bear

Where did April go? Oh, right, concert, Indie Bookstore Day, the cough I cannot seem to shake. The cough that made me decide I am physically not going to be up for auditioning for SF Symphony this year, alas; that I'm unsure I will have the vocal control I want even for this Friday's (May 17) Oakland Symphony concert. We're doing Copland's Canticle of Freedom! I know my part! It's my diaphragm support that has basically forgotten how to function, I can't hold long notes for shit right now, nor can I hit much below a G4 without audibly wobbling. Yikes. Four years of masking means I managed to make it *51 months* without contracting an illness or having anything worse than seasonal allergies, which is like 10x longer than I've ever managed to do in my life before. It was an amazing run. Crossing my fingers to start another streak like it, as soon as my throat heals.

In other belated music news, the concert with Pacific Edge Voices last month went off splendidly for the most part. A much more theatrical production than I've been in in awhile - complex lighting design and actual staging instead of the more minimalist walk-on-walk-off of symphony choir performances. After a year of singing with an orchestral choir, I loved getting the chance to sing a cappella in concert again. (No, dear self, you don't have enough spare time to be in two choruses!)

And there was enough complex choreography in this concert for the main Pacific Edge Voices performers that I wonder if their audition includes tests of movement and coordination and inquiries into dance training background. Thankfully, I managed to hit all of our marks for our simpler choreo part on Shosholoza. Hymn of Acxiom, we sang in the round, encircling the entire audience, otherworldly.

Oh, how I love singing in the round, in mixed formation, just vocals.

Also in the news: Oakland Symphony has hired Kedrick Armstrong to be our new music director! Armstrong was the guest conductor when we did the Simon's Paul Robeson piece back in February, Michael Morgan's last commission; fitting that Armstrong will take up the reins now.

Just as Esa-Pekka Salonen announced his departure from SF Symphony. Which was part of why I wanted to audition for SFS this year, for the chance to sing under his direction. Next year, who knows? Given Salonen's cited reasons for not renewing his contract, who could SFS hope to attract in his wake?