Home For the Holidays

Last night, my choir put on its annual "Home For the Holidays" concert (this year sponsored by Wells Fargo, which gave us a very generous grant).

We had a two-and-a-half hour rehearsal before the show--yes, this is exhausting--so I left my house around 2:00 in the afternoon and did not get home 'til a little after 11:00. But it's worth it, because I love making music, I love singing with this fine organization, and I love little moments like watching one little girl's wide eyes staring at me as we lined up around the audience, clicked on our glow sticks, and sang "Personent Hodie" in the darkness. She looked enthralled, and I hope she will grow up to love music as much as I do.

Anyway, throughout the afternoon and into the evening leading up to the concert, I took some pictures with my phone when I wasn't actually called on to be standing and singing. I started by using the regular camera on my phone but switched over to Instagram because I love playing with the filters and borders.

I came in through the stage door, onto the stage area,
to be greeted by a large stag, and a wee doggie.

This is Mushu, beloved doggie of our artistic director,
Don. She is, perhaps, our unofficial mascot, as well.

I took a seat in the front row to wait. This is Don's view.

Looking towards the back of Memorial Auditorium.

The magnificent proscenium.

The Symphony, sadly, no longer exists, but our organization
is the only non-profit community choir in the nation to
have its own orchestra. We love them.

I love listening to them warm up. While this cellist and
bassist played, I could hear a percussionist practicing the
famous lick from "Sleigh Ride" on the xylophone.

The view from the soprano section, front row. I'm always in
the front (because of my height), which makes me happy.

We walked up to the balcony to practice our processional
and had to wait around a bit. Let's get this show on the road!!

The view from the balcony.

At break time, I went back to the audience to relax.

Dinner break. I went to Starbucks for some fruit and cheese,
and a gorgeous caramel apple cider.

Memorial Auditorium, all lit up for Christmas, and ready
for some fabulous choral music.

I got into my "Goth Anne of Green Gables" ensemble, put
on the heavy makeup, and snapped a quick picture in the
dressing room mirror.

In a day or two, I'll share some pics by our official photographer, Ronnie. He gets amazing pictures, and I can't wait to see how we looked on stage--Don let's us get "festive" for this concert, hence my red scarf. Some people wear Santa hats, and we all looked great.

It was a marvelous concert--we sang beautifully, the orchestra sounded incredible. During "Sleigh Ride," one of my favorite Christmas tunes of all, Santa came running down the aisle and up to the stage. He and Don played a little, back-and-forth, and Santa took over the conducting. The orchestra, complete professionals, didn't miss a beat even as they raised their eyebrows and smiled as they played. We singers--not expecting any of these shenanigans--were laughing hysterically along with the audience.

Every time I grumble about the 45-minute rush-hour drive to our Monday night rehearsals, I remind myself that I never regret singing with this group. Our concerts are the icing on the cake, and it's no surprise we're starting to sell them out and get huge, happy crowds who want to hear us again and again.