In like a lion, out like a lamb
When referring to the unpredictable weather in March, especially on the West Coast of British Columbia, the phrase is “In like a lion, out like a lamb” is often used. This certainly applies to my musical life this month. The Laudate Singers have three concerts this month. The first two are Organic Voices on Sat., March 10th at 8:00 pm at St. Andrew’s United in North Vancouver and on Fri., March 23rd at 8:00 pm at Holy Rosary Cathedral in Vancouver. Then, on March 31st at 8:00 pm, we are in Imagined Worlds: Intertwined with the VICO at the Norman Rothstein Theatre in Vancouver.
These concerts are certainly enjoyable to sing and, presumably to attend but there is another part to all of this music making. Only the performers, techies and the odd family member experience the rehearsals and that is a crucial part of the performance. A good performance cannot happen without many hours of rehearsing and that does not include the hours of individual practice and preparation by the performers. There may be only three gigs but I’m not including all the rehearsals in this blog post. Still, that is where the music making really happens, where we improve the execution of the notes on the page and turn the music in the composer’s head into something that is live and visceral, something beautiful. Often, the rehearsals together and the prep work at home is unpaid. Yes, we do it for the love and for the humbling experience of being part of something greater than oneself. No one I know personally would ever quibble over the ticket price of a musical event but if you’re tempted to do so, attend a rehearsal with me sometime and you’ll find out just what is involved.
And that is why March is very busy for me. I certainly hope to see you at any of these gigs this month.