Actually, I'd rather not. The performance went OK but during the choreo for "Codfish", I twisted my ankle slightly then almost fell when I had to support myself on that foot later. I'm jumping the gun though so let's get back to basics.
Champagne, my quartet, had a fabulous time coaching with Lea yesterday. The two hours just flew by! Lea managed to help us tweak our two contest songs just a bit without overwhelming us with details. She's such a supportive person to start with but she has an innate sense of how much to push without being overwhelming. She did suggest that the lead and bari exchange notes on the last note of our ballad. The note is the one crack note our bari has and the chord wasn't balancing. The lead and bari are great musicians and were able to make that change easily and perform it later flawlessly.
The Pacific Sound Chorus' Friends and Family concert was packed well past overflowing. People had to stand in the hallway to hear quartets. It's a good problem to have but I kinda hope that AJoy, PSC and Jet Cities can coordinate into one Friends and Family night next year. Yes, it would mean fewer opportunities for the quartet to practice, but we could perhaps get a real stage so that it would be more like contest. PSC was sounding the best I've heard them. They had a relaxed energy about them which made being a guest a pleasant experience. In the past, they've often had a frantic or fearful feeling about them and it was nice to see what they could do when they were relaxed. They also had more character and engaged faces that made them so nice to watch.
I am majorly bummed that I didn't get to hear much of Sunbreak. They're a new quartet filled with superb singers and but they are mostly all new to barbershop. They've come a long way since they started and I like listening to their progress. Airwave was one of the other quartets that is largely a reconfiguration of two previous quartets. I think I like the sound of Airwave better than either of the two previous quartets so here's hoping they score better at competition. I think that would put them in the top 5 of the region (out of 22).
Frenzy was down having a rehearsal weekend and they came to see the PSC show. I'm sure they were ready for a break after all their hard work, and it was really nice of them to come watch. I'm glad I'll get a chance to hear them on Monday night at AJoy's F&F night. It's interesting to me that there are some quartets I could listen to hour after hour and others that I find challenging to listen through an entire song. Their level has nothing to do with it; I'm talking about the top fifty quartets here. I find it fascinating that quartets can have such a wildly different sound from song to song, too. I don't hear that inconsistency at the world-class quartets so I'm thinking that is one of the hallmarks of an international-ready quartet. In any event, Frenzy is one of those quartets whose sound I find very cozy and warm.
Kay, their tenor, sent me a really sweet note after the PSC show telling me I have a voice similar to Shannon Harris. Nope, I didn't have a clue who Shannon Harris was but I discovered she was the bass of Brava!, Sandy Marron's quartet that won international. It was an inspiring comment that I have to live up to but not yet :-) I have a lot still to learn and another child to fledge, but I think I'd like the experience of winning regional and having the opportunity to attend international as a participant. I have a long way to go and so much to learn but I'm a sponge.
We're off to see "Iron Curtain" at Village Theatre today. It's billed as a communist comedy and since Village has a history of doing fantastic shows, I'm excited for an opportunity to turn off my brain and enjoy a good show. I won't be able to see much of it. I tried a new mascara last night and my eyes are not happy with me today. Good thing I'm a touch typist else my daily blog would have died in under a week :-)
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