Month: May 2014

My spot in the concert line-up is all the way in the back, confirming, I’d thought, that I have a terrible voice and my director wants me as far away as possible. Except I have beautiful singers all around me. On my left, for instance, is an alto who was selected for the “voca me” section, and she has a gorgeous voice. On my right is one of the people I wrote about in Imperfect Harmony.

So, I must rethink my hates-me theory.

Here are a couple of shots from last night’s dress rehearsal.

I swear, it’s like I need a sedative or something. I’ve been yelling at my cats for being cats, knocking things over on my desk and tripping on wires and looking around for someone to yell at about that. But of course there’s only me, so I glared at the universe. (What that looks like: me whipping my head around and frowning in all directions.)

There’s no reason for it. The dress rehearsal for our performance is tonight and that is always nothing but fun. I also swam and mediated this morning, so I should be floating on a cloud of endorphins and Buddha-like equanimity.

Except … we got our positions for the concert and once again I’m in the second to last row in the back, proof that our director hates me. Not really. Last season, when I was also in this spot there was someone with a gorgeous voice behind me. Still, it does feel like he wants me as far away from him as possible. Ohmygod, I’ll bet that person with the beautiful voice behind me was there by mistake! We shall see who is around me tonight. (I’m kidding. I mean, I have no illusions about my voice, but who knows John’s reasoning behind where he puts us.)

Looking down an alley/driveway somewhere uptown.

I realize I live in a state that has its Affordable Care Act together, but the materials for my new insurance arrived in the mail, and all the instructions for what I had to do were very clear. I spent some time researching my choices for a primary care physician, found a really great one who was accepting patients, and registered online with my new provider. It was a breeze! It wasn’t clear how to assign my dentist however, so I called, got someone immediately who just did it for me, and I was able to make the NYU Dental School my dentist, which is what I wanted.

I also discovered that I have a prescription plan and my regular pharmacy is part of their program. From now on all my prescriptions are $3. Another thing I learned: with this plan I can walk into any ER if I need emergency care, but if it’s only urgent care (sprained ankle, etc.) I can walk into any one of a list of clinics for free. I got a list of those and bookmarked them.

I just feel so taken care of and covered for all medical contingencies.

Heading into choir practice. Tonight, for the very first time, I liked the Charles Ives piece we’re doing, Psalm 90. Took long enough.

There are still tickets left, although I think Friday is almost sold-out. Or was it Saturday? I forget! The point is, get your tickets now now now. If you tell me before tomorrow I can try to get some and then I will leave them at the “will-call” window for you, where you can pick them up before the concert (too late to mail them).

Friday, May 9th, 8pm or Saturday, May 10th at 3pm
Grace Church, 10th Street and Broadway

We’ll be singing Randall Thompson’s The Last Invocation, Arvo Part’s The Beatitudes, Charles Ives’s Psalm 90, and Mozart’s Requiem.

John Maclay, our director, selected only 20 women to sing the Voca Me section. Mozart wanted the women to sound ethereal and other-wordly, like angels in the distance, and he gave the direction to sing sotto voce (under the voice). Choir sizes were much smaller in Mozart’s day and he probably would have had only 4 or 8 women singing. The effect he wanted is much harder to accomplish with 60 or so voices. I wasn’t chosen OF COURSE. The first time they sang it without me I almost cried! I’m fine now. John made the right call. That section will give you chills.

At the last rehearsal John told the women to sing the men’s Confutatis section along with them. “You know you’ve always wanted to,” he said. And it’s true. It’s just such an exciting part.

Here is the piece I’m talking about, and this what it going on. The men are singing (translated from the Latin):

“When the accused are confounded,
and doomed to flames of woe …”

And the women are answering:

“Call me among the blessed.”

A dog with booties on. What is more cute in all the world? Ha. A dog with booties following all that death and redemption. But I call animals among the blessed.

I will not be receiving. Or taking calls. The picture below is the turtle and bird equivalent, except they have retired to the rock. I took it yesterday walking through Central Park. I’d planned to take a longer walk, but all of a sudden I felt impatient. I wanted to walk through parks and streets I’d never walked through before. So I went home and made a plan. First up: Highbridge Park.