2008 Recital - Nampa

Here is my review of the Nampa concert. I ended up having to work Monday morning (the11th) so I didn't leave Salt Lake (Lehi/Lindon actually) until noonish. Our dress rehearsal was scheduled for eight. So I had plently of time. I stopped every chance I could for gas. Not that I needed it. I just wanted to get out of the car. I got to the church about 7:30 and waited for Sean and Jennie, who had gone out to dinner. We rehearsed. Okay, okay, so there's more to it than that. Michal, Jerusha, and Dani were also there. We started rehearsal with the end of the program. "You have nothing to fear..." And than went backwards. Skipping my solos.

Than we got to A Hand of Bridge. Michal, Jerusha, and Dani decided to veto my decision of standing on the stage and deciced that we would sit around a table as of we were playing bridge. (That is what I wanted to do in the first place, but it cost money to do a "staged"version of the opera. And I wasn't feeling confident with the music, so I wanted to cheat and have my music with me, hence the "concert" or unstaged version.) We ran it back to front, front to back and various sections of the ten-minute opera several times. Everytime it got worse! Than Sean suggested to call it, "I think the more we try to perfect it right now, it's just gonna get worse. We're all tired..."

So the three of them left. Sean, Jennie, and I were the only ones left. Jeannie and I worked out the bugs from our set. And than I discovered I was counting Erlkonig wrong. Damn you Schubert! (Don't get the wrong impression, I love that song. It's just rather difficult.)

About eleven I got to my parents house. It had been a long day. I had a lot to the next day, so I went to sleep after going over Erlkong and A Hand of Bridge again and again.

Tuesday morning. I got all my errands done. Picking up refreshments, program inserts, the hat for the Carousel set. Studying music. Cards for A Hand of Bridge...

The entire day, I was not feeling good about the concert. I really did not want to get up there and do it. Than I started thinking about my hero, Canio. And I thought, if he can perform while he's "out of [his] mind" than so can I.

So I did. Overall it was a great performance. We went out for A Hand of Bridge. I forgot one of my lines, (despite that fact that we had copied and pasted our music onto the playing cards :)...) A Hand of Bridge was not received well. Sean said he looked out at the audience a couple of times and saw quite a few shocked faces. My parents and grandma didn't like it. I was telling a friend of mine, Mark Walters, about that and he said , "well you can't please everyone." (Okay, so that's not exactly what he said, but that's the main idea.)

The Schubert set went fairly well. Erlkong was still fun. And I think I got my timing issues fixed. Anyway, it felt better to me.

Michal sang. His song was really good. The spirituals went better than Saturday. At least I thought they did. Well I was in the choir room (backstage), I was going over the words to Goin' Home. I couldn't remember them I tried all during Michal's song and Jennie and Sean's piece. But the words weren't coming. So I knelt down and said a quick prayer. I felt better and instantly the words came to me. Prayer is such an amazing thing.

Jerusha sang Girl in 14G. I love this song.

The time for Carousel came. I had "changed." I lost, my jacket and tie, unbuttoned my vest and put on a hat. And Dani and I sang, If I Loved You. This song was my mom's favorite.

I had the music out for Soliloquy thinking I would need it. But I didn't. I opened it up to a section that I kept messing up on and got through that spot and forgot to continue turning the pages to get to the next spot I needed. So when I got to the next trouble spot, I kept thinking, "I hope I get the words right. I hope I get the words right." I did. And I stepped away from the music stand and finished the song. Than I left and changed again and Michal, Jerusha, and Dani started You'll never walk alone. I came out for the repeat and the four of finished it. Than of course, Sean and I finished with "You have nothing to fear from the journey..." Kind of a fitting "benediction," as I was I "fearful" of performing that evening.