duty to lead the first row of singers into the circle formation in which we were to sing an a capella number around the periphery of the church.

I had to step in and save the day by leading our row out in the opposite direction. The entire encounter, during which I can be seen wildly gesticulating, then throwing my arms up in resignation before exiting stage right was recorded for posterity, and if I ever get a hold of the footage, I'll be sure to post it here.

I was also apprehended by the Fashion Police for wearing gold lame (la-may) and a polyester cape. (The photo above does not do this outfit justice.)

I must have skipped practice the day we voted on uniforms.

But I am happy to report that illness was successfully thwarted and I was able to sing with passion and gusto. After the show, several fans approached me not to complement my lark-like singing voice, but to mention how entertaining it was to watch me.

I took it as a complement.

In all seriousness, the concert was lovely. An extraordinary group of musicians accompanied us on strings for several pieces, including the Mozart Mass, and there were several phenomenal soloists from our own choir ranks, whose performances were all the more impressive because most of them are not professional singers.

We sang several pieces a capella (without accompaniment), one of which was a Gregorian Ave Maria chant and the other a haunting "Our Father" arrangement. Since we began as a church choir (we now also sing secular music by modern Lithuanian composers, as well as traditional folk pieces), this particular concert featured only religious music by mostly Lithuanian composers. Some pieces were sung in Latin, others in Lithuanian.

Unfortunately, none of the photos the P-dog took from the back of the darkened church came out. The group shot I'm posting here was taken a few weeks before the concert. I'm in the first row left, next to the choir director (looking not a day older than sixteen, I might add).

If I ever figure out how to post sound files, I'll post some of our recorded pieces.