What kind of music do you do?

I received a phone call early in the afternoon yesterday inquiring about an audition for Da Camera Singers. Although we do schedule regular auditions in late August, I'm always open to taking auditions any time of year for future consideration, and as we have just finished a concert and CD recording sessions, now is as good a time as any to consider listening to potential voices.

It became apparent early in the conversation that the caller didn't know much about our choir, so I gave the usual run down of of the choir. "We are a 35 voice auditioned community choir, rehearse Monday evenings, perform three concerts per year of our own, and usually one or two concerts as part of another organization, like Alberta Baroque Ensemble, or The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra.

Then comes question, "What kind of music do you do?"

As quickly as the question was asked, the answer came out of my mouth, "Classical."

Really John? "Classical?" Is that the best you could come up with? Have you really succumbed to the notion that anything that isn't from a Broadway musical, Canadian folksong arrangement, or choral arrangements of Simon and Garfunkel is "Classical?" Are you not the same person who spend the better part of a week relabeling the "genre" category of nearly 4,000 "songs" on his iTunes list from "classical" to something more specific?

Next time the question is asked?

Q. "What kind of music do you do?"

A. "Good music"