Member Reflections On December ’15 Concert
This was my first concert with PEV. I just moved here from New York and was delighted to be accepted into the ensemble. My husband, law-school daughter, and a sister from this area came to the performance. My husband especially has been to many choral performances to see groups I’ve sung with for several years in NY. Although they were all top-notch ensembles, his usual response has been something along the lines of, “Very nice, dear. Shall we get something to eat?” My daughter has been similarly supportive but not wildly enthusiastic.
From all of them, the response to PEV was very different than in the past: almost speechless and stunned by the power of the music and the excellence of the ensemble. The word “Wow” did come out several times, and some much more colorful expressions of appreciation. All agreed that it was not only the best performance I’d been part of, but probably the best choral performance they’d ever heard. They were blown away by the soloists, the repertoire, by Lynne’s conducting and comments. Along with the pure joy of singing with PEV, what a thrill for me to be part of something that elicits this response!
— Suzy Logan (Alto)
Hi, all. I wanted to share two thoughts with all of you as we head into a well-deserved break for the holidays.
The first is a big collective thank-you to all of you for the hard work, commitment and spirit that everyone put into this concert, both in our months of preparation and in two gloriously rich performances. As many others have commented, we created many wonderful sounds, and it was thrilling to be a part of it.
The second is a specific thank-you to Lynne M., which I expressed privately to her after rehearsal but wanted also to share with the rest of you. I am very grateful to Lynne for all that she does, all the preparation time and the focus and concentration in rehearsals, to make us better musicians. After every concert set, I feel I’ve learned more about phrasing, lines, diction, dynamics, vocal sound production, performance and presentation, and so many other aspects of musicianship. I wish I’d known all of this 15-20 years ago, when my voice was that much younger and stronger — sadly, the graphic representation of my musical state has a declining voice line to offset the rising musicianship line — but better late than never, right? Anyway, the preparation for a rigorous concert like this last one is a tremendous learning and growing experience, and the performance is pure, unadulterated joy. Thanks, Lynne, for all the hard work and talent you apply to make that happen, and to make us better, individually and collectively.
Happy and safe holidays to all, and an early toast to whatever 2016 holds in store. I’m sure it will be fun.
All the best,
Don Kelley (Bass)
I second what Don says. Yes, this is a very talented group of singers and it is a pleasure working with all of you. But Lynne’s direction and coaching makes us an even better group. The variety of what we sing is impressive, interesting and exciting. That’s what keeps us alert and inspired.
Thank you, Lynne.
— Doug Jackson (Bass)
Dear Lynne,
I wanted to add to the ‘chorus’ of thank you’s for this beautifully-programmed concert in particular and for all you do for us in general. As we ratchet upward in excellence, it’s fascinating to see over the years how your patience with us has borne fruit and how your coaching always has exactly what we need to make it over the next hump.
I could go on about how much I enjoyed the Raminsh and the challenge of Friede auf Erden, but I wanted to say thanks for “Sure on This Shining Night,” which means a lot to me. The way we sang it, with a kind of quiet radiance, I found emotionally overwhelming at times. It’s a great poem and I don’t tire of returning to it every year, whether performing or listening.
Thanks again,
Dale Engle (Bass)