Singing the the Dark

Greetings readers,

Tonight I had the dress rehearsal for Pro Coro's "Music from Space" concert on Sunday evening. It is going to look so cool! The whole church is going to be in complete darkness except for our music stand lights and the blue glow of the projector showing images from the Hubble telescope above the stage.

It took a long time for my eyes to adjust to the lack of light since it's hard to see the conductor's gestures in the dark. Shocking, I know. Hopefully, we can shine a few more lights on him. The risers are a bit hazardous since there is a web of electrical cords all around my feet as I sing and I'm afraid to move around too much in case I bump stands and lights perched all around me. I'm glad we're no longer doing a processional. I don't need another hazardous walking opportunity to slip on stage again. Other than that, it felt pretty cool to be singing in the dark, there was this overwhelming sense of intimacy in the space. Voices seamlessly weave in and out of the fabric of the darkness and the paired visual and acoustic stimulus will yield a powerful effect.

Also, you may be glad to know, for those of you who read about my music learning woes in my previous post, that I was able to make it through Ligeti's "Lux Aeterna" for the first time without losing my way! This was quite the feat for me. I just need to sing with more confidence now and watch the conductor's shadowy hands with intensity since that actually helped me more than anything else.

Tomorrow morning is our last rehearsal before the concert on Sunday. If you happen to be in Edmonton, I'd recommend coming out to see the concert because it's going to be pretty unique!

Date/Time: Sunday, February 13, 2011 @ 7:30 pm
Location: McDougall United Church
Tickets: $25 Student/Senior; $30 Adult (Available at the door)
You can find more details here