MTC #36 - Richfield!

This past Friday, the Choir had the opportunity to perform in the quaint little town of Richfield, UT. Apparently the city was celebrating 150 years since it's founding by the Mormon pioneers and we were all happy to go down and put on a performance for them. 

Friday afternoon around 12:30, the choir and orchestra members boarded several buses and by 1:00 we were off for the journey. As this was my first performance outside of Temple Square, I wasn't sure what to expect but was excited to be a part of it all. I sat next to a choir member I hadn't met before, on the way down (I still don't know a lot of the tenors). His name is Earl Whitmore and he was fun to talk to. We spoke of our music background, families, work, and other mutual interests. We then took a little break to review some of the music we'd be performing at the concert since it was all to be memorized. :)  

When we arrived, we went right into rehearsal mode as Mack and Ryan wanted

Where we performed

to run through as many of the pieces as we had time for. The venue's acoustics took some getting used to, but our directors were confident that we'd sound well with a few minor adjustments. It was fun rehearsing but I had to laugh because as has happened in the past, the ones I really needed to practice were the ones we only glossed over. 

Getting ready to rehearse

From there, the ladies went to a different building to eat some dinner while the men changed into their performance attire. Nothing like cramming 200 men into some small locker rooms! We then sat in the auditorium awaiting our dinner turn. I was glad for the time to just converse with other choir members! Such moments are rare. We certainly don't get them at rehearsals so tours like this are prime time to get to know others.

Dinner was pretty good. I was sad to see some choir members sitting all by themselves though and thought how interesting that was. Several of us "newbies" sat together in the middle table and enjoyed our social time.

From there, it was a quick back to the auditorium and lining up for the concert. While waiting, I was able to get this photo taken, again, of some of us who just joined the choir this year. Fun times!

The performance itself went well. There was a fairly large crowd (for Richfield) and they seemed to enjoy our music selections which included some pioneer-related songs, some popular ones from Oscar and Hammerstein, and some pieces from the early 20th century. While I didn't have the words down perfect

for some of these (despite many hours at home practicing) I enjoyed a concert without holding music. Some of the lyrics really resonated with me as I thought about their messages. A friend in the choir (Ryan Bateman) reminded me that music can be like scripture. We get different things out of it each time we sing it. The Lord can help remind us of things we need to know through both the notes we sing, and the words we sing.

I was grateful to stand by a new friend Paul McGuire who helped me stay on the right rhythm and harmony. I think it goes for all of us (depending on our tenure in the choir and the song we're singing) that we rely on each other for this musical cue or that musical cue and I'm grateful for that!

The bus ride back seemed a little longer than the one down. I sat by someone new--an orchestra member--and we had some good conversation. Everyone has a story to tell and everyone has something interesting to say. 

I'm grateful again for such an opportunity. Thankful to my wife and kids who support me in this and cheer me on from the family sidelines. And thankful to be part of a group that inspires and brings peace and happiness to others. When I think of the many people who are uplifted by these types of performances, it makes me happy.

Until next time, God be with you.

[9/15 update: Here's an article from the Richfield newspaper reporting on the event]