Music of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden — huzzah! I couldn’t be more excited about this year’s Nordic Christmas Revels as I anticipate the first meeting of our adult chorus this evening. Each year we select a new theme, begin our planning, and then hold auditions in May to select the adult chorus for our December production. After the “casting” is complete, we join for one rehearsal in June to meet, greet, and sing together for the first time.
So, when I opened my fortune cookie today at lunch, I found the message to be particularly meaningful: “A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.”
As music director, this is a pretty special night for me — I get to hear the nascent sound that I have the privilege of shaping and refining for this year’s Christmas Revels. I usually select a few songs from the show to try out with the group, and we rehearse them together. While I am working, Artistic Director Roberta Gasbarre is watching, the costumers are measuring, and many other details are starting to fall into place behind the scenes. Many, many things will happen over the summer, and then we will really begin the journey in September.
There are more auditions to come, so our “circle” is not quite complete — we audition teenagers and children in September — but, tonight is when it all starts to become real for me. The “journey” to the Northlands begins with tonight’s “single step.”