January 19th, 2008: MLK jr. day had finally arrived! Stoked for the performance, singers arrived for an 11:00 call with plenty of energy. The choirs were to present two concerts throughout the day: the 2:00pm concert (a final rehearsal for the evening performance with a full audience) and the 7:00pm concert (the nationally televised, big deal one!). Everyone was really excited, and after a final rehearsal on stage and lunch, we took a deep breath and performed the first concert! It went really well. Timing was perfect, all the songs were going to fit just fine in the evening concert, and the backstage movement worked perfectly.
Everyone was relieved, and settled down in Brown Hall for a little bit of quiet time to work on homework. Although the performance was everyone’s primary concern that weekend, many singers were also preparing for midterms in school, which added another level of stress. BCC singers then gathered in another smaller hall for a pre-concert discussion. Presidents Mia Ferguson and Amy Olson presented the questions, “What do you want audience members to get out of the concert? And, what are you going to do on stage to help the audience get what you said earlier out of the concert?” This was a very helpful activity for BCC as it helped to center everyone’s thoughts. After dinner, BCC’s presidents led the choir in a meditation exercise and a final pump-up before we headed into the final stages before the concert. Finally, it was time to perform!
The concert itself was a whirlwind experience. The hour seemed to go by in a minute and the energy that could be felt on stage was incredible. Each song transition went flawlessly and the audience was wonderfully invested in the performance. The general feeling of BCC singers at the concert end was of pride. The hard work that everyone had put in over the past few days and months had finally paid off, and we as singers could then celebrate a job well done.
No comments:
Post a Comment