There’s been a special glow hanging around the Carthage campus for the last five days, thanks to the presence of a certain special visitor named Weston Noble. . . although by now it sounds sort of odd to call him a visitor. Carthage has become a very special place in Mr. Noble’s heart – sort of his second musical home – and in turn the Carthage Choir feels a very special affection for him – so it’s more like a member of the family returning home after being away too long.
Mr. Noble provided plenty of amazing moments, but one of the first was when I found out that he had driven himself all the way from Decorah, Iowa to Chicago, Illinois. There may be 87 candles on his birthday cake, but he’s not going to let a little thing like that keep him from getting behind the wheel and getting himself where he needs to go.
And when he got to Carthage just in time for Wednesday afternoon’s rehearsal, it was almost like he had never left. It had been a year since he had been there, yet he was remembering many students’ names (sometimes first and last names) – and/or remembering what their area of study was or maybe something about their family. He may be 87 but that brain of his can’t be more than 50!
Musically, he seemed every bit as sharp as last year- and I continue to be impressed that even at this stage of the game, he continues to learn new repertoire- even though it would surely be easier for him to limit himself to venerable favorites that he’s been conducting for decades and knows like the back of his hand. He’s never operated that way, and at the age of 87 he’s not about to start!
Sunday afternoon’s concert kept him busy, which began with him conducting the Carthage band in one of the suites of Gustav Holst. My most vivid memories Mr. Noble memories from my childhood are not of Nordic concerts but rather band concerts- and among my clearest memories is of Mr. Noble’s black and blue tux. And lo and behold, that very same tux is what he wore for Sunday’s concert- so for me it was a trip back forty years or so!
Mr. Noble also conducted our spectacularly-improved Chapel Choir in one of their pieces, and I’m sure those singers found it truly thrilling to be directed by one of choral music’s living legends. And drawing the concert to a close was the Carthage Choir, who sang as if on fire! I hardly know where to begin in listing the highlights…. a fiery Spanish-flavored piece called “Ritmo” (with my friend Dimitri and I handling the four-hands accompaniment) …. a joyous spiritual called “He’ll make a Way” that had us all working up quite a sweat…. three whimsical pieces by Eric Whitacre called “Animal Crackers” featuring texts by Ogden Nash…. and a Rene Clausen piece called “Prayer” with words by Mother Theresa which had me, Mr. Noble, and half of the choir in tears. (more on that in another entry)
But there’s a moment from the concert that had nothing to do with the performance itself that is worth recounting. At the end of the program, Eduardo Garcia-Novelli took a moment to recognize the five seniors in the Carthage Choir who are about to graduate. As the last of the five took their place and the audience began applauding them, Mr. Noble – without a moment’s hesitation – leapt from his seat in the front row of the audience to personally congratulate each senior with a warm handshake, as though they were visiting heads of state. . . as though he was honored to be meeting them. That moment was SO Weston Noble because he has always had a remarkable gift for making other people feel like they are the most important person in the room. And that gift has really made a difference in what he has managed to accomplish musically over the years- because in making each and every one of his singers feel important and cherished, he could then count on getting 110% of their energy and passion in return. But what was especially beautiful about this gesture at the end of the concert is that these are five young people that almost certainly will never sing under his direction again…. but still Mr. Noble wanted them to know that they mattered to him.
Because they really do.
pictured above: Mr. Noble greeting the five graduating seniors in the Carthage Choir. Note the eye-catching tux, which he has owned and worn for forty years.