The Lady in the 3 Hats

What does the conductor do? Well, that is a question that deserves a little inspection of a haberdashery heterogeneity. Our conductor is Jeannine Wagner, a woman for whom the skills and artistry of choral direction are a lifetime endeavor. But what really happens when the podium is ascended by a world class musician? Let’s take a look.

A conductor is the Architect whose job requires careful attention to the structure of the music. Every detail of the composition that comprises the ebb and flow of the phrase is carefully built from the columns that support the basement up to the gables that crown the arches. And the dictum must be that this house is sound.

And she must wear the hat of a Psychiatrist who conducts a group session where the patients bring a host of interesting dramas that influence the sound and texture of the music. We are all flawed individuals who want to do our best and yet resist the surges of change that will allow the best to emerge. Singers want to be in charge but there is only one to whom the mantle of authority is granted. She stands in front of us, demanding, cajoling, inspiring our obeisance to the muse of creativity of her inner vision.

One of the best hats she wears is that of the Cheerleader. Unabashedly, she's up there waving her arms, grimacing, sometimes in pain, sometimes in shock, sometimes in pleasure, but always with a childlike excitement of having the time of her life. The tone is positive, an ocean of confidence that carries all of us along toward the performance worthy of our effort. Go team, go!

Jeannine, as the lady in the 3 hats, is just warming up. This is a journey that will take many hats and require many functions from dedicated musicians. Our goal is to make Haydn's MASS IN TIME OF WAR a thing of beauty and inspiration. We are on our way.

Witness to the Launch

I am going to be right up there, first in line, to be a witness to the start of something special. I want everyone to look up at the stars and see what I see. Up there is the essence of the universal sending energy and promise to all of us down here. If we could catch the hope and dreams that from those lights emanate, our lives would be fundamentally changed. How do you gather the ineffable? That’s so easy. Just open your hearts and like magic it pours in. We do it all the time but we are usually asleep when the celestial transaction takes place. Now is the time to wake up to the great moment and to make some cogent observations.

Every engagement with the infinite is the first time because every breath is new, each look is a fresh glance from eyes of never before been here views. This is because you are never the same time after time. You are a new you every single time the heavens are perceived anew. I want our music to be imbued with this dynamic. We are going to perform Haydn's MASS IN TIME OF WAR for the first time. Beyond the good audience in the seats, there will be witnesses from on high, those stars of celestial denizens that will be smiling down on us. I want them to say to themselves, "Now, this is a song sung by a communion of lives that reaches far into the infinite. Good for them.".

The Recalcitrant Singer

We prepare. That’s what we do as singers who want to give their music making the best chance of being at its highest level. Like an athlete who does wind sprints as the competitive season approaches, singers warm up their voices, every single day, 10, 20 minutes a day. Why? Because of 3 major modalities that priming the vocal apparatus brings out. Firstly, the obstreperous mechanism, once it is engaged by the mind of the musician, is amenable to improvement. Secondly, when we warm up we focus our intention in producing the best sound we can. And lastly, my personal favorite observation, we engage our imagination. I suggest that if we all make a commitment to warm up every single day, then game day will be one which will allow us to be proud of our performance. Our MASS IN TIME OF WAR, is going to be a magical moment when Jeannine puts it all together. Quite a task, 50 singers, 20 instrumentalists, 1 fabulous hall with wonderful acoustics, and just the right conductor. Yes, it will be a night to remember. Let’s prepare.

The time for Mass in Time of War draw nearer

I am looking forward to bringing Haydn’s Mass in Time of War to our Memorial Concert November 7th. It will be a performance that will be “true to the text” and will truly test our music making ability. Jeannine, the captain at the helm of this presentation, is excited to be nurturing the choir through an understanding of this piece and the opportunity to generate the emotional expression that will make this concert special. All of our Memorial Concerts have served to elevate our spiritual resonance to higher levels and this is so much appreciated by our audience. I feel it and I’m sure you do also. So now the work begins. Good luck to all.

Back in the saddle

So happy to have summer tucked into a neat package I can put back on the shelf and pull out fall. Ah fall. When changes tease our senses with the promise of cooler temps, shorter days, and, --- music to practice. Those church jobs, well, like seedlings out of sight, now pushing forth to unlock their budding leaves, they begin to rearrange our time, the time we thought we'd never give back. Soon we be working on Haydn's MASS IN TIME OF WAR for the memorial concert, November 7th, 7:30 in the evening. I can't wait to see everyone and share the special gift of music with all.

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