First Choral Performance

Friday was our first performance for the MS Choir. Actually they are students from 6-10th grade, however the choir is mostly middle school students with 2 9th grade students and 1 10th grade student. We sang a piece by Moses Hogan entitled "I'll Make the Difference". This concert was to benefit HIV positive and AIDS victims here in Addis. The director of the Motley Singers organzied this event. There were many instrumentalists and vocalists performing. So the piece we sang seemed appropriate for the occasion.

I was hired to do one thing...rebulid a program. So this performance being the first of many that will determine the path of our choral music program left me with a little self-created stress. Good Lord, I was stressed out all week. In the end the kids did a fabulous job. They sang with grace and confidence. Harmonies were exact and filled with love. It was pretty hot! I am so blessed to have so many excellent singers in the group. Most of the students I have are sixth graders and they can belt out some sound. I am impressed.

The thing that irritated me the most was that important information about the concert was not given to me. For instance, the concert was scheduled for one hour. 2.5 hours later it was over. The previously mentioned group, the Motley Singers is a community chorus that I joined a month ago and were performing at the end of the concert. Unfortunately I had to take my kids back to the school before 9:30pm wo I was unable to sing. But that wasn't the most irritating part. I should have asked the type of music that was going to performed that evening. There were excellent musicians performing including solo violinists, solo pianists, small vocal and instrumental ensembles, etc. However, these were musicians that you would pay $60 to go see in the states performing with a professional orchestra. I had no idea that my new task, after my kids finished performing, that I had to maintain 11-14 year olds through a very long pieces. I had to take them out after a while. They did the best they could sitting still for an hour and a half. So I couldn't be to mad at all of the talkin' and squirming around. Oh well, it is what it is.

Our next performance will be on November 17th for international day (formally known as UN day). They will be accopmanied by the HS band, the african drumming class, dancers and the elementary musicians. It should be pretty cool.