Singing Mit Der Herrn

Ah, my weekend of song and driving.

Ever hear of a place called Findlay, Ohio? Yeah, me neither....actually, this was my first trip to Ohio beyond rest stops along the God-awfully long I-80 between here and New York (and I do mean 8.5 hours of the same road). Granted, not everyone experiences this road the same. In fact, my friend Michelle, who helped me move out here and drove my car to Michigan, usually does not recall ever having been through Ohio (she's not good with maps, and originally expected Michigan to be adjacent to New York). I think that she repressed the memory, as it was quite traumatic.

Anyhow, Findlay, Ohio....the site of the bi-decadial Great Lakes Male Chorus Association's Group Sing. This is really just a long way of saying that, every 4-5 years or so, 6 male choruses convene on the town of Findlay to sing to the people and wow them with our manliness. And, for those of you who recall, my particular manliness is quite wow-inspiring.

I drove three hours to get to the site. Then I sang for 45 minutes with all the assembled choruses, followed by a 2 hour break, followed by a 25 minute rehearsal of our specific chorus's two solo numbers, followed by more break before donning the ceremonial black coat and tie with shiny silver vest (please recall that I have sufficient manliness to permeate such garb) to sing in the concert.

Incidentally, have you ever noticed how old men sometimes smell a particular way? Try standing amidst about 250 of them packed together, wearing warm blazers under hot lights. Imagine my joy.

It was a good concert, and I was sad because it was my last with the KMC (I intend to move before next season). I said my good-byes and got a great big hug from the director who insisted that my presence had been a blessing (which was a great compliment!), and left to drive back to Kalamazoo.

iQue triste!