As the effects of the pandemic continue and the members of the choir aren't able to resume normal rehearsals and performances, I thought I'd take a light-hearted approach to today's blog post. Taking some of these comments from the choir's Facebook group, today's post is based on the theme "You know I haven't gone to Choir for awhile when...."
...my gas tank is sill basically full.
...the only clothes needing to be washed are my sweats.
...my beard is coming in nicely.
...I haven't set an alarm for quite some time now.
...I can't remember the last time I wore makeup.
...I don't know what's going on with the construction in Lehi.
...I can't remember what day it is.
...I find myself watching a movie with my family on Thursday night.
...I'm awake and responsive on Sundays.
...my white shirts are feeling very unused and lonely.
...I don't feel any guilt for staying up late on Saturday nights.
...I set an alarm to remind me to WATCH the broadcast on TV.
...I don't need to remind my carpool whose turn it is to drive.
...I can dismiss the recurring thought that I need to spend time memorizing music.
...I keep deleting choir-related events from my calendar.
...my kids are now used to me being home Sunday mornings.
As for when the choir will be able to start up again, it's really anyone's guess. I think everyone around the world is wondering when "normal" life will resume again. With Governor Herbert's social distancing edict in place until AT LEAST April 13th, the earliest we could hope for is Thursday, April 16th. But, obviously there's no way of knowing how successful (or not) our current social distancing is or has been, and whether or not we'll have more weeks of needing to follow it after the current two week edict is over. The master plan Governor Herbert put in place some time ago mentioned "8-12 weeks" as part of the urgent phase of the plan and that would take us past Memorial Day. It's pointless to speculate though, so the best we can all do at this point is to just live each day and do our best with the time we're given. One day in the future, things will get back to normal and we'll be even more grateful for the routines and opportunities in life that perhaps we once took for granted.
Until next week, God be with you.
Sunday, March 29, 2020
Sunday, March 22, 2020
TCATS #324 - Empty Chairs and Empty [Benches]
This will probably be one of my shortest blog posts to-date as I honestly don't have a lot to report. Due to COVID-19 and social distancing efforts and recommendations given by the United States and the State of Utah, the Choir did not meet Thursday night for rehearsal. Nor did it meet in the Tabernacle this morning to do the traditional Music & the Spoken Word broadcast, either. Instead, at 9:30 this morning, I tuned into WATCH the broadcast (a rerun was being shown). I savored the music and the very timely spoken word, and also enjoyed being able to see my fellow choir brothers and sisters--if not in person, than on the screen :). In fact I texted my carpool group during that time saying it was good to see them on the broadcast!
What's strange is that it seems like a LONG time since I've been to choir, when in reality, it's only been a week. But not just any week. A week of time being slowed way down (seemingly) and one in which it's felt like a whole month has passed!
The Choir's Facebook group was alive and well with choir members posting their thoughts about the pandemic and how it's affecting us. President Jarrett suggested we send out words of hope and encouragement and link to choir music to help spread that message of hope. I was grateful for that suggestion. As choir members, we are, after all, musical missionaries, and there are a lot of people out there who could use the hope and inspiration that our music provides.
As for this coming week, it'll be more of the same. More empty [choir] chairs and more empty [Tabernacle benches]. And for anyone that might have missed it, the music that will be provided at the upcoming Conference in April will be pre-recorded (we recorded the music awhile ago as a contingency plan).
That's it. Stay safe and be extra loving and kind. Everyone could use a extra dosage of kindness as we move forward in these trying times.
Until next time, God be with you.
Sunday, March 15, 2020
TCATS #323 - COVID-19 Flexibilty
Little needs to be said about how the realities of COVID-19 has changed all of our lives already. Over the span of just 36 hours last week, instruction from our church and civic leaders caused the shutdown/suspension/closure of almost too many things to count.
Until further notice...
As for the Tabernacle Choir, the leaders of said organization issued THIS statement which basically informed the public that The Messiah concerts were cancelled; the Chorale Concert was cancelled; and until further notice, the weekly Music & Spoken Word broadcasts would be cancelled (though previously-recorded broadcasts would be aired instead).
Suddenly, the choir went from very busy to not very busy. It was a weird feeling.
Several people have asked me what, exactly, ARE we doing. Well, a statement issued by the Church some time ago regarding the upcoming April General Conference included the following verbiage: "We plan to conduct all five sessions of that conference at the Conference Center. General authorities, general officers and their spouses, musicians, choirs, technicians, and others will participate as assigned. But, proceedings of the conference will be distributed throughout the world via technology only."
As such, we are still preparing to participate in General Conference (three weeks away)--at least for the time being. Obviously things could change. But for now, we are still preparing for that event.
"But Ryan," you say, "what about heeding the Governor's counsel to not gather in groups of over 100 people for the next two weeks? The Choir is obviously over 100 people...".
Good question.
In order to better comply with that two-week guideline, the choir, for the next couple of weeks, will not be rehearsing altogether. They'll be rehearsing in smaller groups, and will be spread out among the seats so as to not be too close to other choir members. Obviously, if choir members are not feeling well, or have been traveling internationally, or don't even want to attend just to be extra safe, they will remain at home. The rest of us will use Thursday night rehearsals to prepare for General Conference and will also enjoy some extra time with our families--particularly on Sunday mornings. (Wait...I get to sleep in next Sunday? What? Woohoo!)
During these most interesting times, our prophet President Nelson reminded all of us of that "we should be comforted by this promise from the Savior: He said 'I the Lord am bound when you do what I say.' I promise you that joy is always within the reach of everyone who will hear Him and obey His laws. Please take good care of yourselves and your loved ones. And look for opportunities to help those around you near and far. We have the great privilege of ministering to our neighbors wherever they live."
I hope we call adopt the important characteristic of being flexible and remember how important it is to be nice, kind, and helpful to all of those around us--not only during this unique time, but always.
Until next time, God be with you.
Until further notice...
No
more church meetings or activities.
No more school for K-12 and colleges (online only).
No more professional or school-related or local-league sporting events.
No group meetings or gatherings of over 100 people.
No more temple work (except for live ordinances).
No more missionaries in the MTC (missionaries will learn via video conference from home).As for the Tabernacle Choir, the leaders of said organization issued THIS statement which basically informed the public that The Messiah concerts were cancelled; the Chorale Concert was cancelled; and until further notice, the weekly Music & Spoken Word broadcasts would be cancelled (though previously-recorded broadcasts would be aired instead).
Suddenly, the choir went from very busy to not very busy. It was a weird feeling.
Several people have asked me what, exactly, ARE we doing. Well, a statement issued by the Church some time ago regarding the upcoming April General Conference included the following verbiage: "We plan to conduct all five sessions of that conference at the Conference Center. General authorities, general officers and their spouses, musicians, choirs, technicians, and others will participate as assigned. But, proceedings of the conference will be distributed throughout the world via technology only."
As such, we are still preparing to participate in General Conference (three weeks away)--at least for the time being. Obviously things could change. But for now, we are still preparing for that event.
"But Ryan," you say, "what about heeding the Governor's counsel to not gather in groups of over 100 people for the next two weeks? The Choir is obviously over 100 people...".
Good question.
In order to better comply with that two-week guideline, the choir, for the next couple of weeks, will not be rehearsing altogether. They'll be rehearsing in smaller groups, and will be spread out among the seats so as to not be too close to other choir members. Obviously, if choir members are not feeling well, or have been traveling internationally, or don't even want to attend just to be extra safe, they will remain at home. The rest of us will use Thursday night rehearsals to prepare for General Conference and will also enjoy some extra time with our families--particularly on Sunday mornings. (Wait...I get to sleep in next Sunday? What? Woohoo!)
During these most interesting times, our prophet President Nelson reminded all of us of that "we should be comforted by this promise from the Savior: He said 'I the Lord am bound when you do what I say.' I promise you that joy is always within the reach of everyone who will hear Him and obey His laws. Please take good care of yourselves and your loved ones. And look for opportunities to help those around you near and far. We have the great privilege of ministering to our neighbors wherever they live."
I hope we call adopt the important characteristic of being flexible and remember how important it is to be nice, kind, and helpful to all of those around us--not only during this unique time, but always.
Until next time, God be with you.
Sunday, March 8, 2020
TCATS #322 - ACDA 2020
Well, we've been working very hard as of late for a particular payoff moment and that moment came on Saturday night, March 7th. The Western Region of the American Choral Directors Association held their conference in Salt Lake City this year and the ending capstone event was a concert that featured the choir, the orchestra, the bells, AND the Gabriel Trumpet Ensemble. Preparation for this concert demanded different amounts of time and effort from each individual involved. And, as is usually the case, the longer a choir member had been in the choir, the less outside-of-choir time that person had to spend. Prayers were definitely said for the ultra newbies who needed to spend the most time, and comments to the choir's private FB group by these newbies testified of their stress levels. It's one thing to learn the notes to over 15 pieces of music, but it's another to learn all of the words (the concert was completely memorized).
At any rate, all of the preparation certainly paid off! The concert was a huge success and performing in it helped bring back some of the joy and excitement that I've been struggling to find in choir as of late. One of the unique things about this concert, for me, was that I really enjoyed every single song we sang (usually there are at least 2-3 that I don't really care for too much). Another cool thing was that my good friend Ryan, who's retiring from the choir in April (he's reached his 20 years), had one of the best concert experiences he's ever had and I was so grateful to hear that because one day, when I'm on my way out, I would hope that such an experience happens to me. The audience loved it too and, in fact, couldn't stop clapping at the end. Unfortunately, we didn't have any sort of encore number to sing to them. But finally after what seemed like at least five minutes of clapping, the audience recognized we accepted their generous show of appreciation and then started departing.On the way back to the locker room to get changed, everyone was making post-concert comments and observations which is always a fun experience to be a part of because you get to hear how various songs impacted this person, and how other songs impacted others. You also hear insights gained, spiritual experiences had, and even admissions of a slight mess-up here and there.
Good times.
With ACDA done with, we continue our preparation of Messiah pieces, as well as songs for the upcoming General Conference in April. Always so much to do. And we get tired.
Speaking of getting tired, today's Music & the Spoken Word broadcast probably featured several of us looking like we had just experienced a long week of rehearsals and a concert, PLUS losing an hour of sleep due to daylight savings time! That said, the broadcast went well and I even got to sit next to one of my favorite friends in the choir :).
Until next time, God be with you.
At any rate, all of the preparation certainly paid off! The concert was a huge success and performing in it helped bring back some of the joy and excitement that I've been struggling to find in choir as of late. One of the unique things about this concert, for me, was that I really enjoyed every single song we sang (usually there are at least 2-3 that I don't really care for too much). Another cool thing was that my good friend Ryan, who's retiring from the choir in April (he's reached his 20 years), had one of the best concert experiences he's ever had and I was so grateful to hear that because one day, when I'm on my way out, I would hope that such an experience happens to me. The audience loved it too and, in fact, couldn't stop clapping at the end. Unfortunately, we didn't have any sort of encore number to sing to them. But finally after what seemed like at least five minutes of clapping, the audience recognized we accepted their generous show of appreciation and then started departing.On the way back to the locker room to get changed, everyone was making post-concert comments and observations which is always a fun experience to be a part of because you get to hear how various songs impacted this person, and how other songs impacted others. You also hear insights gained, spiritual experiences had, and even admissions of a slight mess-up here and there.
Good times.
With ACDA done with, we continue our preparation of Messiah pieces, as well as songs for the upcoming General Conference in April. Always so much to do. And we get tired.
Speaking of getting tired, today's Music & the Spoken Word broadcast probably featured several of us looking like we had just experienced a long week of rehearsals and a concert, PLUS losing an hour of sleep due to daylight savings time! That said, the broadcast went well and I even got to sit next to one of my favorite friends in the choir :).
Until next time, God be with you.
Sunday, March 1, 2020
TCATS #321 - Another Day, Another Spiritual Dollar
I should probably apologize for this post up front. Sometimes I just get a form of writers-block in the sense of not being sure what to write about. So, while I don't have anything cool or profound to say today, maybe you'll find something positive in just reading about my feelings and observations regarding today's broadcast experience.
The song line-up today included two songs we sing quite often, one that we sing sometimes, and two new pieces--which was rare. The two new ones were primarily on today's program because we'll be singing them this coming Saturday evening at the ACDA Concert. And what better way to get them ready for a concert, then to include them on a broadcast?! The two new ones were "Oh Watch the Stars" and "And God Said the Day Shall Dawn". The "Stars" one is a spiritual from St. Helena Island, South Carolina that was found by a guy named Alan Lomax who "discovered a treasure trove of singing and story telling on these remote islands that echoed of the oldest African American traditions." It's a very beautiful song and I can just imagine our African American brothers and sisters singing about the stars, the moon, the clouds, and the sky as they faced incredible hardships right after the Civil War. At any rate, it was very rewarding to sing and the flute and clarinet and harp made the accompaniment extra beautiful.
The second song "And God Said" which comes from a musical work called "King David", was also a very beautiful piece. The lyrics themselves really didn't "move me" all that much, but the song itself with it's intricate harmonies was quite impressive.
Our audience today, despite the terrible snowy weather, was quite large and filled most of the Tabernacle. I believe a lot of the audience this time was made up of various choral groups who were here for the ADCA conference which starts tomorrow. Of course one audience member who is always in attendance for these broadcasts was there today. He sits on the top balcony row opposite of where the basses sit which is why I notice him every time. One day I'm going to get up the courage and go ask him his name and why he comes every week! But that was not today.
During the break I spent some time hearing how the weekend went for Wes, Ryan, & Andrew, and then we got back in our seats and performed the program! It all went well and I felt grateful to be there.
Afterwards, we worked on songs for the upcoming Concert, and then at 11:15, I got changed as quickly as possible, went to the library to help put music away, and then sped home with Willy to get to my church meetings on time.
And that was the choir experience for today!
Until next time, God be with you.
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