The Tabernacle Choir is certainly back in full swing! Next Sunday will be our first Music & the Spoken Word live broadcast (since for forever ago) and we spent time this week not only working on memorizing music for THAT, but also music for the next broadcast to air in two weeks. With several brand new songs, some swanky new arrangements, and some traditional fan favorites, the next couple of broadcasts will surely not disappoint! And if working on those upcoming broadcasts wasn't enough, we spent about 50 minutes today recording a track that will be part of an overall soundtrack for an upcoming film about Christ.
All in all, a full morning.
In working on memorizing some of the songs this past week, there were several sets of lyrics that stood out to me. But there's one in particular I'd like to comment on.
"We thank thee Lord for this new day.
For night wherein we found thy way."
When I first sang this phrase, I was a bit mystified as to why someone would find their way in the night. Shouldn't we find our way in the light? We're always talking about the "light of Christ" or equating truth with light and I wasn't quite sure what to think about this reference to night, instead. But then the light went on (ha!) and I realized that actually, it's usually during our dark times (or times of "night") that we come to recognize our need for the light. It's at those times we have the opportunity to reach out and take Christ's hand--since He's always reaching out to take ours. And little by little, we find our way back. Back to not only where we were before, but to a place that's actually a little bit better. The best thing during those experiences is how bright and peaceful and clarifying the light can be.
Now...a few odds and ends:
*the Choir's party committee (yes, we have one of those) announced today that there would not be, for the 2nd year in a row, a Christmas party that we traditionally have after the Christmas Concert.
*the seating managers for the Choir (choosing who sits where and next to who), David and Deb Gehris, were released from their callings today, and were replaced by former Choir member Randy Jensen and his wife. This was quite a significant change since the Gehris' have been in the calling for many years now. Thanks to them for all of their years of service.
*the Choir plans to start using the teleprompter more. Like, for every broadcast. One might think this is sort of "cheating" (if I was not in the Choir, I'd be tempted to think that!). But here's the thing. Up until now, most of our broadcasts have been a combination of singing one or two memorized songs, with the rest just singing from the actual sheet music. For those non-memorized songs, choir members would constantly be looking down at their music and then up at the director--which means that for much of the time, those watching the broadcast wouldn't be able to see into the eyes of the singers as much. Mack is really adamant that we start having choir members get more eye-to-eye time on camera. He feels (as do many choir members, I'd think) that seeing into people's eyes is an important part of communicating the message we're singing about. So... one way to accomplish that is through a teleprompter. So it's really a win-win (and a step-up). And keep in mind that just because the teleprompter gives us the words, we still have to have the music near-memorized both in rhythm and in notes. So in the process of doing that, we almost get the words anyway. The prompter just gives us that occasional word or two that might slip our minds.
With all of that said, my friends, it's a wrap for the blog today. As Mack said this morning, the best times of the Choir are ahead of us. And I'm glad YOU are taking that journey forward, with us, as supporting listeners.
Until next time, God be with you.
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