Finally I have music back in my life!!!

Well, I finally was able to try out for the OKC Canterbury Chorus on Friday of last week. I was stressing it all week...actually all year since they only hold tryouts once a year. (Flashback) If you don't know me I love music. Any type....playing or listening to. I have always loved to sing. I didn't really like to sing alone....but...that will come later. I sang in the middle school chorus and then the High School Chorus. I really just took chorus to meet chicks.....that did work out because my wife of thirteen years (hopefully that's right) was in my Senior year chorus class. I married into a singing familly. But the music they sang was Barbershop style......???? What is Barbershop singing? Well it's when you are getting a haircut and everybody in the salon starts singing! No...it's not that. It is a distinct four part harmony of voices. Tenor, Lead, Baritone, and Bass. The point of singing barbershop is to stay closely in tune to the lead while holding your own part against the lead singer/s. Just listen to the music to all the old Loony Tunes cartoons and you will hear barbershop singing. So....being married to a barbershop family...which all sing baritone...I fell into a barbershop chorus about 5 or so years ago. It was a a wonderful chorus called Music Central and all the men there sang awesome. We competed and usually won most of the competitions that we went to. Anyhow I played that game for a couple of years then I let Cheryl have a turn. We couldn't both do it because we would practice on the same day....and babysitting is not cheap (thanks Leann). So for about 2-3 years Cheryl has been singing with the OKC Chorus and they are going to Hawaii this fall for international competition. I did singing valentines and christmas sing outs with my father in laws quartet because he was out of town here and there for a couple years. Talk about nerves. Try holding your own part against three other people and making it enjoyable for others to hear. Needless to say, I sang baritone because everybody else did....at least in the family. If you don't know barbershop baritone then you are very lucky. Well sort of. See....barbershop baritone sounds awful when sung alone. Why you ask? It is because our role is usually to fill the bass sound by singing a fifth above the bass. Ugly. However, when you put all the part together and the chord rings you are in heaven. Oh yeah...back to Cheryl...So Cheryl is now practicing on Tuesdays and is going to competition soon and I very badly wanted to have some sort of music in my life. I played drums in a band and we did the state fair a couple times but the other members were stuck in the past and did not like to play any new songs...so I gave that up. I heard about the very well spoken of chorus called the Canterbury Choral Society. I looked into it and I knew that it would be fun to sing with a classical choir again. However when I looked into this the season already started and they were not accepting any more auditions for the year. Boy, was I bummed out. Another year w/o participating in some sort of music. So..for about a year I pondered on what I would sing for audition this year. Since high school I have been hooked on the King's Singers. If you don't know who they are....youtube them and you will taste a piece of heaven. Since I knew most of their songs I chose Loch Lomond as the piece that I would present to the chorus director for the Canterbury Choral Society for my audition. (Back to the present) For about three months I would listen to Loch Lomond and sing the harmony. I think I drove my wife crazy singing all the time at the house. Anyhow, I arrived last Friday at 6pm for my 6:15 audition. I looked around and there were no other men sitting and waiting to try out. I though hmm....did I get the date and time right? Oh well....I was next....man I was nervous. The director came out and introduced himself and walked me into the music hall with six of the section leaders staring at me. I asked him if he needed my music and he stated, "No. Just give it to the accompanist." I sang this song for three months a cappella so I think I surprised them by saying that I would sing without a piano. Anyhow...I asked the pianist to give me a low cdf and she played those three notes. I was about to start but I stopped....closed my eyes and told myself to calm down. Within a second, I took a deep breath and I sang that song with the best sound that I had ever sung. I was going to sing two verses but I was on a roll so I thought I would stop when I was rolling well. I looked at all of them staring at me with a smile and the director escorted me out and then I had to wait only a few minutes to have them come out and tell me that I made it. I am now singing tenor II. We had a retreat on Saturday and a rehearsal on Monday. We are practicing Bach's mass in B minor and some other baroque pieces right now. Talk about a 180 degree turn from barbershop. I love it. There is something about 150 people singing all in tune and singing classical songs that only one can dream to sing. Anyhow....I finally have some music back in my life and I am blessed by God to be part of this group. Our first concert is Saturday October the 4th and we are singing with Kelli O'Hara. The funny thing is that we have not looked at a piece of music for this concert yet due to the complexity of Bach's mass. Anyhow....now I have a new hobby. I am singing with the Canterbury Choral Society!!!!