I Love to Sing!

NDMEA All-State... and Educator's Conference - Educators from all over the state are gathered in Bismarck Sunday - Tuesday. We have 3 choirs: Mixed Chorus- Jamie Spillane, Women's Choir - David Brunner, and Vocal Jazz Choir - Jennifer Barnes. 8 students from our choir are singing. That's really nice considering we have 38 students in our choir this year. Way to go Saints! Anyway, I sing with the Dakota Chamber Chorale. It's a choir of adults (about 20 of us) conducted by Dr. Thomas Porter, conductor at University of Mary. I wanted the chorale to be called the Tom Porter chorale, but he's a humble man. You can see I've included a picture. This was taken last summer. We're doing a variety of choral music. That's an understatement. Mongolian, Latin, German, English, and Sousa. I love to sing. It's my favorite thing to do, barely in front of conducting lately though. Since taking on the position of conducting the Cathedral Church Choir, I've begun to look through different glasses. It's nice to communicate musically with adults. So, DCC sings for the conference attendees on Tuesday morning at 10:00 a.m. I really only have one complaint. No auditorium at all, for any of the choirs! It compares to taking a fine meal prepared by a great chef and rinsing the food off before you eat it. You just don't get the full effect. I don't have a great solution, though, so until I do, you won't hear that again. I hope the rest of my choir students show up for the 2:00 or 4:30 concert on Tuesday. The all-state students will really work hard to prepare the music and they'll make you proud by representing you so well. I pray they "connect" with the music, with the conductor, with the audience and with each other. :-)