The Evensong gathering went well last night. Margie and I played much more prominent roles than I’d anticipated, leading both music and prayers. I won’t say our performances will win any awards, but we still had folks asking us afterwards the perennial question, “Why aren’t you guys in the choir?”
(Answer #1: We don’t feel we can set aside a night a week for rehearsals, plus getting to services early on Sundays. Answer #2: I like sitting up front during the service and participating in it that way, rather than back in the choir loft, where the performance becomes more important than the worship. Answer #3, and the one I usually give: Well, the congregation needs some strong voices amongst it as well, right?)
The music was the Holden Evening Prayer — a really lovely piece of sacred music, but not one you want to walk in on cold. I might pick up a copy of the cassette (what, no DVD?).
Margie did spectacularly for someone who’s never soloed in that way before. Many public kudos be unto her.
The biggest drawback to all of this was that it basically has killed our schedule this week — rehearsing Monday and Tuesday nights, and singing Wednesday night. And it’s not like we don’t have a lot of other things on our plate.