This past week I was a small player in what turned out to be a rather dramatic saga involving the Tremper High School Chorale. I’m relieved to say that it ended as happily as it possibly could have, but it was touch and go for awhile.
The story began with a gratifying invitation for the Tremper Chorale to perform a half hour concert at the Wisconsin State Choral Directors Convention in Appleton. (They are directed by my amazing sister-in-law, Polly Amborn, and I am honored to be their piano accompanist.) This is an honor that must be earned through recorded audition and the competition is always quite fierce, so it is a very big deal to perform at this convention. I have had the pleasure of playing for Polly’s Tremper Chorale at least once before at this convention- and at least once back when she was the choral director at Bullen Middle School. And several years ago, I was on hand for the Carthage Choir’s most recent WCDA performance. So I know what a thrill it is to be onstage at this convention, performing for the most discerning and appreciative audience you could ask for.
One challenge of this “gig” is that it comes so soon after Christmas break – which is why Polly scheduled an optional extra rehearsal for last Sunday afternoon at Carthage. It was so gratifying to walk into Siebert and see 2/3’s of the choir standing on those risers and sounding terrific. The subsequent rehearsals Monday and Tuesday also went well. But then came Mother Nature’s unwelcome interference, when bitterly cold weather forced the cancellation of classes on Wednesday … and then again on Thursday. As Kathy and I ate lunch with Polly on Thursday, she was still calm and confident- knowing that her students were well prepared and able to rise above the setback of two lost rehearsal days. But then we looked out the window and saw heavy snowfall – and a quick check of the updated weather forecast showed that things were looking just as cold and nasty for Friday as they had been the last two days. Which meant that it was quite possible and even likely that school would once again ben canceled on Friday. And standard procedure is that all school activities are also canceled – which would mean that this opportunity to sing at the convention would turn to dust, just like that.
Phase One of the drama was waiting to see if Kenosha Unified would close, as Milwaukee and Racine had. The fact that Waukegan, Illinois – the first major school district to the south of Kenosha – was not canceling classes made it seem possible that Kenosha might follow suit. I’m not sure just how long all of us ended up waiting – it felt like days – before the final word was given that KUSD was canceling classes. And according to standard operating procedure, canceled classes means canceled everything. Suddenly, the choir’s opportunity to sing at the convention was hanging by a mere thread.
Fortunately for Polly and the singers, they had a fierce advocate in Scott Plank, the coordinator of Fine Arts for the school district, who lobbied relentlessly for the choir to be allowed to make the trip to Appleton. I’m not sure just what arguments he used, but I’m pretty sure one of them was this: if we had been talking about the boys’ or girls’ basket- ball team playing in the state playoffs in Madison, there would be no hesitation whatsoever to allow them to travel and play. There was no reason to view this any differently. But would the superintendent end up seeing it that way?
It took awhile- again, I don’t know exactly how long, but it felt like hours and hours and hours …. before Polly was finally given the word that the choir would be allowed to sing in Appleton. Certain stipulations were put in place, the most significant being that this had to be an entirely optional event. No student could in any way be penalized or punished if they (of their own volition or at the direction of their parents) opted not to participate. Polly had not the slightest problem with that stipulation, probably because she was certain that most of her students would choose to go. And indeed, 62 out of 72 students made the trip! That, in and of itself, was so exciting!
I will say that as I drove down to Tremper in the early morning (we met there at 7 a.m. for rehearsal, before departing by bus at 7:45) through the drifting snow and bitter cold, I understood why class had been canceled, and felt just a flicker of doubt about us making this trip. Once we got out on the interstate, things didn’t seem so bad- especially once the sun came out. By the time we cleared Milwaukee, we sort of wondered what any of the fuss had been about. But then around Menominee Falls, we began passing one serious car accident after another …. nearly a dozen in all in just a couple of miles …. and then saw that all southbound traffic was being diverted off of the highway. And not long after we had passed through that segment of highway 45, the northbound lanes were closed as well. We were fortunate to have missed that “fun” by just a few minutes, and we reached Appleton safe and sound and on time!
As for the performance itself, it took place in a spectacularly beautiful place- St. Mary’s Catholic Church- and as the students first sang on the risers in our dress rehearsal and heard their sound rumble in those magnificent acoustics, you could see this look on their young faces that basically said “Whoa!” And of course, when they returned to those risers 45 minutes later, clad in their tuxes and long black dresses, they were standing in front of an audience of choral directors from all across the state of Wisconsin. The electricity in the air was absolutely extraordinary …. and of course, for Polly and every one of those students, it was ten times more thrilling to be there because it was so very nearly snatched away. I don’t think there are words that can adequately convey the immense joy that each and every one of us felt – like we were the most fortunate people on earth simply for being able to sing and make music together. And just before the last song, Stephen Sondheim’s “No One is Alone,” Polly spoke absolutely beautiful, absolutely perfect words of thanks for everyone behind the scenes, including Scott Plank (who, by the way, drove up to Appleton to hear the choir’s performance) who made that moment possible for her and for her cherished students. It was a really important reminder for all of us in that room- every teacher, every singer- that none of us do any of this alone. Teachers owe so much to their own teachers- to their own peers and colleagues- and to the teachers they are blessed to teach. But there are so many people beyond that … from the people who keep your room clean and heated and lit to that important person behind a desk who weighs the arguments pro and con and finally decides “YES, you and your choir may travel to Appleton and sing.”
Pictured above: The Tremper Chorale sings its performance at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Appleton for the Wisconsin State Choral Directors Convention. It was a splendid place to sing, both acoustically and visually, and they sang incredibly well. And I was especially pleased and honored that Polly chose to include my song “Strength” in the mix.