Singing in the St. Louis Choir

Today I sang for the first time with the choir at St. Louis Church. 

What an adventure!

I am not sure what gave me the idea to join this choir however it crossed my mind a couple of weeks ago, and I took action almost immediately. I sing at the Latin Mass at St. Anthony's just a few blocks away -- however I realized I could do St. Louis on top of that. The Latin Mass is at 9. The Mass at St. Louis is 11. Sometimes in life you can have your cake and eat it too! That is what I am doing.

The director, Frank Scinta, is famous in Buffalo. I mean he is the best. He is honestly one of the best in the world, not just here in Buffalo. Over the years I have interviewed him here and there for The Buffalo News so I was no exactly a stranger. However it was totally different to be standing there singing for him, so he would know where to put me. We met up for that purpose a week or so ago.

"Sing something Christmas-y," he suggested. "Sing, 'O Come All Ye Faithful.':

"Can I sing it in Latin?" I said. 

I am so annoying!

"Sing it in Swahili for all I care," he said.

So I sang my "Adeste Fideles" and then I sang something else, I forget what. End result as we say here in Buffalo, Maestro Scinta said I have a good alto voice. 

Another thing I have going for me is, he said, I am docile.

"You are docile." In our feminist world, I do not think most ladies would be pleased to hear that. But I was, once I had three seconds to think about it. Pleased, I mean, to hear that. It means I take instruction, I listen, I learn. 

In other words, I'm not stupid. 

What, I am going to go and sign up to sing with this great choir with this great choir director and fight everything they tell me? Yeah right. 

Anyway. I was assigned my robe and my number, 44.The number was on the tag on the robe. I also got assigned a seat. They have assigned seats in the St. Louis choir!

This morning there were a lot of moving parts, but I got through it. Everyone in this choir is extremely nice, just to make the picture that much more perfect, and they make things easy. I was there only 15 minutes ahead of show time because our Mass at St. Anthony's was an hour and a half. With the time being short I underestimated all the organizational things that needed to be done. First I had to find this insanely long spiral staircase to the choir loft -- oh good, it was where I was hoping it was. These 1880s churches, got to love them!Then I was scrambling to find my robe, get into it, and button it up. I had totally forgotten I had to put on this robe. Ha, ha! The choir was busy warming up singing something in Latin I did not recognize and for a second I just stood there smiling, it was all so new and interesting.

My assigned seat was taken so two of the other altos invited me to sit with them, and being docile, I knew enough to do that. I settled in to this choir loft, thinking of all the people who had sung there before me. And I got to sing...

... and other great music too. I just mention the Bach because that weaving accompaniment melody always overwhelms me with its peace. It is like a reminder to stop and to breathe. Frank Scinta told us it was like a gigue, a dance of joy. I never thought of it like that but you know what, he might be right.

I'm looking forward to next Sunday.

We have liftoff!