Around 9:30 this evening, The Choir completed an intense three days of recording (after an equally-intense three days of rehearsing and performing over the weekend). A great deal of care went into the recording of the Spring Concert repertoire, with several takes of each piece to facilitate smooth editing for our next CD.  For singers, it’s a simultaneously grueling and deeply rewarding process – the challenge of standing perfectly still while singing large sections of a piece before unforgiving microphones can be stressful.  There was an excellent, can-do spirit among the singers for this recording, which, despite the difficulty of the repertoire, was the smoothest I’ve done thus far.  For Greg, the many facets of his task are mind-boggling:  facilitating and achieving the best possible performance, with millisecond tolerances from over one hundred musicians, all the while maintaining an atmosphere of patient encouragement.  Of his many prodigious gifts, surely his calm and loving spirit under tremendous pressure ranks high.  Congratulations and much admiration is due to Tom Goeman for his absolutely brilliant accompanying through the concerts and the recording sessions – his registrations were thrilling, and both his musicality and technical accuracy are awe-inspiring.  Kudos also to our soloists for their excellent singing, with particular thanks to Rosa Lamoreaux, who was a second pair of ears with our recording engineer and producer, and who offered lots of helpful encouragements along the way.  Thanks, also, to producer and recording engineer Brad Michel, pictured below, for his kind and calm support – he offered, in addition to the usual required correctives, a lot of keen musical insights, which where deeply helpful.

I sense that these six very-intense days have been the occasion for a lot of growth among my colleagues, both personal and musical, and it’s thrilling to know that this repertoire, and our performances in loving memory of our dear friend, Winnie Erdman, will now become a lasting part of the legacy of The Choir.  Thanks to all who attended the concerts, and special thanks to those who offered financial support for the recording.  It’s our hope that this project will one in which we can all take a great measure of pride.

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