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conference (so far)
Aug. 4th, 2015 10:23 pmYesterday I left home with 8 hours to make a 4 hour drive, hoping to explore the Heldserbergs and Poconos a bit. Instead I spent three hours in a garage getting the car's thermostat replaced. I did make two brief stops, and look forward to more exploring going home. But in the end, arrived at my hotel much later than planned, with no time for food before Vespers. So I decided to go to Vespers and then skip the rehearsal afterwards to eat. Turns out I would have left anyway, as Vespers just went all wrong for me in my tired state. It was mostly rambly preaching, and I didn't have music for the one participatory song and no one shared with me, and someone sang a song I detest. There was also much welcoming of folks who have been coming to the conference for many years, and not one single word of welcome for first-timers like me. Back to the hotel where the hot tub wasn't hot and the pool was infested with lots of very loud children. I was exhausted and miserable; emailed the conference director about the lack of welcome and went to bed.
This morning opened with a very clear and warm welcome to newcomers-- maybe my email nudged, though I didn't get a response. Then began the fun of singing. I estimate we sang through 75 anthems today, including working on several extensively. There are about 200 of us, all pretty experienced choral singers, so the sound is pretty incredible even though we're sight singing. Some of the clinicians simply guide us through the sight ringing, but two did some extensive teaching. One-- Rollo Dillworth-- was absolutely extraordinary. He not only got 200 white folk singing pretty decent gospel, he also gave us some tools for teaching it to our home groups. That alone was worth coming. I also had some nice friendly encounters and didn't feel so much alone in a crowd.
Tomorrow- five more reading sessions plus some rehearsals, and then two long sessions recording seven anthems, with a true professional recording setup. I look forward to learning how all that goes! Thursday we have two more reading sessions before dismissing at lunchtime; then I'll meander my way home.
This morning opened with a very clear and warm welcome to newcomers-- maybe my email nudged, though I didn't get a response. Then began the fun of singing. I estimate we sang through 75 anthems today, including working on several extensively. There are about 200 of us, all pretty experienced choral singers, so the sound is pretty incredible even though we're sight singing. Some of the clinicians simply guide us through the sight ringing, but two did some extensive teaching. One-- Rollo Dillworth-- was absolutely extraordinary. He not only got 200 white folk singing pretty decent gospel, he also gave us some tools for teaching it to our home groups. That alone was worth coming. I also had some nice friendly encounters and didn't feel so much alone in a crowd.
Tomorrow- five more reading sessions plus some rehearsals, and then two long sessions recording seven anthems, with a true professional recording setup. I look forward to learning how all that goes! Thursday we have two more reading sessions before dismissing at lunchtime; then I'll meander my way home.
