This past Friday night I was back singing with the Racine Symphony Orchestra for the second of their two summer Lakeside Pops concerts. What a joy to be back onstage with that group! Much as I love singing with groups like the Kenosha Pops Band or Racine Municipal Band- both absolutely terrific groups – or with a fine piano accompanist like Jane or Dimitri – there is something very special about riding the waves of sound – that shimmering bed of sound – created by the strings in an orchestra. I think part of it is that I am a singer with a very big voice, and I don’t always spin my sound as smoothly as I should. Singing with strings encourages me to use by voice more like silk and less like a hand grenade!
That’s what I was feeling Friday night- and although it was a little bit frustrating not to have any big showstopper songs to do- (no “Old Man River” or “Billy’s Soliloquy” or “Some Enchanted Evening”) I felt like I was doing some of the best-quality singing I’ve done in a long time. . . both in an old favorite (“I’ve grown accustomed to her face”) and in a song brand new to me called “April in Paris.” And it was great fun to share the stage with soprano Becky Spice (who generously donated her services for the concert) with whom I collaborated on “Thou Swell,” “Ain’t Misbehavin’” and “Blue Skies” – although we would have loved to have sung together even more. And I led a sing-along of old fashioned favorites that really got the whole crowd singing. So there were a lot of things I enjoyed about Friday night, including the great pleasure of singing with conductor Richard Carsey, who is a master on the podium. And by the way, the whole RSO is a wonderful ensemble- strings, brass, winds, percussion- but it is those strings that are the heart and soul of the sound and I wish that every singer could have the pleasure and privilege of singing with that kind of warm, radiant accompaniment at least once in their lives. I’m so lucky to have had that pleasure time and time again.
As I think back on Friday evening’s concert, one of my very favorite moments happened backstage, completely out of sight of the audience…. but it’s something I just had to capture with a photo (blurry and all) and a few words written about it here. The orchestra in the middle of its performance, and through the black curtain you can see of percussionist Liz Christiansen in her typical position behind the xylophone. And in the bottom left hand corner of the photo, peering up at her through the curtain, is her young daughter Rachel (who I believe is seven years old.) It was such a neat sight to see on so many levels. It was neat to see a young girl watching her mom with such obvious adoration (and by the way, her dad Dave was playing percussion as well for this concert). It was neat to see Rachel’s obvious interest in the music being played. And it was great to see a child that age being such a good listener, especially because she is quite the fine musician herself… and I’ve encountered so many fine musicians, young and old alike, who aren’t nearly as interested in the music-making of others as they are in their own. I just love how Rachel enjoys music in both directions- as both a giver and a receiver of it. And of course it is thrilling to encounter a symphony orchestra in person, whether you’re 7 or 77.
One can only hope that the RSO- and the KSO- and all such community orchestras across the country- will find a way to survive in these challenging times, that they may continue to inspire youngsters like Rachel. . . and the rest of us as well!
(note: I blogged about Rachel one other time, back on April 3, 2008 – talking about a night at senior choir rehearsal when she ended up playing an impromptu piano recital for us. Look it up in the archive, if you like.)
pictured above: Rachel Christiansen watching her mom play the xylophone with the RSO. There’s something about that image that reminds me a lot of the great Norman Rockwell. This seems like the kind of picture he would have appreciated and wanted to paint.