A Note From Don ....
.... "Three-Sing"
MUSICALLY: THE LOSS OF THE LANSING BIG SING
Like most of the people I have talked to, I am shocked, disappointed, confused, and just plain mad about the LanSing Big Sing having to be cancelled. Whatever the reasons were for the cancellation, where else can we as singers experience joining a thousand male voices in performing some pretty spectacular music. And the best part, meeting, mingling, and performing with men from Jamestown to Niagara Falls. The social aspect is probably the most exciting part of any Big Sing. And more so because of the wide diversity of chorus backgrounds from a whole corner of North America. This is the only chance I ever have to take part in something which is truly "International." Now it's gone.
I just cannot calculate the amount of time that those of us on the music committee have put into this project over the past three or more years. This plus the telephone calls, the traveling and the hours on the computer stagger the imagination. (And this is nothing compared to what the members of Orpheus have given!)
"Three Sing"
To pick up the pieces and make something of the work the individual choruses have put into preparing the music (for the past three years) I have a suggestion: let's have as many choruses as possible participate in a "Three-Sing." Following the program outline which my chorus has used in the past few years, here is how a concert could be set up.
First, who could host a concert with VERY minimum work? A church, a school, somewhere that you could put a set of risers would work as a performance hall. No printed programs, only a quick word processor and an "Office Max" run. No afterglow (go to a bar), no special hotel (each chorus make their own arrangements), and no ticket sales. Advertising the performance would be the main problem. However, the gathering of the three choruses would be more important than the number of people in the audience. Whoever could come up with a situation like this could be a host chorus. Then invite two other choruses FROM OUTSIDE YOUR DISTRCT. Or, maybe you could call someone and ask if you could visit them. The important thing would be to have three choruses who normally are not in close contact at the district level.
Second, the program would be in four sections.
1-Chorus #1 would sing for 15-20 minutes followed by a scholarship soloists (or more) from any or all of the choruses. Then
2-Part two would be chorus #2, again about 15-20 minutes, followed by an intermission. After this,
3-Chorus #3 would perform, and the last section would have
4-All three choruses together on six of the songs.
Each director would conduct 2 songs. (Or maybe three songs, for a total of nine, and have the individual chorus sections shorter.) This whole program would give you about an hour and a half concert--which would be ideal. (To start out the program, have one chorus on stage, and men from the other two choruses who would be sitting in the audience stand and sing "Salutation" and the national anthems from where ever they are. This would give the effect of a surround-sound.)
The same as a Big Sing? No.
But remember three things:
1) you can use music you have learned, and
2) you can associate with other choruses, and
3) we can still promote the scholarships which we offer.
You could also make a little money to cover expenses by passing the hat (no tickets sales). Tell the audience what the total cost of the program is, and let them take it from there.
This is just an idea, but at least we can continue some semblance of a "different" Big Sing. Some choruses have already made alternate plans. If you haven't, don't pass up the oportunity to try something new. Time is short but we all have held open the April date which could become a single concert time for all the choruses throughout all of the districts. Who knows, perhaps this could become a popular type of concert in our repertoire each year. Let's not give up the friendships we have developed over so many years. Remember that we do have a motto: "GOOD SINGING, GOOD FELLOWSHIP, AND PUBLIC SERVICE."
DWCrouch
2/10/03
Installed 11 Feb 03
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