It seems the plague of early spring and post midterm concerts is rampant in these parts! Both my community choirs have seen a decline in attendance of up to 25% in the last three weeks since our last concerts.
The spring cold and flu season aside, it seems that with the snow FINALLY melting, and the sun shining later into the evening, the last thing people want to do is come to choir practice. The problem is, we have concerts left to do - BIG concerts left to come. Including an all German rep with Da Camera, including Brahms' Zigeunderlieder Op. 103 and Rheinberger's Cantus Missae for Double choir, and RES is putting on Bruckner's massive Mass No. 2 in e minor. All this needs to be rehearsed and performed by the end of May. I'm seriously considering ways of ending the choral season in early April for now on.
Anyone having attendance problems at this time of year?
In other news, my church choir is gearing up for the Triduum this weekend. We kicked off Holy Week in style on Palm Sunday with a service of nearly two hours, in which we sang the Allegri Miserere during communion. I was all proud and happy about that, (and just to toot my own horn, we did a fantastic job of it). And then I read Peter Phillips' article in The Spectator, where he tells the world that we probably shouldn't ever attempt it. Wasn't it Phillips who made the Miserere famous by recording it with the Tallis Scholars?
Tomorrow is the last day of classes at the University. Ask me if I'm happy!
Where are my golf clubs?
1 comment:
By this time each year, I am tired and it's difficult to keep up the level of enthusiam that I have in August. Jubilate (Salt Lake City) usually sees more absenteeism in the early spring. I just posted about it on my blog. Maybe we all need to take an old fashioned spring tonic!
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