So I was thinking....the name of my blog is Sing! Bake! Create!, right? Well, so far I have only focused on the Bake! part. I think it's far time I venture into another topic--if for no other reason, than to prove that I do more things than slave away at the counter/oven/kitchen table and go to work.
I am a singer. It feels really weird to say that, since for a while I was not actively performing. Last April, I auditioned for The Philadelphia Singers, hoping that I would get in on a wing and a prayer. Well, the prayer worked; I was offered a volunteer position with the Singers, and I have been pleased as punch. My first concert scheduled ("contracted") was to be Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms and Beethoven's 9th Symphony (Choral). A major program, where both pieces I knew but had never performed. After the first rehearsal in February, though, I realized that I was probably the only person who had never sung the Beethoven. I was quite intimidated, and the assistant director, Jonathan, knew it--at least, he told me after rehearsal to not be intimidated by it, just listen to recordings, and I would be fine. I truly felt so naive. Maybe this was way over my head.
Luckily, the next few practices were for volunteers only, so I felt a little less intimidated...more like I didn't have to live up to some unattainable standard. The downside? We didn't really work on the Beethoven at all. At least I know the Stravinsky pretty well.
March was pretty uneventful, besides personal practice. So was April, besides church stuff. Then hits the end of April: I am asked to sing Holst's Planets, which I absolutely adore. Funny story: I bought tickets for a Beyond the Score performance of the Holst without checking my schedule; 5 minutes after I bought the non-refundable/returnable tickets, I realized that I had rehearsal for TPS Beethoven/Stravinsky. So I had 2 tickets for a performance that I couldn't attend...that I am now singing for. The tickets have been claimed at this point, though, so that's good.
So now I have two concert series, back to back. I have to take quite a bit of time from work, which is fine (besides the fact that I will be spending virtually no time on vacation this year). I believe it's worth it. But the work is hard. The hours are long. And while I am loving it, I am just so tired and worn out. I just keep telling myself that it will be over in less than a month, which is a bit sad, as I want to enjoy it and savor the moment with each rehearsal and concert. I'm sure I will.
So ladies and jellyspoons, in conclusion, I'm super excited to be singing with the Philadelphia Singers, and the Philadelphia Orchestra. It's keeping me very busy, but worth it in tenfold.
PS: I finally baked something for the first time since the beginning of March: just basic chocolate chip cookies. I still have to post the chocolate mint chips, and I have a hand-painted shell egg from Easter that I want to post...until then!
