Melded comments from choir members
Q. What are you enjoying about this OC tour?
A. People, Music, and Travel
People
Looking within the choir, members are enjoying developing relationships with each other. As one new member stated, we “discover our humanity. This unmeshed group of individuals gets on the bus, begins to talk and discovers just how normal we are.” As we enjoy each other, our “perspective of others changes by interacting with them.” Both one-on-one chats and group conversations are intellectually stimulating.
It has been a pleasure to meet people in a variety of church and cultural contexts either at concerts or along the way. Kind hosts welcome us into their churches, homes, and lives. We truly enjoy having a window into others’ lives and communities.
Music
Warm venues have met us each day. “Oddly enough,” says one long-term singer, “I enjoy how much the unairconditioned venues help us sing better.” Another member who loves outdoor activities noted that the open windows let in the natural world and create a less sterile environment.
Evenings have included a vocal warm-up alongside the literal warm-up. One spouse says, “Being new to the music world, the warm-up routines are interesting, weird, and humorous.” (Yes, we choral singers do have a few nerdy tendencies mixed with our normal humanity!) Regarding the indoor temperature, we have been literally working up a sweat which is “exhilarating” and “feels like we accomplishing something.” Not surprisingly, one singer is wired to comment that he enjoys “the electrifying feeling among the choir while we are singing together, particularly when the sweat is rolling.”
Travel
New England Scenery. Cooler outdoor temperatures, miles of evergreen trees, stone walls, architecture.
Warmly representing the choir,
Regina Brubaker
Alto 1