The Fredösphere

I'm back from the first Summer Sing of the season.  These events are hosted by the Choral Union, the big choir in Ann Arbor.  You show up, pay your five bucks, rehearse a major choral work for about an hour, then read through it with piano accompaniment.

The bang to buck ratio at these events is pretty high.  They typically get a crowd of maybe 100 voices, so there's always a number of people present who know the music and can carry you along through the tough patches.

This time we sang Carmina Burana.  Memo to Carl Orff:  What?  Were?  You?  Thinking?  I guess I always knew Carmina  was rangey, but heavens to murgatroid, that thing is a larynx shredder.  Yeow.  No part is spared the stratosphere, whether choral or solo.  (I guess that should be stratösphere.)

Jerry Blackstone conducted.  Is there a better choral conductor working at a college or university in the country right now?  I doubt it.  He has a phenomenal ear, plus the rare gift for demanding perfection with grace and patience.  That kind of conductor makes you badly want to do your best.

I talked briefly to my friend George who likes to organize ad hoc choir concerts, but is taking a break right now.  (He says he wants to do the Haydn Seasons.  In October of 2005.  Wow.  Will any of us even be alive then.)  Otherwise, I was suprised to see so few people I knew.

If you live in the area, check out this schedule.  There will be two more Summer Sings this year.