I am ultra proud of Freedom Train tonight! They survived a particularly tough gig, opening the show as special guests at Chatswood Hills State School Christmas Concert.
The choir were singing (as they do) without any instrumental accompaniment or backing on all but 2 numbers, often in complex 3 or 4 part harmony, against a backdrop of the most INCREDIBLE level of ruckous made by what seemed like hundreds of over-excited school children (and their parents!) in the undercover tuckshop area of the school.
And not only did they survive this, but they sounded BEAUTIFUL!!! The BUBBLE we created in our warm-up worked.
I was constantly amazed & delighted at the quality of the harmony, blend and intonation. I kept thinking "these guys are sounding sooo great - and I'm sure they can hardly hear themselves!"
Thank goodness we'd persisted working at the sound check to get as high a level as possible on the choir mics before the audience's onslaught!!
But even when you think no one is listening, people can be touched and the message can get through somehow. I had one woman come up and tell me how magical Lake of Stars was, that it gave her goosebumps and that she was transported by it. If this could happen with that level of disruption, noise & lack of focus all around us, then we got something very right!
Another audience member came up to tell me how great our choir sounded (and that he was annoyed that he couldn't hear them better with all the noise). One of the teachers who was directing all the school choirs in the concert also told me how amazing my choir was! And I agreed wholeheartedly.
I look back and realise how far you've come since last year's Chatswood Hills School gig too. You just keep lifting yourselves higher and higher!!!
BIG THANKS to Jay for playing the guitar on a couple of numbers, running the sound and doing a grand job (he also stayed on to 8pm to run all the children's performances) and to Terrific Tenor Marg for all her help in set-up/post-gig too. Thanks to John for bringing along the extra mic stand for the choir mics.
WELL DONE to Nikki & Karen on their debut solo verses in Christmas Time - you rock on. And to every choir member for being so inspirational & fabulous.
What good prep for our next gig - it will seem a doddle after that one!! Very Proudly and with Love, Your Choir Leader, Cath xo
The choir were singing (as they do) without any instrumental accompaniment or backing on all but 2 numbers, often in complex 3 or 4 part harmony, against a backdrop of the most INCREDIBLE level of ruckous made by what seemed like hundreds of over-excited school children (and their parents!) in the undercover tuckshop area of the school.
And not only did they survive this, but they sounded BEAUTIFUL!!! The BUBBLE we created in our warm-up worked.
I was constantly amazed & delighted at the quality of the harmony, blend and intonation. I kept thinking "these guys are sounding sooo great - and I'm sure they can hardly hear themselves!"
Thank goodness we'd persisted working at the sound check to get as high a level as possible on the choir mics before the audience's onslaught!!
But even when you think no one is listening, people can be touched and the message can get through somehow. I had one woman come up and tell me how magical Lake of Stars was, that it gave her goosebumps and that she was transported by it. If this could happen with that level of disruption, noise & lack of focus all around us, then we got something very right!
Another audience member came up to tell me how great our choir sounded (and that he was annoyed that he couldn't hear them better with all the noise). One of the teachers who was directing all the school choirs in the concert also told me how amazing my choir was! And I agreed wholeheartedly.
I look back and realise how far you've come since last year's Chatswood Hills School gig too. You just keep lifting yourselves higher and higher!!!
BIG THANKS to Jay for playing the guitar on a couple of numbers, running the sound and doing a grand job (he also stayed on to 8pm to run all the children's performances) and to Terrific Tenor Marg for all her help in set-up/post-gig too. Thanks to John for bringing along the extra mic stand for the choir mics.
WELL DONE to Nikki & Karen on their debut solo verses in Christmas Time - you rock on. And to every choir member for being so inspirational & fabulous.
What good prep for our next gig - it will seem a doddle after that one!! Very Proudly and with Love, Your Choir Leader, Cath xo