Now that we are well into the Festive season I feel that I can now say the word "Christmas" without a sense of panic. As a music teacher in a huge school that caters for pupils from the age of 4-18 there are plenty of carol concerts and services to keep me busy at the moment. Four this week, four last week, two next week...
The most positive thing about having a choir involved in several of these performances is that it gives them the chance to perform the music more than once. Usually, for the non-professional performer, you rehearse a piece for months then perform it only once. You get an amazing adrenalin rush at the thought of this one off gig but you also have in the back of your mind the thought that you only get one shot at getting it right and that all depends on one performance.
One of the great things about going on tour with an amateur orchestra or choir is that the performances get tighter yet more relaxed. By the end of even a short 3 concert tour you feel relaxed enough to enjoy the performance and, as a conductor, to really work the performers eg by using rubato and so on, safe in the knowledge that everyone knows the music well enough to move with you. As a performer you get to know the music very well and start to enjoy performing without being a slave to the dots on the page.
The same is true of the Christmas season if you happen to be performing at several events. The choir I run also had to deal with having two different conductors with very different interpretations of the music involved.
The other thing which performances at this time of the year bring to the fore is performing in different cicumstances to very different audiences. In the past fortnight my choir have sung at a church service, a church concert and a private dinner and have done so with great professionalism (average age 15). They've adapted to the differing occasions - solemn, solemn yet light hearted, light hearted yet potentially very pompous - and to the differing acoustics but all the time singing music they have got to know well. The final time they sing this repertoire together, at a huge carol service, they will be relaxed enough to enjoy the performance and experienced enough to deliver a great performance.
So, despite all my usual "bah humbug" at this time of year there is such a lot to be said for singing carols in concerts, services, out and about carol singing and so on. Rehearsals are fine. Performances are great. Several performances over several occasions in varying locations can really bring a group of performers close to their peak.
Obviously I'll be cursing Christmas music once again in October 2010 but, until then, let's hear it for the Green and Orange books!!!!!!!
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