My Next Concert (a virtual experience)

I've had some people ask me what my choir is singing this season. No, really, I have! So I thought I'd put together a virtual concert for those who like that sort of thing. My father-in-law is not in love with the diverse pieces we do. I think he prefers things he's familiar with, but I would find that infinitely bo-o-o-o-oring.

I don't have any recordings of my actual choir, but I've tried to find some really good recordings of the pieces we're doing, and I've listed them in the order in which we're doing them.

Let me set the scene for you:

The lights dim in the mostly concrete Episcopalian sanctuary where we perform. The choir walks in from the back and greets members of the audience, as per our tradition. A tenor walks up and stands on the dais, facing the audience. He begins the call, and the choir members respond wherever they're standing.

(Bonse Aba, a traditional Zambian song, arranged by Andrew Fischer)



The choir is now all gathered on the stand. One of our members greets the audience, cracks a joke or two, and then announces the next two pieces: All Creatures of our God and King, arr. by Mark Hayes; and All That Hath Life and Breath Praise Ye the Lord!, arr. by Rene Clausen.





It's time to change gears. Another choir members announces the next two songs: And So It Goes, by Billy Joel, arr. by Bob Chilcott; and the women will sing The Pink Panther, by Henry Mancini, arr. by Jay Althouse (whether or not we'll be sporting pink boas is yet to be determined).



I couldn't find a YouTube performance with just women that I liked, but this one fits the spirit of it the best.



The choir comes together again for Animal Crackers, Vol. 1, text by Ogden Nash, music by Eric Whitacre (one of my absolute favoritist choral composers. We'll hear his stuff again a bit later in the concert.).

Here are the lyrics:
i. The Panther
The panther is like a leopard
Except it hasn't been peppered.
If you behold a panther crouch
Prepare to say "ouch."
Better yet, if called by a panther
Don't anther.

ii. The Cow
The cow is of the Bovine ilk
One end is moo, the other milk

iii. The Firefly
The firefly's flame is something for which science has no name.
I can think of nothing eerier
than flying around with an unidentified glow
on a person's posterior.



It's time for the men to sing something, and they give us a rousing rendition of Tamure I Tahiti Nei.



It's still time for fun, fast music, so the entire choir gets back together for Fiddlin' Jamboree, by Linda Spevacek. One of our choir members is our fiddler. We do not have cool Aussie accents like these guys, though.



Let's take the mood to a quieter place with our next three pieces. Eric Whitacre wrote a triptych called "Three Songs of Faith." We are singing the first two in that triptych here. The text for all three pieces is based on poems by e.e. cummings. The first two follow each other with no break.

i will wade out, text by e.e. cummings, music by Eric Whitacre.

Find the text here. It's also visual, so I don't want to ruin it.



hope, faith, life, love, text based on a poem by e.e. cummings, music by Eric Whitacre.



While we are not singing the third part of that triptych, we are singing another song based on one of e.e. cummings' poems: i carry your heart with me, text by e.e. cummings, music by David C. Dickau.



It's been quiet and sweet for a while, so it's time to bring it up a notch. Our last two pieces are rousing: Soon-ah Will Be Done, by William L. Dawson; and the impossibly fast Indian tongue-twister Balleilakka, by A.R. Rahman, arr. by Ethan Sperry.





Thank you, thank you for the applause. We're so glad you came! Please enjoy refreshments in the parish hall, and be sure to come to our Christmas concert in December.